elisabethm

I just realized I forgot to answer some of your actual questions. Day-to-day you would most likely be working at a hospital, probably stateside. My previously-civilian friends say that one of the biggest adjustments is being on salary, meaning no overtime. Most military hospitals will expect 7 shifts in a 14-day pay period (one more than most civilian hospitals, from what I hear). There will also be an expectation that you’re coming in on your off time for collateral duties (side tasks and committees), on call, etc. As you already know, the military makes up for this somewhat by providing awesome benefits. These benefits include education. The Navy has a duty under instruction program that is pretty sweet. (Full military pay & benefits for the entire time you’re in school with x amount of years owed back after.) The exact programs that are eligible vary year to year. (This year CNM and a few other less operational options were cut. I don’t know about FNP.) If DUINS doesn’t work for you, your GI Bill can also be applied to grad school. We have not done daily PT at either of my commands, just our twice yearly physical readiness test. There is also really great camaraderie, as you mentioned. When I get out, this is the #1 thing I will miss.

I’ve been a Navy nurse for almost five years now and can offer some perspective. My first duty station was a large joint command as a new grad, working alongside plenty of Army and a few Air Force nurses, so I know a bit about how the branches differ. If your priority is ICU, I would honestly recommend Army or Air Force. In the eyes of the Navy, a nurse is a nurse is a nurse. It is true that nurses who have their CCRN get a special ICU designator, a nice annual bonus, and far more deployment & operational opportunities than many others, but the Navy will prioritize its own needs first. This means that your regular day-to-day job will be whatever your command needs. For example, I am now at a small overseas command. We have plenty of ICU nurses stationed here in case things hit the fan...however, in our daily operations, OB is by far this hospital’s busiest specialty. Whereas Army & (I think) Air Force would only have a specialized L&D nurse working the labor deck, in the eyes of the Navy, a nurse is a nurse... as such, we have nurses of all backgrounds delivering babies, including a few disgruntled ICU nurses. Even though this is not what I ever planned on doing, I am still incredibly grateful for the learning experiences I’ve had through the Navy. However, if this sounds like a nightmare scenario to you, I would encourage you to more strongly consider Army or Air Force. That said, the majority of my friends who have that coveted ICU designator (or ED or OR) have had opportunities to deploy. Ship experience is more rare and more competitive, but I have seen a few nurses with my level of experience selected for that as well. In contrast, the Army specializes most of their nurses (ICU, ER, OR, L&D) and will send nurses only where that exact specialty is in demand. Their duty stations are not as glamorous as ours and they might not have the more unique shipboard opportunities, but if your focus is more-narrowly ICU, it may be a better fit for you.

Hello! I worked at Bethesda as my first duty station, so I thought I would weigh in as well. Much like at Portsmouth, almost all new grad RNs will initially be placed on med/surg (a few will do peds or postpartum initially, but definitely not ICU right out the gate). In theory, you could transfer to ICU after 18-24 months on your initial unit. However, staffing constraints and "needs of the Navy" can make that challenging (or, unfortunately, sometimes impossible). Another factor that can work against Bethesda is that it is a joint command. The culture there is different than at a true Navy command, and being under Army leadership can affect your career. For example, Army nurses have an entirely different pathway to get to ICU. They submit a packet to "big Army" and are pulled by higher up (beyond hospital leadership) to attend an ICU/ED course, after which they usually PCS to a new command. In my case, having an Army division officer and department head made transferring much more difficult since they didn't really understand how different the Navy's process is and weren't able to provide the mentorship that Navy leadership could have. Really, there are pluses and minuses to either command, but there are likely more similarities than differences. Luck and timing have a huge impact on success in the military, moreso than I would have thought before joining. Regardless of what you choose, good luck and try to keep your chin up if & when the Navy throws curve balls your way. Also, one perk of Bethesda is its location. Washington, DC was a pretty amazing place to spend my early twenties. Even if I wasn't able to meet all my nursing career goals, my experience living in that area left me with plenty of happy memories.

Hi abbyley, I am actually a Navy RN who joined through the NCP. It's a great program, however, it sounds like NROTC may be a better fit for your needs. With the NCP, your first step would be to speak with a healthcare recruiter. (DO NOT speak with the standard enlisted recruiter. They have quotas to meet and are notorious for steering people astray.) With the NCP, you would apply as soon as you are accepted into an accredited school of nursing. It is a long application process with a ton of paperwork. Once you are accepted (usually in your junior year of college), you would receive a sign on bonus and then a monthly stipend for the remainder of your time in college. However, the Navy will not pay your full tuition. The stipend likely would not cover full tuition at a university, and you would still need a way to pay for your first few years of school before you are accepted, which is why I think ROTC may be a better fit for you. ROTC is the reserve officer training corps. Navy, Army, and Air Force all have their own versions. You could almost think of it as a minor (nursing major with minor in military life ). For your entire time in college, you would take an extra class in military sciences. You would also have fequent military training exercises. (I did Army ROTC briefly before applying to the Navy NCP. The trainig there was a biweekly lecture on military science, a weekly lab where we would go out to the field to train for an afternoon, and physical training three times a week in the morning before our regular classes. Additionally, there was a roughly one month long mandatory summer training between your junior and senior years and optional trainings overseas that you could apply to between your sophomore and junior years. I don't know how this differs from NROTC.) The time commitment while you're in school is much greater for NROTC, but they have full-ride scholarships available (although, of course, these are also competitive to apply to). In addition to any scholarships you recieve, you would also earn a small monthly stipend. It is a huge time commitment while you are in school, but my friends who did it seem to think it was manageable. Here is the link to the Navy ROTC web page, where you can find more information: Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps Home Page If you are interested in ROTC, I would recommend checking out the other branches as well. The military is very competitive right now, so definitely keep your options open! Good luck on your journey to become a nurse & military officer! :)

Hi, I am currently in the Navy Nurse Corps. If your goal is to become a CRNA as quickly as possible, the military is not the way to go. I entered the Navy as an inexperienced new grad through the NCP. The Navy does NOT place new grads in the ICU. You will do almost 2 years on a med/surg floor before transferring to the ICU. I have been on the med/surg floor for 1.5 years now and am hoping to transfer to the ICU in the next few months. While a lot of us new nurses (myself included) get frustrated at the process of starting in med/surg and transferring over, I will admit that my experience on my current floor has been invaluable. I have learnt so much about time management and leadership that I simply wouldn't have experienced had I started in the ICU as a civilian. Working on a military med/surg unit is such a unique experience with challenges all its own. If you are interested in military nursing and becoming a CRNA is more of a long term goal, joining as a new nurse is a great experience, even if you can't start exactly where you want to right away. If becoming a CRNA is your primary goal and the military is more secondary/an added bonus, then, as others have said, the civilian side will better suit your needs. Also, the Army does accept new grads IF you go through ROTC while you're in college. Like the Navy, I believe that they also have a CRNA program for their more experienced ICU nurses.

I don't think any of us who are currently in can really comment on how competitive it is because it changes from year to year. I joined trough the NCP and graduated in May 2014. I was told that my recruiting district had 27 applicants for my program, and 3 of us were accepted.....so I would say it's pretty d*mn competitive if it's anything like it was two years ago. Pros: Amazing & diverse people/coworkers Camaraderie (with some, you end up becoming family) Amazing patients Fewer worries about insurance/your pts paying for their care vs civilian side Opportunity to branch out from your comfort zone Having the chance to be in the military and serve our sailors/soldiers/airmen, veterans, and their families Assistance with grad school (tuition assistance while you're in, GI bill once youre out) Opportunity to travel Cons: Loneliness & being separated from family Less control over career, living situation, etc than civilian peers Extra work compared to civilian peers (collateral duties, other military stuff; salaried pay can equal more time on call) Overall, I am happy with my choice to join. At the very least, it has been a great learning experience so far and I have met some incredible people. Good luck with your application!

Regarding specialties, try to find what you are passionate about. What is in demand will change over time, but our high burn out rate probably wont. If you love what you're doing, you'll be happier and more fulfilled. In the military you will most likely start on the med/surg floor, although some new nurses in the Navy go to labor & delivery instead.

ROTC is a ton of work, but it seems to be a good learning experience and will set you up to succeed as a military officer. I did Army ROTC for a semester before quitting for the same cons you listed (large time commitment, less time to study/work, active duty not guaranteed - although I have friends who did ROTC, worked, and still did ok in school). I ended up joining through the Navy's Nurse Candidate Program instead. This program provides junior and senior nursing students with a stipend while in school (about $1K/month when I was in plus a small sign on bonus) in exchange for a four or five year active duty commitment after graduation. You can apply at a healthcare recruiter once you have been accepted to an accredited nursing program. The Air Force also has a similar program called the Nurse Transition Program. It's a pretty sweet deal because it gives you more time to focus on your studies and guarantees the active duty slot (whereas some ROTC cadets will get reserves duty). However, the con to this program is that the lack of military training during school means we begin our time as junior officers a little less prepared than our peers who went through ROTC. The other option you mention, direct commissioning, is rare for new graduate nurses in today's military. (Of course, that could all change by the time you graduate in 4-5 years.) Between the branches, there are more similarities than differences. I am happy with my choice to join the Navy. I think we are treated a little better than the Army nurses and that our hospital locations are nicer, but those are both very subjective opinions. Most people I know think that their branch is the better one, so I really don't think you can go wrong with either choice. I would say keep your options open and apply or at least talk to all the branches. Today's nurse corps is quite competitive. I can't comment too much on specialties/grad school. I have been out of nursing school for about two years and am not quite ready to go back! Regarding pay, there are military pay calculators online. About half of my pay as a new nurse in a high cost of living area comes from my housing allowance. I've started off making a tiny bit less than my civilian friends who got really nice jobs (ICU, transplant unit, magnet hospital med/surg, etc), but I still make a very comfortable living and am happy with my salary. The biggest difference I've noticed is that we are salaried whereas most civilian nurses are paid by the hour. For us, more work =/= more pay. I hope this infornation helps you and other lurkers on this forum. Good luck on your journey into nursing!

Yeah, getting ahold of a medical recruiter cam be tough. I actually couldn't find the Navy medical recruiter online and ended up getting their info through a friend (...after going to the Army recruiter first and doing Army ROTC for a semester). If you're already talking to an Air Force healthcare recruiter, keep in contact with them. I don't know anyone who has done it personally, but their Nurse Transition Program (if it still exists) sounds awesome. I would have applied for it if I hadn't gotten into the NCP. Regarding the nursing school acceptance letter, I just know that my recruiter wouldn't talk to a prospective nursing candidate until after they had been accepted into an accredited BSN program. The time investment simply wasn't worthwhile for him otherwise. There are a lot of pre nursing students who just don't accepted. If you have a healthcare recruiter who is talking to you now though, by all means, don't let my advice deter you. Just make sure it is a healthcare recruiter and not someone who is trying to convince you to enlist.

The way this question is worded sounds hella sketchy! Don't lie on your physical. They will ask a lot of questions and may ask for documentation. This is going to be the group that will provide all of your healthcare for the next 4 to 20+ years (or lifelong if you retire), so just be honest with them. The military requirements are strict, but if you don't make the cut, there are plenty of other nursing opportunities!

Thinking about it, I don't think I did a real PT test that actually counted until I got to my command. You do a couple at ODS, but I think they were just for practice. (This was almost two years ago though, so i could be rememberimg incorrectly.) Even so, good on you for staying motivated with your fitness. Keep it up!

I'm not gonna lie, I was so unmotivated with working out when I was in school. I really didn't exercise enough. I only made sure I was able to pass the PT test right before going to ODS. When you apply to NCP, they dont do the whole test with push ups, sit ups, & running. It's just a medical clearance. Since going active duty, I have made fitness a much bigger part of my life. I love running outside. Definitely invest in a good pair of shoes. I've found that signing up for races is good motivation too. In the last year, I've done a few half marathons and one full - more than I ever did before joining the Navy. I also invested in a bosu ball from amazon. It's a fun work out that's easy to do on days I can't get to the gym or when it's too cold to run outside. Once you're active duty, you will likely have a free (albeit small) gym on base. While you're still in school, a lot of universities have really nice fitness centers with pretty reasonable fees. Try as much as possible to make working out a social thing. I usually exercise alone out of convenience, but it is so much more fum with a friend. Once you're active duty, it's easier to fimd work out buddies because everyone is motivated to stay in shape. It's a lot different from the civilian hospital culture, where a lot of nurses don't take care of themselves at all.

I just noticed your comments about the scholarships. With today's military, I would say it is unrealistic to expect a scholarship through any branch. ROTC is the only program I know of that will straight-up pay your tuition, and, as you have already discovered, those scholarships are hard to come by. Even with the NCP, I had to take out some loans. (I don't know any new nurses like myself in either the Navy or the Army who are having their loans repaid by the military. I don't know about Air Force nurses because they don't come here as their first duty station.) So pick an affordable public university with a good reputation and apply for all of the non-military help you can get. Note: the Military Officers Association of America has a great scholarship program. Apply there. Even if you don't meet their eligibility criteria for a grant, they may give you an interest-free loan for up to $5,000 (every bit helps!)

Hi Dani182, I actually did the same thing you're doing now. I was originally in Army ROTC but wanted more time to focus on nursing, so I switched to the Navy Nurse Candidate Program. I am now serving active duty at a large joint facility (Army & Navy nurses working side by side), and I am so happy with my choice. To answer your first question, the NCP is for while you are still in school. If you wait until you have graduated to apply, you will have to direct commission, which means you will be competing against nurses who have years of experience. If/when you are accepted into the NCP, the Navy will give you a $1,000/month stipend for living expenses while you are in school and a sign on bonus (when I joined, it was $10K, about $7.5K after taxes). There are no military classes or trainings that you have to go to during this time; the Navy is simply paying you to study your tail off and become the best nurse you can be. After you graduate, you go to Officer Development School in Newport, RI. This is a five week training program that teaches you the basics of being in the military. From there, you will go to your first duty station, which will be one of the big 3 hospitals (Portsmouth, Walter Reed/Bethesda, or San Diego). You're already working on your first step, which is to contact a healthcare recruiter. Sit down and talk to that recruiter before you quit ROTC. While ROTC is a significantly higher workload than the NCP, the NCP is more selective academically. When I was in ROTC, I had the highest GPA out of all the nursing student cadets at my school...when I went to the Navy recruiter, he initially turned me away saying my GPA wasn't high enough. (At the time, I was in the middle of a rough semester and thought that I might end up with a B.) You will need a very high GPA to get in; your healthcare recruiter should be able to tell you how competitive you are based on the Navy's current needs. As you know, the military is very competitive right now. If you are serious about becoming a part of the nurse corps, keep your options open. I would recommend speaking with an Air Force recruiter as well. They have their own version of ROTC and a second program called the Nurse Transition Program that seems very similar to the Navy's NCP. Best of luck to you!

Also, don't be discourged by the lengthy application process. I first went to the recruiter in March, was turned away because I wasn't competitive enough (at the time, I thought I was about to receive 2 B's that semester....I ended up pulling my grades up to A- 's by the last minute)...I then received an email in August saying the program had "opened up" and I might now have a chance. From then on, I worked on my application from August until I was finally accepted at the tail end of the following April. All of your friends will tell you you're crazy and to just give up, but it is so worth it once you're finally in!