rcj2009

I got in to PCC. I am actually on PCC campus right now and my wife called to tell me something came in the mail from PCC. I asked her if it is a big envelope or a small one. She said, "looks small." I was freaking out a bit and told her to go ahead and open it. "Congratulations!" I made it. Yay!

I was the guy with gray hair in the row in front of you sitting next to the wall. Fun essays, eh?

Didn't come in the mail today. Maybe tomorrow. I honestly don't know if I'll get in. I place my odds at 50/50. Realistically my odds are 30/450 or so. :)

I think I had 64.7 points at PCC. I got invited for the essay.

Can someone explain to me what it means that VA nurse jobs are "Title 38"? Also, is there a resource online where you can calculate your potential salary? Say I was applying to be a Nurse II, Step 1? Also, what determines your starting grade?

I spoke with a Reserve Nurse Captain this weekend who told me they were able to use their GI Bill benefits twice. They said they were enlisted in the Reserves and used the MGIB-SR to get their BSN. They then commissioned, spent 16 months deployed on active duty, and are now using the Post 9/11 GI Bill to get their Masters. I always thought once you have used 36 months of benefits, then you were done. No more. But this nurse said that when you get a direct commission from enlisted, your old enlisted contract is nullified and you get a whole new contract which can include the 36 months of Post 9/11 GI Bil benefits (assuming some time was served on active duty.) Anybody have any insight into this? Seems odd, but they said this is what they are doing and they haven't had any issues.

Is this 6 months experience required for STRAP or for commissioning?

What is the service obligation for AECP? The Army website says it is open to the Reserve, but do you stay in the Reserve component once you have the BSN, or do you have to switch to active component?

I have talked to both AMEDD recruiters and officers in AMEDD who say this isn't so. They all say it is significantly easier for them to switch you over to being a commissioned officer on account that you are already in the Army system, you've already been through MEPS and been screened, etc. I hope they are telling the truth, because I enlisted in the Army Reserve as a 68W (medic) and once I have my BSN, I plan on commissioning. That being sid, if I was already an RN or BSN, I wouldn't enlist first.

What about the "Special Pay"? If you get $30k ($10k/yr) for a 3 year commitment, do you get this again for the next 3 years? Is Special Pay a one-time thing? I am trying to figure out what Special Pay and incentives are available after your initial commitment. The more information I have now, the better I can map out my education expenses over the next few years. Thanks.

The Army site says that they will pay $50k through the Health Professional Loan Repayment Program for a 3 year commitment as nurse. If I had $100k in student loans, would I be able to get a second $50k in loan repayment for my second commitment of three years? Or is the HPLR a one time only incentive? Thank you.

"How diffucult is it to get in your ADN program?" Pretty hard. I live in Portland, OR and most of the ADN programs feed directly into OHSU (a top 10 Nursing school) for a final year to get your BSN. For PCC, there are 800+ applicants for 100 openings and 25 wait-listed slots. For all the other participating community colleges that feed into OHSU, the acceptance rate hover around 13%. So yeah... it is very competitive and difficult to get in.

To clarify... I would be enlisted in the Army Reserve - not active duty. And after I got my ADN and started my BSN year under STRAP, I would still be in the Army Reserve, not active duty. The reason for going into the Army Reserve before nursing school is: 1) I need to stay in the city I live (Portland, OR) where I have a house and my wife has a career. 2) Be able to finance new schooling while paying a mortgage and raising a child without going into crippling debt 3) To gain positive work experience and the EMT-B certification that will give me a competitive edge when applying to a very competitive local nursing school. The Reserves would also allow me to go to school fulltime without having a job so I could focus on getting a 4.0.

Hello, I really want to serve in the Army as a Nurse in the Reserves. I have been researching my options for how to go about achieving this goal and was hoping to solicit some advise from those with more experience than I that frequent this forum. I currently have a Bachelors degree in Communications. I need to go back to school, but having a house and child, I am limited in methods by which I can finance a career change. My first step is to enlist as a 68W "Health Care Specialist". If I ship to basic and AIT at the start of the year, I should be able to enroll in my local community college for my prerequisites. I have been told I can get assigned to my local CSH unit. I will have to take one year of prereqs before I am eligible to apply to the nursing program. This program is pretty competitive (800 applicants for 100 accepted) but with my previous degree, good grades, and the experience as a 68W, I ought to be accepted. I am hoping to get the following benefits when enlisting: 1) Student Loan Repayment - I want to pay off my existing loans (about $7k) 2) Reserves GI Bill 3) GI Bill Kicker (hopefully) 4) Federal Tuition Assistance 5) Enlistment Bonus - I hope to get between $7K and $10K 6) Education Career Stabilization - a 2 year deferment from deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. The first five options should help me pay for the next three years of schooling to get my ADN. I will probably have to take out some additional student loans, but I hope to be able to repay future loans later. The sixth benefit (ECS) is to help me get my prereqs and my first year of nursing school completed in one swoop before deploying. After my two year deferment from deployment is up, I would be eligible to be deployed. This would be during my second year of nursing school. I have spoken with the people at the college and they assure me that I would still have my place in the program when I came back though I may need to retake some classes. After I get my ADN and pass the NCLEX-RN, I would have one more year of classes to get my BSN. Enrollment is automatic after getting the ADN. Yay! I hope to go through AMEDD to go from an enlisted 68W to an officer getting the STRAP stipend and the HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM to pay off whatever incurred loans I would have needed to get. I should then be an officer in the Army Nurse Corps serving with my local Combat Support Hospital. Well... that is what the big plan is. Followed by 20+ years of service. Here are some of my questions: Does anybody else have any experience going from an enlisted reservist to an officer in AMEDD? I have been told that if I enlist for 6 years, AMEDD shouldn't have any problem getting into the officers program before the full 6 year enlistment is up. Does anybody have any experience with ECS (Education Career Stabilization)? Does it work as advertised? Does anybody have any insight into any pitfalls or stumbling blocks I may face in my journey to becoming an Army Nurse? I really want to serve and am trying to map out the next few years. I have spoken with enlistment and AMEDD recruiters. I was just hoping to see what insight this forum could add. Thank you for reading this and any help you may provide. Sorry for the long-winded post.