dccubano

Thank you for the advice. I did just finish up with TNCC about a week ago in anticipation of the deployment. I am actually going to be part of a CSH, so I was surprised that I was going to this course. I was initially told that I would be attending the Joint Forces Combat Trauma Management Course in San Antonio. I am guessing they may have had extra slots and enrolled some of the less experienced folks in ATTC instead. I am excited for the course and meeting people with different experiences. It is also a bonus that my entire family lives in Miami. :)

Hi Pixie, I am actually going to be deploying for the first time, and I have been a med-surge RN for about 2 years now. All my experience has been in Hematology/Oncology. I will be attending the ATTC at Ryder and I am a little nervous. I believe I am the only 66H with no identifier attending the course. Most of the people on the list are MDs, trauma RNs, or ICU RNs. What was the experience like? I am pretty smart and I know I will learn a lot, but I feel a little bit out of my comfort zone. Mostly, I just don't want to look dumb! :)

I am fine with July. It just gives me less time to prep and get all my stuff together. I have put leave in through Aug. 21. I really did not feel like attaching anywhere for busy work. If I have to wait until October then I may try to get placed at my old duty station or with the Aberdeen band. Have fun at BOLC and maybe I will see you there.

Haha...just like high school.

I just graduated and passed my NCLEX on June 24. I am currently waiting for orders for BOLC and CNTP assignment. I really hope that I can get in for August BOLC. I have 15 years of service (2 of them spent in nursing school) I did the program through the AECP. If there are any ACEP folks on here, how long did it take to get your orders for BOLC and did you get your first choice assignment? I am hoping to get WRNMMC. I heard from HR that a lot of soldiers do not request that as their top, so I may get it. The DC area is expensive, the parking at the hospital is non-existent, and the traffic is a nightmare, but it is home and I own my house here. I really don't want to deal with having to sell it and it is 75% rehabbed, so it can't even be rented out. I also spent my summer between junior and senior year doing a residency and participated in part of the CNTP orientation at the facility. I was also curious about the car situation at BOLC. My car is a piece of crap so I do not trust it for a 1600 mile trek. Would I be okay buying a cheap bicycle to get around post? How easy is it to take cabs into town? I also understand there is a car rental location on post.

Thanks, Lunah. I am kind of bumbed about the change from MSN to Doctorate for nurse practitioners. I don't think I will be able to use TA for schooling.

So this may have been covered somewhere on this 90+ page thread, but I was interested in finding out how hard it is to go to school for an advanced degree while being a nurse in the corps. I don't think I am interested in doing any special or subsidized program. I would like to use my GI bill so I don't have to extend my enlistment commitment. Thanks

@jkcp88: I wasn't in the medical field either, regardless you still need a recommendation letter from a Chief Nurse. I called my nearest MTF and tracked down an email address for the Chief Nurse. I wrote to her and explained what I was trying to do and she scheduled an appointment. I brought a copy of my completed packet so she could get some insight about me, see my prerequisite grades, and read over what the leadership in my unit had to say about me. We spoke for about 45 minutes (very informal interview) and told me she would be more than happy to write a recommendation based on our meeting. The process was painless, but you need to be prepared and professional. I made sure I had a complete and professional packet for her to look over. I hope this helps and good luck.

I am active duty army and have one year left to get my BSN. I am working on a med-surge floor at one of the larger military facilities this summer. So far it has been a pretty interesting experience. All the nurses on the floor come from different branches of service. They all seem to get along really well and there is no drama that I can see. The floor is very different from the med-surge floor at my university hospital. The biggest difference I see between civilian and military at this hospital is the work load. The med-surge nurses at the civilian hospital seemed to average about 6 patients per nurse and the nurses at the military facility seemed to have 3 to 4 patients. I am not going to lie, I get bored during my 12 hours on the floor. You can only assess, document, pass meds, and do comfort round for patients so often. It really seems like there are too many nurses on the floor at one time. Is this isolated or is it like that throughout all the military facilities?

Just finished my first semester, and it is no joke. Tell all your loved ones that you will see them when the semester is over. The material isn't difficult, it is the quantity of material they try to stuff in your head, and the rate that they do it. I also suggest you get an NCLEX book to practice with. My fundamentals class was all nclex style questions. You may know the material but you need to be able recognize the best answer in a sea of correct answers. You can also expect to see information from your patho/pharm class pop up in your assessment of fundies class. The professors know about everything you are learning in other classes and it is all fair game. With that said, I wouldn't trade in the stress for anything in the world. Know your strengths and weakness and get help from your peers when you are struggling, and be there for them if they need your help. You are going to make great friends and you are going to learn so much.

I'm so happy for you guys and gals. I am finishing up my first semester at University of Maryland and it has been a great experience so far.

Thanks. I like to put out positive energy whenever I can. I am starting my program Aug.27 at the University of Maryland. I applied to schools in Colorado and VA, and was three for three, so it made things a lot less stressful. The post board packet was much easier to put together. The most difficult thing I found in pre and post was tracking people down for signatures. I am lucky that I made it in under the FY12 guidelines. I saw they changed time in service to 10 years or less at time of commissioning. I will be starting school with 13 years of service and will probably pick up my 2lt between 15 and 16 years. It's all in the timing. :)

I was accepted fy12 and do not come from a medical background. 8yearmedic is right focus on those chem course and get those unconditional letters. I ended up taking an extra chem (organic)and math (precalc)because different schools wanted different prerequisites. @ 8yearmedic where do you plan on going when you are accepted?

I wouldn't stress about the GT score. When I applied I worried that my GT score was not competive. When I got my job as an army musician the GT was irrelevant, and I blew it off. I got a 115. When I inquired about retaking the test for AECP, I was told that all I needed was a 110. Someone with a higher GT score does not get more points or greater consideration.GT=115 GPA= science (4.0) overall(3.8) PT=280

Less than a month to start my program. Good luck my AECP people.