OffandRunning

Garifuna, I hope you had a safe flight. I left this morning and seem to be making pretty good time. I will give you a call when I get in the area. Don't start the fun without the rest of us.:chuckle

Hi Garifuna, I'll be leaving on Wednesday and will be there Friday. There is no early reporting for us newbies.lol. I'm just ready to get this going. Did you get all of the items on the packing list or do you already have most of it?

Garifuna, they are supposed to be working on changing my orders or at least thats what they tell me. I think I will call tomorrow and see how its going.lol. We wanted to stay at Fort Hood but my husbands branch manager wouldn't give, so here we are.lol. I'm not stressing it too much. I'm okay with Fort Lee if it doesnt get changed. Do you know what the work is like for nurses here at Eustis? I've only met civilian nurses here, but they really don't have much insight into what active duty nurses do in terms of scheduling and hours.

I graduated about a few years ago from Central Texas College with my associates and then went back to University of Texas Arlington for my BSN. I just moved here from Tx and I'm only going to Fort Lee because my husband is stationed at Fort Eustis and that's the closest they could get me. Are you going back to Fort Monroe after OBLC?

Hi Garifuna, Nice to meet you too. I will be in OBLC in August too. What part of Va are you in. I'm in Newport News and will be going to Fort Lee after OBLC. I know they don't have a hospital there. I'm kind of wondering what I will be doing there. Do you know anything about that duty station?

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who feels like they are walking in blind. I've been told they expect officers to have a lot of initiative, but there need to be some resources out there to point you in the right direction. Its nice to hear positive stories like JB's. Stories like that which I have heard from lots of people is one of the reasons I wanted to join.

I feel the same way. Most of my info has come from internet searches and reading posts and blogs from people who have been there. I believe that when you sign in for your lodging its like signing in to your unit. They are supposed to tell us or give us a schedule for the next day or so. I'm not sure what the space will be like. Someone told me the rooms were nice. I think they have internet but you have to have your own ethernet cable.

Hi LG, I haven't been able to access the course schedule either. My recruiter sent me a schedule but it was for the wrong class. Are you going to drive? I'm coming from Virginia and I'm going to drive.

Hi Julie, Congrats on passing the boards. I'm not a navy nurse but I think some things are the same for all branches. You should be able to take your dog with you any where stateside. There may be some overseas deployments that don't allow it but for most I believe you can. When it comes to pay, I advise you to factor in not only the tangible benefits but the intangible benefits of both private and military nursing. Dont forget to look at the nontaxable pay the military offers like housing and food allowances. Also, if you need healthcare, think about how much that will reduce your take home pay from the private sector. The military has annual cost of living increases and time in grade pay raises in addition to promotions. They have tuition assistance and a lot of free educational opportunities. For cost and profit purposes, civilian hospitals may not be able to match up. Don't forget about retirement benefits. The military should pay for your student loans even if they are from a private lender if you qualify and select that option. Some one else can probably give you more insight on that. I was recently in your position weighing my options about joining the military or staying in the private sector. After I looked at all my options, joining looked like the option most beneficial to me. I can't tell you if I was right because I don't leave for training until August, but I will say I have not had any second thoughts or doubts yet. No matter what you choose, I wish you the best of luck.

Silver, Your info was really helpful. I'm not prior service, so I'm really nervous especiall about the PFT. I'm not a natural athelete. I have been working out and trying to prepare. I'm just trying to go well prepared.

Congratulations Silver on your graduation. What was it like? I'd appreciate whatever insight you have to share. I did read a lot of the other post and they were really informative. I'm just trying to make sure all my bases are covered.

I've been reading some of the post. I am new to allnurses and I was just wondering if any of you would be attending the August 3rd OBLC at Fort Sam. For any of you who have been there how was it and how do you like the Army?