teddy4987

Thanks Pixie! I'm deployed right now and am bored out of my mind, hence the random research into medical missions. I'm finishing up an online class this week, but have no idea what I'm going to do the rest of the time I'm here!

Hello! Has anyone gone on a medical humanitarian mission (not via the military) while on active duty? If you have, did you use your own leave days to go? Who did you go with? Thanks!

Hello! I'm going to BOLC in a couple of weeks, and all of the information about who pays what and when is so confusing! I've talked to the transportation and I have paperwork from them where I estimated I will have about 500lbs of stuff that I'm bringing (just a car full). She said to write down everything I spend on packing and stuff, but I don't really need anything to pack because I already have boxes from college. The only thing I can think to write on these papers are the total that I spend on gas. This amount generated a couple of hundred dollars, but I feel like I'm going to spend much more than that along the way. Then there is also the 90 day temporary storage. She says that doesn't go through them, just pick a storage when I get down to San Antonio and give to transportation down there (I think). And then there is the questions of hotels. Who do I give the receipts to for that? People are always mentioning how when they do PPM or DITY moves that they end up making a few extra bucks, but I feel like that's not going to be the case with me. Is there anything else I'm supposed to be considering that I didn't list here? Sorry for being so ridiculous haha. Thanks!

I know thattt, I just meant that nurses are awesome no matter what degree they hold, and are not "just" anything ...if that makes sense

I do have my bachelors, although I don't think anyone is ever "just" an RN

I GOT MY ORDERS :)

Actually, one of the reasons (though a minor reason) I chose NC is because I am from MA, and I have a lot more winter clothes than summer clothes! Haha, it's silly but true. I'm going to assume that I got these three choices because these are the only places taking new graduates at this time. When I was supposed to go back in Oct, They only gave me the choice between Ft Bliss and Ft Hood. I got my RFO....still waiting on my actual orders. I'll be driving down in less than 4 weeks!

Thanks Lunah! I'm going to go with Ft. Bragg. I have a friend who's been stationed at both, and that's the one he would choose and thinks I would like it better. I should be getting my orders tomorrow!!

I'm torn between Ft. Hood and Ft. Bragg. I'm 22, single, and no friends/family in either place. I feel like Ft. Hood has a lot more variety as a hospital because it's bigger, but Ft Bragg is only a 3 hr flight from my family and they have a lower cost of living (I think). The branch manager is cutting my orders tomorrow so I need to decide!

Hello! I just received an email from my branch manager with the following choices: Ft Bliss Ft Hood Ft Bragg Where does everyone recommend?

It's for direct commissions (like me) who don't have prior military experience or take ROTC. From what I understand, it's just to teach you basic military...things for lack of a better word.

Lunah - I can now run 2 miles! The only problem is it takes me between 21 and 23 minutes :uhoh21: But I do run almost everyday and given that 2 months ago I couldn't even run a half a mile (and I had to stop running for 4 weeks because of bronchitis), I'd say I should be able to pass the running before BOLC is over. Sparticus - I will actually be there for 3 Jan because I am attending the pre-BOLC course...which I didn't know existed until about 2 weeks ago haha Unless they change their mind and send me to a different BOLC date!

I am DYING to receive my orders! The branch manager said I should hear by...last week. I would love to get stationed at Ft. Sam! I will def see you there!

Congrats!!

wolexity21 - I'm expecting to go to BOLC in January as well! I haven't gotten my orders yet, but that is the anticipated date. I'm going through the new grad program still, even though by the time I go I'm going to have 6 months of experience (that's okay though, I still feel like I don't know anything!) Lunah - I was doing so well with my PT until recently! I could run 1.5 mi without stopping (granted it would take me like 23 min but I couldn't even do that before), but I just got hit with a case of bronchitis which has put the running on hold for a couple of weeks. But that's awesome that you can do 100 sit ups! Thank you everyone!

Ahh yes, the APRT. My recruiter says that it won't roll out until Oct 2012, if it comes out at all.

Lunah - thanks so much! I remember one of my old roommates telling me about that workout - I will certainly give it a try! Thanks everyone!

I wish I could train my body to do that! Unfortunately I work the night shift 3 - 5 nights a week, so my sleep schedule is all sorts of mixed up and ultimately my workout schedule has to work around that. Thank you for all of your advice though! I do have a running partner who is much better than I am, so hopefully he'll push me to improve faster!

Thanks everyone! I've already started the whole workout routine, and I am improving a little every week :) The running is definitely going to be what kills me, because I still feel like dying after a half a mile!

Thanks!! Hopefully they don't take this one back. My only obstacle now is to be able to pass the PT test!

Let me start off by saying that I know a lot of you are stressing over the FY2012 boards, and I wish you the best of luck! Personally, the army has put me through a roller coaster. I've been considering joining the military since I was in high school participating in the JROTC program. When I was applying to colleges, I also applied to both the Army ROTC and Air Force ROTC scholarships (and got both). Being 18, however, I wasn't quite ready to commit 4 years of my post-college life to the military, so I declined both. I take complete responsibility for being so indecisive at that age, but it all worked out eventually :) During my junior year of college I decided that I really would like to go active duty army. I contacted a healthcare recruiter and got the process started. I got the papers submitted for FY2011. My recruiter told me that they were only going to accept 50 new grads in the entire country. A few months later, I was told that I was selected as an "alternate" to be a commissioned officer. I was disappointed, but I knew it was very competitive and that being wait listed was better than being turned down altogether. A few months went by, and my recruiter calls me up to tell me that the army is willing to take me as a reservist. I accepted the offer since I was about to graduate and had no job lined up, even though I wanted to go active duty. So, I signed the papers and swore in at my recruiter's office, and everything was all set. All I had to do was pass my boards. WELL, a couple of months later I called my recruiter to check in, and essentially, he goes "Sorry, we made a mistake, we were never supposed to accept you as a reservist because you don't have a year of experience." And that was the end of my reservist career. I was angry, because I felt like they had broken a contract and now I REALLY had no job. I though that was the end of my chances in the military. He encouraged me to re-apply for FY2012, and I said I would think about it. A new recruiter took his position, and she contacted me shortly after starting her new job. She told me I really wouldn't have to do much to update my application, just get new recommendations, and update my resume/letter of motivation - so I agreed to reapply. About a month later she gave me a call and told me that the Army has once again decided that they will offer me a reservist position, even as a new grad. I had just started my civilian job, and accepted the offer because I figured things were finally going right. The NEXT DAY she called me back and told me that the reserve offer is off the table, and that they want me to go active duty. She told me that if I didn't accept, I wouldn't be able to re-apply until I had 2 years of experience as a nurse. They wanted an answer right then and there, but I asked for 24 hours to think about it (after all, I JUST started a new job). After a few hours, however, I thought "Why wouldn't I accept? This is what I wanted all along!" I called her back and said "Okay, let's do it!" That was the middle of August. She told me that I would be most likely going to the January or March BOLC because the October class was most likely full. Well wouldn't you know it, about 2 weeks ago I got an email from my branch manager stating that I needed to report to BOLC on 06 October! There was no way I could prepare in 2 weeks, especially since it would take me about a week to drive to San Antonio! Even my recruiter was shocked, and could not believe they cut me orders that quickly. She said her last recruit took 7 months before she got her orders. She told me to email the branch manager back and ask if it was at all possible for me to go to BOLC at a later date, and she said that was okay :) SO. BOLC in January 2012. I haven't gotten my official orders yet, but I'm so excited! I'm not positive, but I think the report date is 18 January. I'm going to go through the new graduate program and do med-surg. I can't really decide if it's a good or bad thing, because the 6 months of nursing experience I already have isn't going to count towards anything. On the other hand, however, I feel like I don't know anything anyway and being treated like I don't know anything might be good haha. On a side note, if I had gone to BOLC in October, the only assignments available for new graduates were Fort Bliss and Fort Hood. Hopefully more options are available since I'm going in January!

Hello! So I'm sure many of us are on the same boat right now - we've just graduated college and there are NO jobs out there. I feel like a lot of the new grad applications were due in March, and there are really no jobs out there right now. I'm hoping some of us can use this thread to post positions open for new grads that are available right now (where applications were not due months ago). I just graduated with a BS, and am most interested in working in the following locations: Los Angeles, Nashville, Philadelphia, Boston, or New York City - I'm very much a city girl :) I know this is a long shot, but if this thread gets even one person a job, then it would be great!

It was a healthcare recruiter - I made sure of that when I started looking around to be a part of the military. As far as I know it was an official ceremony - we conducted it in front of the US flag at the Recruiter's office, with other members of the office as witnesses. Maybe it wasn't official? After my recruiter told me everything, he just said to "keep in touch" and that I can apply for next year. I really was excited to be a soldier Thank you for replying - I'm just now so scared of having no job at all after graduation, when I was betting on having the Army at least part-time.

Currently, I am a senior nursing student about to graduate with my BS in nursing. Last year, I had applied to go active duty in the Army. However, they only accepted a small number of new grads (my recruiter told me 50 in the entire country) into the Nursing Corps. A few weeks later, he called me and told me that they had offered me a position in the Reserves, so I accepted. I immediately signed all of the paperwork, and I swore in. I was excited. I was going to get good training, good benefits, student loans paid, and some sort of income (seeing that I don't have a job for after college yet). I was even hoping that they would call me to go active, given everything that's going on in the world right now. A couple of months later, I called them up just to check on the status of...whatever. My recruiter says to me that they had "made a mistake," and that I was never supposed to be accepted into the Reserves. While the AD Army does accept new grads, the reserves requires at least one year of experience. I was shocked. I didn't know what to do at first but accept that. But now looking back (I learned of this news just a few days ago) I am just angry. Aside from missing out on training and benefits, I was expecting them to pay off my student loans and to give me some pay while I looked for a civilian job. Granted, I did not join the Army for the money, I'd go overseas in a heartbeat to help others if they asked me to. But I signed a contract with them, swore in, and planned my future around that idea. How could they make a "mistake" like that? Where did they see that I had a year of experience to begin with?! I emailed a lawyer, but now that seems to complicated....I don't really want to try to sue the Army because they probably won't accept me in the future if I apply again. Except, I don't want to go through the whole application process again! I'm just venting at this point, but does anyone have any advice? Is what they did normal?

Thanks! So do you think I should even bother joining the Reserves, or would it be better to turn it down and reapply to go AD in November? Also, how do bonuses work when switching from reserves to AD? I really wanted to make a career out of the army, but now I feel like I have a lot more questions than excitement because I'm not exactly sure how the Reserves work...I read in a few posts that there are no specialty classes for reservists, and that it's very hard to switch to AD...