robertesteele

Thanks everyone for all the responses. I have talked with an nurse army recruiter and he was very nice. He wasn't pushy at all and he said he wanted to give me any information I wanted and that if I felt it was the right decision for me and my family then he could help. He gave me phone numbers for other CRNA's that are in the reserves that work at the VA hospital here in Salt Lake. I talked with them and they both seemed to really enjoy the reserves. I was told that it the possibility of being deployed was currently only 90 days in a two year period, but that could possibly change if we got involved in some conflict and the president signed a bill changing it. I was also told that you can volunteer for an assignment somewhere and if that goes through then that will count as your time being deployed. Also if you are deployed or if you volunteer to go somewhere for 90 days then you don't have to continue to give the one weekend a month and two weeks a year. Does the navy offer the same benefits as the army. I am accepted to a program here in Utah can I do the Navy reserves and go to the program here in Utah.

Ashfrost, I too am looking for different ways to pay for CRNA school. I start in August and so far I have put all my savings into a home, so I don't have a lot saved up for school. Fortunately we turned our home into a duplex so we can rent out half while in school and it should pay for the majority of the mortgage. I have looked at either getting loans to pay for school or joining the army reserves. The reserves looks pretty good so far. I would get $1,900.00 dollars every month while in school and then they pay $50,000.00 tuition reimbursement when you finish school. The drawback is you owe them 6 years of service after you finish school and I kind of want to move around a lot and I don't know how that will work. I was also given a sheet from my school with a bunch of free scholarship search sites to use. So far it is just writing a bunch of 500 word essays on why I deserve a scholarship. Some of them are a waist of time or are only for a few hundred dollars, but I had a friend who said she spent a month doing that in her spare time and was able to get about $20,000.00 in scholarships, so I will try that as well. I would like to know more about agreeing to work at a hospital after and having them pay for school. If anyone has more information on that. I think you will be doing great if you work and save before school. If you do travel nursing and you are the type that can save money then do it. I wouldn't stress yourself to death about it, but I think you can live modestly and save a lot of money. I mean I know I lived modestly while going to nursing school and I was still able to have a lot of fun. Good luck. I think you will do great.

First off I would like to thank everyone here for tips and for being such a great support to each other. I used the site many times to find tips for interviews. I was recently accepted to a CRNA program in Utah. I have talked with a couple of guys who are CRNA's in the Army reserves and they have really enjoyed their experience. I'm not sure if the army is for me but it seems like a great deal to help with money to get through school. It also seems like in the army they get a lot of training. I would like to know if anyone here has comments about joining the army reserves to help pay for the CRNA program. What things should I ask the recruiter? What are the drawbacks to joining the army? Obviously the possibility of being deployed is a drawback, but I was told that as a CRNA I could only be deployed for a maximum of 90 days in a 2 year period. Any advice that people have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.