nu134

I am a 1LT with prior service years as an E-3 before I comissioned. All my time has been served in a reserve capacity. I can tell you from experience that even though you may have been in reserve status, the years will count towards your pay. As explained before, they will not count for time in "grade", but they wont take time off your years of service. There will be a difference in your retirement, going from reserve to active. Reserve retirements are based on points. They have a formula to calculate the points from reserve to what your appropriate active time is. If you come in with any exprerience, they have a way they calculate that to add to your time in grade.

First off.....I just want to say thank you for all the great information in the previous posts. There isnt too much representation on the NP fourm threads for the psych specality. A few questions: How is the job outlook in the field? Where are the biggest demand for Psych NPs in the country? How realistic is it to have an independent practice and where are the best states to practice in? Thanks again, Matt

Im an Environmental Science Officer in a Medical Company in the National Guard. I went the whole ROTC, BOLC, OBC thing for my job. I can tell you as a nurse, the smartest thing for you to do is to go direct commission. You do not need to go to Basic training. I went when i was enlisted, but officers dont go. Officers normally enter four different ways, ROTC (college), OCS ( Officer Candidate School), West Point, or direct Commission. Normally, as an officer you go through BOLC (basic officer leadership course) after your commissioning source. AMEDD (Army medical department) is alittle different. They havent conformed to the whole BOLC thing whole heartedly. When a nurse goes in fresh off the street, they give them constructive time in service, which means they go off your experience in the job and add it to your time in grade in order to give you an appropriate rank. Ive seen MDs join up with 15 years of experience and get LTC. They have AMEDD OBLC ( Officer Basic Leadership Course), which teaches you everything you need to know in order to function in the military. If i could do it all over again, i would have skipped the ROTC-BOLC experience all together, and gone direct commission and go to OBLC. Hindsight is 20/20 though...........

Im concidering Nursing as my first career, but it definatly isnt my first degree haha. I got my BA in Psych in 07. I realized that i wasnt too passionate about it half way through my senior year unfortunatly. I worked in a group home for people with MR/DD and did alot of the work a nurses aide would do. I really enjoyed the job and decided Nursing could I applied to the local community college near my home, and got accepted. I dont know if i wasted time taking all that course work in Psych, but id like to think that it will be useful down the road. Im currently deploying to Afghanistan, so I had my admission deferred, and should start in summer/fall 09. Wish me luck! Matt