GetBehindtheBarn

Thanks, Arr-tistRN! I will look into that ?

VA RN for over 4 years. Recently completed my MBA, and am wondering about my next steps. How does all this work now that we are using the ePerformance system? Who looks at our education and experience to decide our Nurse 1/2/3? I cannot find any guidance on what the new process consists of or if there is a new process. Currently work in an area with limited supervision from other nurses, so knowing who to ask is another issue. Any help is appreciated!

Boards seem to be pretty subjective and vary widely from VA to VA. I wish I could give you a time frame, but it is really hard to know.

VA RN here... Recently accepted a tentative offer for RN-Program Coordinator position (non-supervisory). Was told that it would be a lateral move, pay wise, though the hours would no longer require nights, weekends or holidays, resulting in a decrease in pay overall. Is it possible to request a Step increase at the VA when moving from one position to another?

what VA are you going to be working in? my hiring took forever (actually like 4 months) in 2020.

Its a part time job that you could make more money picking up a weekend shift at your local hospital once a month. (True for the LTs and CPTs... by the time you get to be a MAJ or higher, that may not be the case.) Yes, there are financial benefits, but there are also challenges. Your Unit that you drill with each month may be in a different state. The first 6 yrs of my Reserves career required a 9 hour (one way) drive. Yes, there is pay to help you cover the cost of travel, if its needed. "Tuition assistance" actually means loan repayment for Officers. After a good year, you can apply and the Army will pay a portion of your loan (as long as the loan is at least a year old) BUT they will withhold taxes and on paper, it looks like income. As someone who joined as an RN with no prior military experience - it was an extremely bumpy process and nothing was easy... but its do-able! The best reason to join the Reserves are the people you meet, if you are willing to embrace it. If you are lucky - as I am/was - you have a wide variety of really cool health care pros from all walks of life. You embrace the bumps together, you learn A LOT, and you share a common bond. It's a unique experience! Best of luck in whatever you decide to do! Let me know if you have more questions.

This is my 7th year in, and the Reserves are ALWAYS an adventure! You spend one weekend a month and at least 2 weeks a year between drill weekends and ECT/AT weeks. You can pick up more time, if there is a mission out there that needs you MOS (and you actually hear about it in time to apply). Depending on your MOS, your Unit, your Unit Administrator, and other people you know, deployments can be few and far between (speaking of the climate we as a country have experienced in the last few years - who knows what the future will hold). I am a Med-Surg Nurse (66H) and our opportunities are limited (at this time). Most that I have seen come around are to exotic places like Wisconsin, Louisiana, DC area, etc. ? As far as the Unit you are assigned to - that can be all over the place! ? When I joined, I was told I would be with a Unit in my state. Six months later (after waiting FOREVER for orders), I received a letter saying that I was assigned to a Unit nine hours away. It was a pain, BUT I met great people and worked through it. As life would have it, my husband took a job that moved me closer to my current Unit (lucky chance, not planned), and now I am only 2.5 hours away. The Army Reserves can be extremely frustrating, but I am glad that I am in. As I said earlier, the people you serve and get to work with make it worth the pains. Your career can be whatever you make of it, but you have to be willing to face the frustrations of participation. Best of luck!

If you want to advance in your career (have a good looking OER, move beyond O3, etc.) you will need to tackle training as your Unit needs you to be trained. Also, as you rise, you will need to consider drilling in different locations. I have some ppl in my Unit that travel a great distance to drill each month. A few I can think of off hand - a Nurse who travels from TX to DE, a Doc who travel from Puerto Rico to the Mainland, etc. etc. etc.

Be patient - just curious - do you have any prior service?

I started teaching Health Science Ed this year in TN. From my limited research (2-3 counties in middle TN), school nursing positions vary widely in requirements and salaries. One county requires the position to be filled by an RN and pays equal to a teachers' salary. Another county takes LPNs and RNs and pays drastically less, by the 180-day calendar. The change in pace may be a good thing while you are in school, but some of the school nurses I know deal with some difficult situations (feeding tubes, toileting assistance, brittle/new diabetes, parents, etc.). But hey - my career advice is always call them up, introduce yourself, and ask questions. Worst they can say is "no", right? :) Good luck!

Good luck as you head toward Nursing School! It was recommended to me to participate in a Nurse Residency Program for the OR. You may want to check with the hospitals in your area (or an area you want to live after graduation) and see what options are available to you. The one near me, takes new grads, RNs who are not working in the OR, and/or RNs who have been out of the OR for the past 5 years. There is classroom, lab, and on-the-job experience w/ a preceptor. Keep an open mind as you go through school. When I started, I thought I wanted one direction, but by the time I finished, I realized that my career could be anything I wanted to make it (which happened to be a totally opposite direction of where I started)... Good luck!

Thanks, LunahRN, for the info! I am a 66H who comissioned in June 2012. It has been a rocky experience so far. I was just got dropped from the AMEDD, and I am hoping to get trained as a 66E b/c of over the overstrength issues I am running into. I plan to save your advice, as I feel it could come in VERY handy soon! Coming in with NO prior military experience has made it tricky ("whats an ASU???). Thanks again!

What did you decide? I, too, have been released from the AMEDD, but I have a few years to go.

So I have been talking w/ a Recruiter, gone through MEPS, and am wrapping up the paperwork for my Officer application. I would like to hear some pros and cons from the people out there who are doing it - Army Reserve Nurse Corps Officers. (No offense, but please none of that "my third cousin's neighbor who lives six streets over knows a gal who..." mess.) Here are a few details: Good health, long distance runner as a hobby BSN, working on my FNP Wife and Mother of 3 (youngest being 5 months olds) Work in LTC/Rehab Well aware that I may be deployed if my country needs me Feel it would be a privilage to be a Nurse to our service men and women Will take advantage of tuition reimbursment for 3 years service You advice would be greatly appreciated... LB

Are you in the ROPD FNP program? I have been accepted to start in January, and I wanted to see if you had an opinion/advice/tidbits of wisdom/etc. MTSU is my home school. Thanks!

I don't know... I have worked a few places - nursing or in other fields - that I wish this policy had been in force. Sometimes working with the Eeyore-type people (and you know they are out there... nothing in this world will make them grin, stop huffing and puffing, pick up the pace, stop the endless complaining, etc.) is more tough than dealing with the increased work load that their absence brings. I am no Mary Poppins, and yes, there are nights when I would rather be anywhere other than work. But, it is a necessary "evil" that allows me such luxuries as a roof over my family's heads and food on the table. Externally displaying my poor mood does no one - especially myself - and favors. c'mon guys... put on a happy face!

Hey Silver! I have not yet posted 15 times, so it will not let me send a private message??? Anyway, I will check out the website. Thanks for sending it! And the name... it was something crazy I came up with b/c my last name is Barnes... and yes, I am from a very rural area, but could hardly be called "country" Keep me up to date on how your writing is going!

I, too, am applying for the FNP program! :) Vandy has always been a dream of mine, but putting your life into words can be tricky at times... I have read as many other threads as I could find regarding career goal statements and such. There were some good points to be made (keep it professional, but let your personality show; yes, schools really read these things; etc.) Are you from/in TN? I live about an hour out of Nashville.

excellent question... I am completing the same application, and I am somewhat confused about the entire writing phase. which specialty are you applying for?

In working with a midwife, it may be interesting to see how she is a patient advocate/educator/etc. If OB/GYN is something you may be interested in, it could be a great opportunity to get a well rounded view of what all they do. If you are borderline on whether or not you want to be in OB or GYN, I may look and see what else is out there. No need in spending a lot of extra time in there when there may be something that better sparks your interest.

I am currently in the process of applying to MSN programs myself, and from what I can tell, it varies from program to program. As pedspnp said, figure out which direction you want to go in and then start looking for what schools offer those programs. Their websites should provide clear information as to whether or not you need x number of years experience - or none at at all. I will say, I am applying to Family NP programs, and I have only come across 1 that has an experience criteria. Good luck!

Congrats on working toward your BSN! I want NOTHING to do with birthing babies... except my own... BUT in my maternal/newborn class, I was present at 3 births (2 c-sections and 1 lady partsl w/o pain management). I say "present" b/c as a Student-Nurse, there is little you can do but be an encourager. IT WAS AMAZING! I have two children of my own, both by c/s. Seeing a birth from a professional side was an eye opening experience. If you are with a nurse, midwife, or physician that encourages you to ask questions, it can be a wonderful learning opportunity. We are in middle TN, and if you know much about natural childbirth, you have probably heard of "The Farm" near Summertown, TN. About 3 of my classmates are interested in becoming medwives, so they went over and toured The Farm. The stories they came back with were really unique, and it made me curious to learn more about their services. Consider your career goals. If midwifery is something you may be interested in, go for it! The best thing to remember with any clinical situation ASK QUESTIONS, OFFER TO HELP, and ASK QUESTIONS! I got to do some much cool stuff that other did not because I constantly kept my ears open and asked if I could have a crack at it. I was told "no" sometimes, but more often than not, I got some great hands-on experience that gave me wonderful material to discuss at hose first job interviews. Best of luck!

It is an honest, heart felt expression of what is driving you to become a nurse. You have to have a good reason to put yourself through the "fun" of nursing school. I really think if you make a few additions and make it "behave" from a writing standpoint, you will in good shape. Just my two cents...

Give it time... those are the people you will want to cat-claw @ the end of your 1st semester of nursing school...

Great thread! Glad to see that my program is not the only one with folks dropping like flies.... I think that stress management is vital. You don't really get how tough it is until you are in the middle of it. There is a reason why we chose the slogan - "take a break from life - attend nursing school" for our t-shirts. It is so true. I have barely seen my husband and kids in months! But what do you do? New nursing students think "it can't be that bad!" (I know b/c I thought that... and they were right - it REALLY is!) Best of luck to everyone... hopefully we'll live to clinical another day! :dancgrp: