NewNavyRN

I just finished ODS back on Nov 18th. none of the guys in either company in our class had moustaches but if its within regs they probably won't care. if you stand out the class officer will tell you, you'll meet him a day or 2 before the chiefs come in and start yelling all day, every day. there were plenty of guys who had hair that were just within regs, not alot of us had the classic hi and tight (I did but i prefer my hair short). again, if it needs to be cut, believe me the chiefs will let you know... lol you'll see...

honestly if you've gained muscle then i doubt you'll fail the tape. if you're that worried about it give your recruiter a call - someone at the station can tape you and give you peace of mind. They taped me a few times at the recruiting station while i was losing the weight. better yet you can tape yourself (just measure your waist at the navel and your neck at the adams apple) there are online calculators for body fat percentages using these measurements. Congrats on going to COT! I'm heading to ODS Oct. 16th - can't wait! Good luck man!

If you are over the weight limit they will measure your neck and waist (at the belly button, not where you button your pants). this will determine your body fat percentage. For officers you cannot exceed 22%. I was taped several times over my application process because I was over the weight limit and my neck kept shrinking as I lost weight so this affected my body fat percentage. I finally lost enough weight (60 lbs woot!) and got sworn in on Tuesday (Navy). If you've been a powerlifter and have a thick neck this will help out alot as the bigger the neck the better the ratio will be and you'll pass tape easier. When I first went in i had an 18" neck (hoss! haha) and am now down to a 16.5" neck which kept skewing my body fat percentage to the 25% range until I lost enough weight not to be taped. Good luck man! When do you go to MEPS?

I started my process back in March. I had to lose about 60 lbs before I could go to MEPS and therefore before my kit could be submitted. I went to MEPS on July 5th, my kit was submitted as soon as MEPS sent my info to my recruiter, and I found out on Aug 3rd I got selected. Pretty quick process for me, would have been alot quicker had I not had to lose the weight.

Nurses go to ODS prior to first duty station. You'll get your orders for both your ODS date and your duty station prior to commissioning. This is how it has worked for me, headed to ODS in October.

Can someone who has recently attended ODS tell me what to expect when purchasing uniforms? I've read a few places online where we purchase them out of pocket, and others where they are taken out of our pay. Some websites led me to believe that only recently did they start deducting them out of our pay, rather than out of pocket but can't really get a clear answer. Can anyone clarify? I need to know how much cash to take when I report in October.

They didn't give me that option. I was assigned a sub specialty identifier (1960) which is critical care.

Hey snowbiggie I too am a critical care nurse and just got my commission and orders for ODS and duty station. I started the process in march but had to lose weight. I went to MEPS on July 5th, submitted my kit shortly thereafter, and I got news I was selected on AUG 3rd. i know the navy needs experienced critical care RN's. I also have my CCRN so when they saw that they processed me immediately. My recruiter was just plain awesome. I'll message you my email and we can talk more about the specifics. I am heading to ODS Oct 16th-Nov 18 then out to Sunny San Diego! I would recommend the Navy as you'll most always be near water :)

Wow 7 hours is a long way. Nothing closer to u? I was lucky my Naval Officer Recruiting Station was in my town. It's the end of the fiscal year maybe that's the delay? It appears u have several years experience in ER, ever consider the Navy? I bet they'd snatch u right up! Haha thanks for the well wishes!

Before going to her CO I would have a face to face meeting with her and voice ur concerns over the delays, etc. Did you go to MEPS yet? You have to pass before your kit can even be submitted. I just went through the whole process (with the Navy), beginning my application process around March also. I got my orders on Friday so I'm totally pumped. My recruiter was just plain awesome tho.

I got my orders yesterday. ODS oct 16, San Diego in December yay

Honestly as far as the review process goes I'm unsure but with my experience (8 years in critical care) and my CCRN, they snatched me right up, pretty much submitted me and approved me as soon as I submitted my packet (i had to lose some weight so this delayed things a month or 2 on my end). I would think its people like me knocking some of the more inexperienced nurses out of contention. I would think you'd have to have more than 2 months of ICU experience for them to consider you critical care but who knows. Keep bugging them, and above all else make sure you write a strong and compelling motivational statement. My recruiter told me the board loved mine. (I'm receiving my commissioning in sept then officer school in oct)

My recruiter fingerprinted me with the old school ink and paper. You can definitely go to any local police dept and they will do it, just make sure your recruiter gives you the correct form for them to do it on. I'd double check with your recruiter to see if he can do it or not. For both of my nursing licenses (oregon and north carolina) i just went to the local sherriff's office and they did it on the fingerprint card the state board of nursing provided to me. Hope this helps.

hey MUrunner I too just found out i was selected and awaiting my detailer to call me. I called him today and his voicemail said he was out of the office for 2 weeks. I'm not going to ODS til probably October so I have a little more time but you may want to check with your recruiter to find out more info for you. Pvt message me. We probably have the same detailer (all 0-1 thru 0-3s do). If so his voicemail today said he was out of the office for 2 weeks.

that may be difficult to get a waiver for...