SnakeEyes

If you can get ER and/or ICU experience and attain your CEN & CCRN certs you would be very marketable anywhere. The USAF & USN flight nurses I knew transported the sickest, most complicated & unstable patients. IMO: Flight nurses and CRNA...

You have to check the locality pay scale because every city is different. For example RNII in San Diego,CA will make more than an RNII in Corpus Christi, TX--cost of living, union, and nursing market considerations. Title 38: Nurses--http://www.va.go...

Are there any VA Nurses (vets) that have looked into using NNEI for their MSN and also using their post- 9/11 GI Bill at the same time? I wouldn't need both for tuition as this would be overkill anyways. I am only interested in drawing the Monthly H...

Right, our VA just put out that there was money available for NNEI but didn't mention VANEEP. I'll have to find out if that program is being funded anymore.

Thanks for the reply. I was also thinking about using the GI bill for the 1st year of MSN but try to negotiate to have the paid time off the 1st year that NNEI affords but not take their tuition payments.

The boarding process was the most nerve-racking aspect of the hiring process for me. You won't even see the boarding document until several months later when they tell you it's been filed in your record. And even then it only tells you the result and...

Ok, you should only speak to an officer recruiter, specifically a medical programs officer. If we replaced all our ER nurses we would have to hire a ton of civilians and they would also have to be able to deploy to everywhere we deploy at anytime, me...

I would keep in contact with your local Navy Medical Recruiter because they can give you an up-to-date listing of the Nurse Corps needs. Historically, there has been a need for ER, ICU, L&D, and Mental Health nurses. I understand all the service ...

Hang in there. I did 21 years and know from experience that it's "peaks and valleys" as far as recruiting goes. The Navy can be overmanned for a few years and then it will be undermanned. I've seen it with civilian nursing, too. The economy has a lot...

I think it depends on what's best for you. I think most RNs should start in med-surg and branch out form there. But when I was in school a good portion of my classmates knew they wanted critical care and did externships in ICU. They were all brought ...

You will be expected to do different things like overseeing the administration of the enlisted personnel, heading CSR, training, managing equipment and budgets, scheduling, etc. The surgeons will train the surg techs in the specific procedures of the...

Keep in mind that Navy OR nurses DO NOT EVER SCRUB--they only circulate. The surgical techs are responsible for scrubbing the cases with the surgeons. Our surgical techs are enlisted medical personnel (Hospital Corpsmen). You may want to check out th...

^This is actually a law the USAF, USA, and USN follow. CNAs, LVNs, and ASN/ADN-prepared RNs unfortunately do not count. Nurses in the military are bachelor's prepared commissioned officers. To even apply for a commissioning as a nurse in the military...

FYI: The Navy will assign you a subspecialty code for any additional training you have i.e. the type of RN you are. For example, if you are a med-surg nurse, you will have a 1910 subspecialty code. 1960 is critical care. 1945 is ER nursing. 1950 is O...

If you are a drilling reservists and something bad comes up, and your subspecialty code is needed-- they may grab you. Med school students are different because they aren't licensed yet. I had RN friends who were in the middle of graduate programs wh...

Historically Navy recruiting has been allocated with annual goals (known individually as billets) for certain programs. The main programs for nurse accessions are: MECP (a commissioning program for prior enlisted personnel who are in the process of c...

I kept in contact w/my HR rep and found out who hadn't turned in the vetpro paperwork on me. I know people get busy, and I haven't always been the quickest in sending out recommendations for friends myself. But the vetpro feedback is usually the bigg...

I also think you should go Advanced Practice on your own first (if you are planning on coming in full-time active duty). Coming in on active duty, you will have to do your time before applying for advanced practice, and you will have to compete for a...

^That's how I'm starting off. Monday-NEO *this coincides with the start of the new pay period Tuesday-Culture of Excellence Wed-Fri-Centralized Nursing Orientation (CNO) Followed by a 6-8 week orientation at my clinic

I hope this isn't a common point of contention in the VA workplace. Coming from military nursing, our pay scale is a matter of public knowledge like the VA and GS schedules. If someone were so interested they could look up what the newbies all the wa...

My experience was from job closing date to start date: 7 weeks.

I want to thank everyone for their help and advice on here. I got boarded today and received my official offer...RNII Step 6! I start 3/22.

I'm so excited because I'm get boarded by the NPSB tomorrow. The job closed about a month ago and all my stuff is complete except for this. I want to get to work and my new boss has been asking about my progress, too.

I went with a group of fellow Mustangs. Many of the uniform items had changed so I ended up pretty much repurchasing a new seabag. I had already bought chokers for my pinning ceremony but the people who made out were the Chiefs. They already had mos...

Every December an annual report is published that details the manning levels of Navy Nursing. Currently most subspecialty areas are overmanned. I've heard this is the same for the USAF. It will be very competitive from now on. I will echo all of the...