cobber

We use a nursing acuity index where patients are rated, from 1-5 on their accuity (a typical pt with few or no complications is a 3). On the day shift an RN can take 12 points, RN/LPN team 22, RN/NA team 16, and an RN/LPN/NA team 25. Teams can take a few more points on the night shift.

I am about 8 months into my first assignment at Tripler and the residency program is not yet in full swing...we are still transitioning from the prior "internship" program, which is simmilar but those of us still finishing in the internship program are only going to medicine, surgury, and critical care/ER. Hopefully the transition will be completed and all the kinks worked out by the time you get here :) If you have any questions headding out to OBLC then to HI let me know and i'll try to help you out. Lisa

Dino... I'm a new army nurse and I've been working at Tripler Army medical center in Hawaii for almost 4 months now...I'm on a 24bed medical-oncology unit and I am liking it a lot so far, since I've been here our nurse/pt ration is 4:1 or better...which is something that is hard to find in the civilian side of things...the educational opportunities are not hard to find, and generally speaking the teamwork is top notch... there are of course units with issues here and there and there will always be moments when co-workers get grumpy and hard to work with but you'll find that in any job anywhere....I don't think that you are making a mistake by going into nursing as long as you have the passion for taking care of people...As for Military nursing, taking care of our soldiers, their families, and this nations veterans is very rewarding. Good luck!

"I think its longer if you are assigned/profis's to a unit, you stay with them." The memo that we recieved said that all profis assignments (meaning that you are deployed with a unit that you are not stationed with)will be relieved after 180 days...but if you are origionally assigned a unit that deploys (like if you are assigned to a brigade combat team or something)you stay with them...but if you are assigned to BAMC then you will deploy as a profis which falls under the 180 day deployment.

Gennaver I thought that loan diferment for military only applied if you are depolyed, but the wording in the link you provided is not that specific...so it may apply for any active duty....but it does say that diferment is only up to three years so it wouldn't be until you are discharged because your commision is indefinite...meaning that you keep your comission until you resign it (unless of course you are dishonorably discharged) and if you are a career military you will have that commission for 20+ years. Anyway, thanks for the info...good to know. Also, it just came down from surgeon general that army nurse corp deployments for those in profis positions (which is almost all of us) have been changed to 180day rather than the 15 months that they have been! I hope you get the assignment you want...I'm at Tripler in HI now...it was my third choice.

Student loans are not diferred but there are loan repayment programs if you're willing to commit a certain number of years to active duty. Its a good option if you are planning to remain active for a while anyway.

I joined through the army nurse canidate program during my jr year and got a montly stipend during while I was finishing my degree then I recieved my commission after graduation and went to officer basic trainning in aug right along with my ROTC counterparts...I am now at my first duty station in HI!!! What you need to do is find a healthcare recruiter...not just a regular one (you may have to call one from another city) I went to school near fargo, ND and my recruiter was located in Minneapolis. you can ask about the ANCP or any other direct commissioning programs they know of and they should get you squared away :) good luck!

I'm at my first duty station as an Army nurse in Hawaii...and there were at least three nurses (probably more but three in my platoon) from my basic trainning class who went to Germany as their first duty station....but Germany is in pretty high demand which lessens your chances...but you may have a pretty good shot at korea....there aren't as many wanting to go there but as far as I know it is an unaccompanied tour (meaning if you have a spouse, kids, or any other dependants, they can not come with you) As for deploying, around here they very seldom send a nurse with less than a year of experience (although they can send you after 6mo if they need to) but most of the nurses I know that may deploy within the next 6mos have been here 1.5-2yrs.

I'm an army nurse and i remember our nursing director saying that you only have to be 18 to be commissioned...this came up because for some reason my paper work when I was inprocessing when I got to my duty station, my paperwork said I was 18...rather than 23...and she double checked with me because although that would not be a problem it would be very unusual....my advise would be to ask HRC ...they would be the prople that know for sure.

It really depends on where you work and what the expectations are there....I am an army nurse in a millitary hospital and we are required to wear our uniforms complete with last name and rank at all times(even in psych wards) and we are expected to go by our rank and last name, we are also expected to address all of our pts formally, it is acceptable for civialian nurses to go by their first name if they so choose.

Congrats....now off to OBLC...it's almost here. Lisa

Very true Gen...It will be good for us....hard...but good.

I still have not recieved my OBLC orders but when I talked to the LTC in charge of the ANCP/AECP students...she told me that it would be 11 weeks long but my PCS orders for Hawii put me reporting there only a day or so after we would be done if it is 11 weeks...so I was a little confused too.

I'm in this class too. I'm still trying to get myself ready. I'm excied to get started.... but not so excited for the time away from my boyfriend. Oh, well...we'll survive. Lisa

Good luck on your NCLEX gen....I took the kaplan course and have a whole sheet of "NCLEX rules" that came in pretty handy for me...let me know if you want it and I can send it to you. I'm still waiting for OBLC orders too...hopefully soon for both of us. I still need to buy uniforms...yikes! Anyway, good luck, let me know if i can help you with your studyin or anything. :) Lisa