Tanker

Welcome to the Army Nurse Corps (ANC)! I can tell you exactly what you will be doing as a newly assigned RN. I am a Major on Active Duty and am the OIC of the medical floor at William Beaumont Army Medical Center at Ft Bliss, TX. I am currently at ILE (a school for Majors) and assisting you with this question helps me with an assignment here to post on a BLOG. Win-win. Assumptions - You are a New Grad (NG), no prior Army experience, coming on to Active Duty (AD). The ANC has changed the way they grow their new grads. The first thing you will do is go to Basic Officer Leadership Coorifice (BLOC) where you will be with new MDs, Dentists, Vets, Pharmacists, Nurses and other medical folks to learn about the Army and some basic things, like how to wear a uniform and field problems. This is a 10 week course. The next thing will be to go to your first assignment. Don't worry about going to a CSH (CASH and MASH acronym not used) as they want some experience first now. So, you will go to one of about 7 (?) locations that have the Clinical Nurse Transition Program (CNTP). This program is a preceptorship that all NGs go through. If you have strong civilian experience they will waive the CNTP. You start with about 4 weeks of didactic work, skills, hospital orientation, required training and observing several units in the hospital. After that you go to a Medical, Surgical or Med/Surg unit (my hospital has separate Med and Surg although we support each other. There you are assigned a fabulous preceptor for 10 weeks. Now you learn how to be a real nurse! You will be oriented to the floor and there is a detailed program of what you are to learn, do and demonstrate proficiency. You will increase your pt load as your preceptor sees your progress. During this time you have monthly a seminar with the Director of the CNTP program at your location. At the end of your 10 weeks you are then ready to be on your own. This timeline can adjust longer if the NG needs it. The main thing we (leadership) wants is for you to develop as an RN first but you have to also progress your Army career at the same time. It is pretty much expected to have "additional duties" to round you out. This can be something as being the person to check crash cart inspection compliance to party planner. Wide variety. these things typically don't require a lot of extra time. You must also mantain your physical fitness. During this time you will be counseled (not in a bad way) about what is expected of you and to discuss your plans. You can apply for additional training in another area, like ICU, ER, OR, psych, OB, etc typically after about 6 months or so. Don't be in too big of a rush. Learn your basics first. also during this time you can ask to shadow in other areas to get a good idea of what you might be interested in doing. getting the course is just a matter of getting Deputy Commander for Nursing (DCN) approval. If you have done well and shown desire and motivation it will be no problem. The M/S area is the feeder to all the other programs. The courses are about 4 months long and then you will be assigned to one of the larger facilities for a utilization tour to apply what you just learned. This could be back where you were depending upon if there is a need and if you want to return. This is totally optional. I have had some nurses decide that MS is for them. Typically, you need to be at your first assignment for at least a year before going to your next assignment. If you want to go to a CSH then I recommend that you stay at a busy MS unit for at least 18-24 mos. You will be more prepared by that time having good nursing experience and much better understanding of how the army works. Unless you are assigned to a CSH you are usally assigned to a PROFIS (Professional Filler System) slot with a CSH somewhere. This means you are like an agency nurse for them when they deploy. If they get notice that they are deploying you will go with them. Or, you could just be selected to go on an assignment. We get periodic taskings to send a person somewhere. We don't usually send anyone until they have had at least a year or so of experience. We want you to succeed. Being in the Army as a nurse can be thought of as 2x the nurse. You have to tend to your RN career and also your Army career. I believe you already understand the RN side having completed or about to. The Army wants you to also be a leader. You will have to work on that aspect. There are definite opportunites to do so. You need to leverage your leaders and also take initiative. One thing about the Army is that you never know when you will be in charge. I have seen that when one is deployed one is often put in a position at least one level higher. So, you may be a floor nurse today but you may go down range and be an OIC. This leadership training/experience is something that doesn't necessarily get developed on the civilian side. Not bashing the civilian side as they prefer to have RN specialists that may be in that one position for many years and be great at it. The Army wants pretty much both - technician and a leader. I encourage you to seek those opportunities and grow with them. So, to sum it up, your first year will be learning, doing and developing. You are coming oin at a great time. There are so many opportunities that the Army provides that would be hard to replicate in the civilian sector. The army has a program where you can go and get your Master's degree and the Army pays for it and you are on AD while doing it. You then just owe them time, usually 4 yrs. But if you wanted to be a Nurse Practitioner, CRNA, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Informatist, Nurse Executive, or any number of other options you can do it and get paid while doing it. Plus, you get opportunities to lead and manage. In my opinion you get much more opportunities than in the civilian world. Again, welcome and enjoy the journey! MAJ Robert Burdine ILE Class 2012-003 Staff Group CThe above comments represent the views and opinions of the author only, and should not be interpreted to represent the United States Army or the Department of Defense in any way.

The Army is going to be very similar to the Navy. You give 3 choices for assignment and you will most likely get one of them. You have to be reasonable as well. If you are a new nurse and new to the military you will not go to a small clinic or base where you wouldn't really be able to develop your skills. If you are a newbie select a larger post where you can get good experience and have support. I have seen new LTs get Trippler in HI. I assume that Germany would be an option for a NG as well. Landstuhl would be a good assignment to learn. As for FNP, the Army has a great Masters program. There are requirements to be met and application to be filled out. Main thing is 2 yrs on station before going. You can apply earlier but can't go until at least 2 yrs. It is a competitive process. You actually PCS for 2 yrs while you attend school. You then owe 2 for 1 yrs after school. Its a great way to get your avanced education. I am planning on doing this program as soon as I figure out what I want to do. The Army also has a program called Generic Course Selection that you can opt for when you sign your contract. This program allows you to choose from ICU, OR, Mental Health, or OB schools to attend. You have to make a choice within about a year. So, after getting your feet wet on the M/S floor you may have a good idea of where you want to go. You do not have to make a selection if you do not want to but it is better to have it and not use it (you can always apply later) than to not have it at all. Keep you options open.

You will do fine as a NG at the VA. Most likely you will be on a Med/Surg floor to start. When I graduated (about 2.5 yrs ago) I looked into the VA as well. there was no issue of being a new grad. If the VA is where you want to be you may as well jump in now and start with the retirement and benefits. I wanted to work in the VA since I was a veteran and enjoyed taking care of the vets. My thing was that I wanted to be on a specialty unit and not M/S. They wanted the M/S first. So I went to a civ hospital ER. Now I am in the Army. May go VA later.

Gen, It is an option and one I gladly take. OBLC would not benefit me. I looked at the COI and it is all stuff I have done before. I have been to the field many times over my 10 years as an officer and didn't get to sleep in hooches (slept in, on or under the tank). I have officer experience up to Company Command of an Armor unit. I have done OERs and NCOERs. I know how to wear the uniform. I can read a map and land navigate. I have had plenty of NBC training. I can do an Op Order. I didn't see anything there that I haven't already covered. I have been to Officer Basic and Officer Advanced courses for Armor. What would be my purpose of going? I also have over 2 years ER nursing experience. The ANC has seen fit to bring me in as a CPT as well. I think I can step into Army nursing and be productive day one. If my Chief Nurse didn't think so she would not have offered me the position. You will find that many things are waiverable in the military. All depends upon needs and timing. We did not want to have to wait until Jan to come in and spend 9 weeks "reviewing". I am ready to serve. I spoke with my sponsor and he agreed that OBLC would not benefit me. I am looking at going to the Captains Career Course instead. It is more appropriate for my situation. For folks that are new nurses and new to the military you absolutely need to go. There is lots of good stuff there if you have not already learned it. I have seen med personnel (an MD) that came to the field with us and was not wearing his uniform properly. Not sure if that Doc had been to OBC or not but we squared him away and talked bad about him ;-)

That is a true statement. BSN required for active duty. You can have an ADN and be in the Army Reserve. There are threads about this on this site. Think about going reserve and continue to work on your BSN then transfer to active duty.

Well, it only took over a year but all of my waivers have come through and I have orders in hand to report for active duty next month. Will be going to Yuma Proving Ground. I am really looking forward to the career change and the opportunities the Army has to offer. I am also being waived from OBLC since I had been to Armor OBC and OAC previously. After looking at the course of instruction I do not think it would have been a valuable use of my time or Army money. I've only been out for 6 years and not much has changed significantly, except uniforms. So, for any of you that are in the process and it seems like it is taking a long time don't give up. Sometimes these things take a while. I did have to rattle a few cages up the chain along the way but in the end I am where I want to be for the start of this career. Off we go, into the wild "green" yonder...

Actually, for "E" pay you need 4 years and a day of enlisted active duty. Otherwise you fall in the regular pay catagory.

The age limit is 46 for Army and retirement at 60 (at least on my contract it is stated such). I am still in the process of entering the ANC (have been waiting 9 months for a waiver). I am 49 but have 4yrs AD under my belt. You can apply for an age waiver when you get close to that 60 age. And as previous poster stated, things change all the time. Also depends on what you are doing at the time. I am sure that if you become a CRNA they will not give you the heave-ho. I feel I have nothing to lose if they boot me at 60 as all the time will contibute and bolster my Reserve retirement that I already have coming at age 60. The Army has some great opportunites that you just can't get in the civilian sector. Yes, you may go play in the desert but you know that up front.

The ATRRS course catalog does not list a course for Oct. Aug is the last one for 2007. Unless it hasn't been updated and they added it.

I am able to apply because of waivers and Army needs. They need nurses and I have the skill set they need, BSN and breathing! . It only took filling out an application, getting a physical and getting ANC Board approval. It also helped that 16 years of my time was Reserve/NG. So I have more active time available. They still only guarantee me until age 60, at which time I will have ~16 years active duty time. I can submit a waiver to stay longer and get my 20 year active retirement. If not, then whatever time I have will count towards my Reserve retirement that I can get at age 60. The Army has brought back other retirees from other career fields that they needed. Very few things are actually written in stone. Many are waiverable. Bob

I am kinda in the same boat. I will have 2yrs ER experience by the time I go active in Aug. I was wondering if the Army's CRNA programs accept ER experience (civilian) for the critical care requirement? Trying to plan my career if at all possible.

I am in the process of going active (but still awaiting 1 more waiver) and have a slot in the Aug OBLC. I am considering my long term goals as well (I am prior service, 1LT AR ARNG). By the time I go in I will have 2 years ER experience at level II centers (I graduated in '05). I am considering the CRNA program in the Army. My recruiter (who has been straight with me so far) indicated that the civilian ER experience would count/qualify for the 2 yrs critical care requirement. Does anyone know that to be true? My recruiter said that if that was my goal to pretty much immediately take the GRE and start the ball rolling once I get to my duty station to try and get in immediately after meeting the 2yr on station req. To try and make my options more open I was going to go with the 66H first and evaluate the options. In my contract I did sign up for the GCSP. So I do have the CC course available if needed.

You won't be patrolling the streets of Baghdad. That is not a nurse function. You may be at a hospital in Iraq and have to treat the troops who do go outside the wire. Will you be out of danger in the hospital. No. But I have not heard of medical facilities being hit. There may have been, but I haven't heard yet. I also do not think any MDs or RNs have been killed in action either. Correct me if I am wrong. But you will not be in this environment for 20 years straight. With regards to the "8 countries and 5 continents" I can't say. The list of current medical facilities only lists Germany, Korea, Japan and Honduras as other countries. I guess if you include the US then there are 5 countries. They may loosely consider Hawaii and Alaska as "countries" since they are not considered "state-side" assignments. It sounds like marketing-ese. It is hard to say where you will go. That all depends on the needs of the Army at the time and what you but down on your "dream sheet" (list of 3 places you want to go). There ARE some outstanding medical facilities in the Army. I have heard of a recent RN that was sent to Hawaii for her 1st assignment. Keep looking. "The answers are out there."

I am not a recruiter but am going through the process of going active. One of the things you will have to do is complete a physical at MEPPS. I would think that if you meet height/weight standards at that time then a waiver would not be necessary. If you don't meet the standard then there will probably be issues. I, fortunately and just under the wire, met the standards even with my wife's good cooking!

I am in the process of applying to the Army Nurse Corps (been accepted by ANC and now awaiting the waiver process). I was talking with a friend who joined last year and she indicates that promotion from CPT to MAJ is now taking about 10 years. Can anyone comment on that? I know that you are eligible WAY before 10 years. I was looking at 4-6 years TIG for MAJ. Are my glasses rose colored? BTW, they have indicated that I would come in as O-3 per Branch (I have 20 yrs prior mil experience and retired as O-2E).

First, make sure you are talking to an AMEDD Recruiter. Secondly, I do believe they just upped the age. Remember, virtually everything is waiverable. The Army also gives back age if you have prior active service. I am in the process of going active duty and I am currently 48, will be 49 in May. I probably won't go active until about that time or Aug. I am waiting for my other waivers (age, previously retired, moving violations, and whatever else). I did get approved by the ANC Board so that is the most positive thing. I believe the waivers should be no problem. So, age shouldn't be an issue. I would say the sooner you get things rolling the better. In my case it will be 1 year since I first started talking and getting the ball rolling (started in Mar '06). I also had 4 years active duty AF. The other thing to consider/plan for is that there is mandatory retirement at age 60. Again, there are waivers at that point (Army needs etc.). The reason that is important is if you plan to try and retire with a 20 year retirement. I had to sign a form stating that I understood that I may not get 20 years of active service. I had 4 years active and 16 Reserve/Guard. If you do not have skeletons in the closet then you should go for it. Lots of opportunities. Bob

Actually, the military is pretty cut and dry. Lots of regulations and such. Pay is VERY cut and dry. It is the same across all branches. You can go to Military Pay Tables to see the current rates for all ranks. With regards to nursing it would be best to speak to a Health Care Recruiter or find someone that is in the business. If you speak to regular recruiters they may not be totally familiar with requirements and processes. For the most part people fall into a bell curve and most info pertains to them. However, there are exceptions (ie different education, experience, prior military service) that fall outside the norm and require special attention or waivers. You will find that just about everything is waiverable if the "need" is there. Take my case for example. I had retired from the Army NAt'l Guard in 2001. I was an Armor officer. With some life changes I changed civilian careers to nursing and graduated in 2005. I was seriously considering the military but the recruiters said I couldn't come in because I was already retired (Army and AF) and the Navy wouldn't touch me. Fast forward a year later and all of a sudden I am desirable. I have had to get a bunch of waivers for age, retired status, traffic tickets, etc but they want me now and it looks like I will be in the Army Nurse Corpse this year. The caveat with recruiters is to get what you want in writing, no exception! I don't know your daughter's background or desires for the military but the basic answer for nursing (RN, I am assuming she wants to be an RN) is that if you want to be on active duty you need the BSN. Army Reserve will commision with an ADN and like another person mentioned if you are in the military in any capacity you are deployable. My recommendation, if she wants to be an RN and is in a BSN RN program right now, is to stay the course and finish then look to the military or possibly look to ROTC for educational assistance and a taste of the military. Don't get out of any RN program. The military isn't going to train your daughter to be an RN. That has to come from civilian schooling. Now, after graduating, she would go to an officer nurse course but the requirement there is previous RN education. If she is in a CNA program then she would have to decide about being a medic in the Army or Navy. The services do train for these positions. They are enlisted positions whereas the RN is a commisioned officer. They do get to do a lot but it is not an RN. My current Charge nurse was an Army medic and then went to Nursing school and received his commision as an RN. They have programs to pay for that as well. This is getting long but feel free to contact me for any further questions. I have 2 boys (Jr and Sr in HS) and I have talked to them about the military. The military can be a very positive experience. Choose the right career, work the system and come in with the right attitude. There are a lot of benefits. For nursing, the army will pay for you to go and work on your Masters Degree for 2 years (ie be basically a civilian for 2 yrs with full pay to go to school) for a 4 year commitment (and there are some impressive programs available). You have to be flexible and understand that you could go anywhere in the world (but that isn't a bad thing). Bob

Like they all said, check with a Health Care recruiter. I believe the max age is 46 for Nurse Corps. I am trying to get in and I am 48 but have 4yrs active duty. And I already retired from the NG. My recruiter ran it up her chain and they seemed positive about approval and it may take 6mos to a yr but it may go through. You just need the right contacts.

I am trying to go Army. Looked into working for the Army as a civilian too. Unless I misread it you are only on a temporary contract. Plus the pay didn't seem that good compared to where I am (and I am not in a high paying state, probably lower 1/3). Need a little more long term employment possibility. Have considered VA too but they want you to start in Med/surg first. Just can't do that. I like the ER. If everything else goes south then maybe after a year or so of ER experience I could be accepted into the VA Urgent Care and bypass the med/surg unit?

Hey everyone! I am in a unique (or at least all the recruiters think so) situation and am looking to see if anyone else has this experience. I retired from the ARNG as an O-2E in 2001 (didn't have degree to continue but now have 2 BS degrees; the important one being a BSN). I have been working in an ER since graduating last May. I have a packet in with the Health Care recruiter but can't seem to get an answer either way if I can come back in active duty. I had about 10 years enlisted (4 active AF) and 10 years officer (armor). The issue I ran into while in school was that the recruiters said they could not take retirees. An AF recruiter indicated that all regions could meet quotas if they were allowed to bring in retirees that now have nursing degrees. I find it hard to believe that there are so many walls in this time of trying to get new people in and to stay in. I know I would have to waive my reserve retirement. That is not a big deal as I would plan to do at least an active 20 years. Has anyone been in this situation? Or know of someone else who has and their outcome? The AF says I could come in AD if I had retired ANG or USAFR. I think he didn't want to have to do some work. All NG (Army and AF report up to NGB).

Just wanted to get some feedback on an idea. I am a new grad that changed careers from the business world. When I decided to go into nursing I was thinking about what I wanted to do since there are so many opportunities available to nurses. One idea that I had was to open a LTC facility and provide the best possible care. My thinking is that the "baby boomers" are coming of age that there is probably going to be a large demand for this service. I have heard that there are long waiting lists for the good facilities. That is what I would strive for. It isn't just for the money but to provide a service I enjoy doing, doing it well, and caring for folks that need the service. Is it possible to keep the business afloat and keep great staff? I have read through this board and I hear a lot of folks being burned out and horror stories. Why is it hard to keep the staff? Pay? Staffing? In short staffed facilities is it because of conditions or pay? Just wondering if I am pipe dreaming or if it is possible to succeed as a "mom and pop" LTC facility. I currently work in an ER and work with pts from 1-90+ yo. I enjoy working with the older population and just talking with them as I can during a busy schedule. I was thinking of first getting a good skill set and understanding of what "good nursing" is and then be able to move on. Appreciate your input.

"Can't we all just get along?" I am new to nursing and really enjoy the work. New grad to the ER. In my short experience I have found the Floor and ICU nurses to be varied. Most are great and if you just talk to them bumps are smoothed out. Then there are some who want every little detail and history that you just didn't have time to get. These are, fortunately, infrequent. There are all kinds in all areas of nursing. We're all human, I think.:wink2: I know my 12 hour shift is full. Never stop until I clock out. Policy says a 15 minute break every 6 hours. Right, haven't had 1 yet. We do get our 30 minute meal tho! As fast as you get a pt out another one comes in. In my group that started in the ER about half have moved on to ICU or another area. The pace just wasn't for them. And I think that is good to know your limitations and utilize your skills in an area that you can thrive and do well. Part of our orientation is to do a couple shifts in the ICU. After having been in the ER for a few months it was hard to sit around waiting for that next med. Before I get bashed, I know there are times when the ICU can be VERY busy with 2 pts as well. But if you have 1-2 fairly "stable" pts there can be some down time. I did an externship in a PICU and there were days when I was runnning with 2 and some nights when I just baby-sat. I prefer the running although it would be nice sometimes to be able to look up diseases/conditions that some of my pts have to educate myself but another IV, labs, foley, meds to do... We instituted a new trial policy with a cease-fire from 7-7:30. We don't call or send during that time. Seems to work pretty well.

I just graduated in May 2005. What a long strage trip it's been. This was a career change for me. Came from the corporate world with 20 years experience. I did a paper in school on the nurse instructor shortage. This is where a main bottleneck is to get NEW nurses out there. There are about 5000 QUALIFIED applicants turned away each year. There are some really creative ideas out there that need to be implemented. A draw-back to teaching is the VAST pay cut required and sometimes additional educational requirements (PhD) to teach. From what I can tell an ADN nurse can make more $$$ than a PhD Nursing Instructor. I also think that nursing school needs to be re-invented. I was not overly impressed with school. I have heard the stories of many programs forcing students out, which just reduces the final output of nurses. In business, there is an addage that says "It is easier to keep a customer than get a new customer." If you (the school) has gone through the trouble of selecting these highly qualified people why not keep them and work with them instead of putting them to the streets? I would say the majority of the instructors I had were not great instructors. We had a handful that really wanted to teach and they were great. But, admin would put the screws to new ideas and methods ("lets just keep doing things the way we used too"). Once they have a warm body in front of the class it is like a Supreme Court nomination. As posted earlier, there are other problems in nursing. There needs to be an overall national plan to address this. Staffing issues can start to be addressed with more boots on the ground. But we can't get more boots because of the lack of instructors that NEED to come from the existing nurses which creates further shortages. It's a Catch-22 but not nearly as amusing. There should be nursing programs that allow folks who want to change careers but can't afford to quit work to attend part time and/or at night. I just realized I jumped up on the ol' box and could write for a while on this. I'll conclude with that just by throwing some money at poorly planned and implemented programs aren't going to "create" more nurses and Arnold and CA aren't going to do it by themselves.

I just started with St Joe's. They are very NG friendly. Their orientation is very comprehensive. I will be in the ED and it is 5 months long. Do training with the ICU folks as well. The orinetation is what swayed me to go with them vs some of the other hospitals. I think the only "NG non-friendly" hospital is Northwest Oro Valley as they just opened and weren't taking NGs.

My wife and I gave Gray's Anatomy a shot. Folks on this board got real excited about how nurses we portrayed. It is entertainment. And to us it isn't very good and we now watch Crossing Jordan at that time slot. Our main reason is there is no plot any more. Just Doctor's boinking their interns. I did find trying to follow the medical stuff interesting but they give that part about 5 minutes now. Too bad. I don't think the show will last. So, am I to believe that this is how doctors are in every hospital and how they interact with their students/interns? Geez, I hope not. Are the Docs all up in arms about how they are portrayed here? I think the same could be said for every profession portrayed on TV. It's just entertainment or at least it tries to be. Having come from the business world I can tell you that there are always people in higher positions of authority who THINK they know more and are and are real butt-heads to others. It isn't just specific to nursing. I think it is just personalities or lack thereof.