dingus

Not in, but sorta in the same situation of wanting to get out, see more, and do more. Only difference, don't care where I go as long as I get out of Los Angeles. From my limited knowledge it's extremely competitive to get picked up for nursing while you're serving as an enlisted, and you'll have to have been in a few years before you can even be eligible for that benefit (regardless of prerequisites you have out of the way. ) All nurses currently commissioning are Bachelor degree or higher, an ADN RN it doesn't mean much. The advice from a majority of the nurses who are already in and have been around is get the BSN out of the way with the best GPA possible, then go from there, or go ROTC while you are going through school and you are looking to get college paid for. Once again from limited knowledge from following different threads and blogs, the shortest deployment for active duty nurses is 6 months with possibility of extensions, sometimes volunteered ... sometimes voluntold ( according to an enlisted friend who has been kept in Osan longer than they want to remember, it happens if there's mess up in paper work or they need you.) Moving part, PCS I only know from the perspective of my friend who in Security Forces but she says if you are active duty and single it can be anywhere as frequent as two years to as long as four years. Four being long, but that might just be her Mos. Also they put you where they need you the bases of preference is taken into consideration but it's not guaranteed. Umm hope I made sense. There's stuff I don't know about so seeing more info on this would be great.

Thank you all very much for the helpful answers. I will certainly look into the opportunities available around me to find a good fit. There's another item I want to ask about. I have been ruminating joining the reserves since I have around 3-5 years of school left (time is highly dependent on waitlists of schools I'm transferring into.) I understand as an enlisted reservist I will not be guaranteed any type of medical position. I am very intrigued by it for perspective and experience, and thought it would be manageable because I am lucky enough to not have to work full-time while in school. Out of curiosity, will being a reservist count towards any volunteering criteria and will it affect my chances of commissioning in the future?

In addition to strong academic achievements, there are many posts recommending volunteering as a means to make an individual stand out as a good nurse candidate. With so many organizations and activities to choose from, what are some of the more "weighted" opportunities for nursing students who want to join the service in the future to look into? Sadly, I reside in an area that doesn't have many veterans related volunteer opportunities, all recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Just wanted to say, love your made up clinical site names.

Piggy backing, since I'm a few years away from getting a BSN I want to enlist in the reserves for the experience. I know my chances of getting a medical job will largely depend on ASVAB scores and availability. My top choices are the labs, medic, diagnostic imaging, or some other type of medical tech job. If by luck I do end up in one of those jobs, how would the tech school credits affect my overall GPA in regular school besides basics counting for PE?

It simply comes down to what is your ultimate purpose. With the choice of enlisting there is little need to get the ASN, heck you might as well as finish your current school term and go. If you want a job to make money now while serving the country (at the same time putting in your years towards the GI Bill), enlisting is a good option. However if you are 100% dead set on the honour of becoming a nursing officer in as short of a time as possible, then you got to pay out of pocket till you make it, and put in all your effort to be spectacular while getting that degree.

I asked similar questions before. Upon learning more you'll find nursing is a very competitive field to enter. So overall, if your ultimate goal is the become a nurse in the military be prepared to work for it, school/ personal lifewise, socially, mentally, and physically. I was worried about being too old to join by the time I obtain a BSN since I am currently in my mid-20s (after a career change and other life events.) So I thought about the options of enlisting in active duty and rotc. I decided against both, and to stay on course of graduating as a BSN then commissioning because it's the best option for me. Some of my thoughts are listed below, but remember in the end it's your personal choice so do what is best for you. Enlisting is a risky move if the ultimate purpose is to be a nurse. If lucky and scores are well on the ASVAB a job in medical services maybe be possible, but other wise the military can put enlistees anywhere they need them. As an active duty member, the military is a full time job, school is on the back burner, X amount of years are needed before gaining access to GI Bill benefits. Overall as an enlisted the time of earning a BSN will be prolonged. I decided against ROTC because I feel I am too old of a selection, and because I want to focus on my GPA with out the additional stress of ROTC classes. The minimum standard on top of having your BSN is having AT LEAST a 3.5 (maybe higher) overall GPA by the time of graduation. Aside from time and dedication to grades, prepare to be physically fit to pass PT tests, emotionally ready to be separated from loved ones, and mentally ready for deployments. A better way to look at this would be being a nurse of the armed services is an honour earned through dedication and a reward within it self, all other incentives are bonuses. The military is not the best nor quickest way to earning a BSN, but only the best BSN RNs will be considered as possible candidates for commission as entry level nurse officers. Hope that helps a little. Side note, look into ROTC opportunities, and if you find yourself a good fit, that's probably one of the best scenarios fitting your needs stated above.

Lvn/Lpn rarely bridge into BSN programs. It's usually LVN/LPN to ADN. Not saying there are none, they might just be expensive and or have a long wait list.

You sound like a fine young thing, check out your campus for specific branch ROTC opportunities, if they don't have it, find the crosstown university that correlates with it. It's worth looking into if you're only a freshman and you want to be a military nurse officer in the future. Wish I knew about it earlier, but I'm a dinosaur now. Good luck. Sorry it's not too relevant to the tattoo question.

Pixie is talking about going in as an E-3 medic. You can enlist but it's not guaranteed you'll become a medic. The factor being stressed is that the Army is currently very well manned in the medical department, and even though you can enlist with the dream of working for medical, the Army can place you anywhere they need you, like artillery, refilling gas tanks, kitchen work... where ever they need you... which means for the 4 years you spend trying to get that GI bill benefit you are not practicing any nursing skills professionally, if you don't mind or worry about that risk, go for it, enlist, work hard, get that benefit. If you graduate from your BSN with a COMPETITIVE GPA and meet all the requirements PT, background, medical etc. then apply for commission, get accepted; you will be a commissioned nursing officer for the Army. You emphasize heavily on how you want to advance your studies on the government's dime via the Army and every experienced responder is telling you it's extremely competitive right now. Think of how you can stand out, what can you improve and add on to make yourself look like the better candidate vs others that can be younger, more fit, and possibly brighter candidates with a really high GPA and/or those that have years of BSN RN specialty experience. Are you willing to take time and your own resources to become a better candidate? No one is saying you can't, but you have to make it past the basic cut to get to those benefits you keep mentioning. It seems like you are kind of avoiding the not so favorable scenarios that have been brought up, but still I wish you luck on where you want to go and hope that you reach what you believe is your goal.

Not sure how it works in Florida, but in California, students who earned a low grade in classes can retake them (with limitations) to raise their GPA, you might want to redo some of the science classes you have low grades in, also all the ADN to BSN transfer programs here require no less than a 3.0 in all science curriculum to apply for consideration, some schools won't even let students with lower than a 3.2 overall GPA apply ( once again not sure how Florida works). Side note, I noticed most nurses on this forum who are currently applying for commission have at least a 3.5 GPA. Assess your options, if you believe you can handle the changes needed it's not impossible.

Will you guys be hiring nannies, sending the kids to live with relatives, or boarding schools? Not sure how accommodating your future work schedules will be if you are both active duty. Since it sounds like you guys are planning a big family parenting responsibilities is another thing you'll want to factor in.

Holy stool, they disqualified you for leg tattoos? I have one on the front of my shin maybe a few inches above the pedal pulse area that can be covered by crew socks, does that mean I have no hope too? It's small.

I am very grateful for your insight jfratian. It clarified some confusion I have. It's situational, but I don't plan on enlisting in the reserves until I am closer to completing my current program which will happen next summer, after that I will likely have to take half a year off school for training purposes. I am not looking at the reserves to pay for schooling, my ultimate goal is still to commission as active duty, I think it will be a very rewarding career and not just for financial purposes. Thank you for letting me know about the Emt-b possibility, it sounds exciting, I'll definitely give the reserves some more thought.

Thank you so much for the info Pixie, I was able to find this U.S. Military Education: ROTC Age Limit I am actually turning 26 the beginning of next month and is still in a community college working on a psychiatric technician license, it's equivalent to a Lvn/Lpn in California when completed. I will it use to bridge into an ADN program and then transfer to a state college for a BSN. I am unsure about joining ROTC because I feel like it's too late for me since I might be over 30 by the time I complete my BSN. However if there is a chance I guess it wouldn't hurt to speak with the reps in the crosstown colleges.

Would it be a good or bad idea to enlist in the reserves while in school? I found out I have a good solid four years of schooling left because of wait lists, transfer requirements, wait list for transfer requirements, and not wanting to take out high interest loans for private schools. My ultimate goal is to commission as a nurse in the future but I would like to have a bit of experience with the military beforehand. I'm in my mid twenties so I am way too old for ROTC, which led me to thinking about enlisting in the reserves for the experience. My top choices for enlisting reserves wise are the Air Force or the Navy. Pros and cons I considered Pros -BMT counts as PE upon completion ( Yay a transfer requirement) -Reserves comes with some benefits -Only one weekend a month.. under normal circumstances -It kinda looks good on a resume? -I get a small glimpse of military proceedings Cons -The two weeks (maybe more?) of the active rotation might cut into a major final (are the reservists allow to sign up for when their two weeks will be?) -If some how a major war breaks out reservists may get deployed. -The commitment time over shoots the time it takes me to finish my BSN or become FQ material which means a four to six years commitment is okay with me but no longer. I am not afraid of being deployed but my major concerns are my grades suffering, having to prolong my process of obtaining a BSN, and then becoming too old to commission as a nurse. To me the pros look like they out weigh the cons. What do you guys think? Is it a viable idea or is it too much wistful thinking?

Can you join ROTC as a ADN to BSN transfer student and forgo the scholarship in favor of loan repayments after serving the initial four or required number of years (not sure if same for all 3 branches with medical divisions)?

Piggyback question, for example if you are in an ADN program at a community college and you are planning to transfer into a BSN program at a university, do you have to wait until you are in the BSN classes to apply or can you apply as soon as you get the acceptance letter from the university? What would the best application time for ADN to BSN transfers be if they want to join the military, how soon should they start talking to healthcare recruiters?

Been following this Army nurse officer's blog for a while, believe she is either becoming an educator, or already is one. An Officer and a Nurse

Thank you jeckrn for the advice, I understand what you are telling me. Just to clarify, I am not too worried about which branch has the best facilities and offer the most comfort.

Greetings and nice to make your acquaintance. I have been following this board for a while but have been a bit shy to post. I go by the name of Dingus online, I am currently a psychiatric technician student at Mt. San Antonio college in California. I will be turning 26 this year, and by the time I finish the program and take the state board exam I will be 27. In California a psych tech`s license is equivalent to an LVNs and we have options of bridging into ADN RN programs that allows us to transfer to a 4 year institution to pursue a BSN degree. I spent my early adult life in arts and fashion design, I did not find that industry gratifying. It took me a while to figure out where I wanted to go, the psych tech program came to me as a surprise. Compare to others posting onto this board I am starting quite late in the medical field, so I am concerned about my age and options. I want to join a branch of service in the future because I find it fulfilling to help, protect, and provide support to others, experience new adventures, and to build personal strength. I will be honest and say that the benefits are also quite enticing. My dilemmas are do I have better chances of getting into military as a mental health related tech or nurse via -enlisting with only a psych tech license ( what is the likelihood of it counting and me getting the job, or will it be based on need and the aptitude tests?) -continuing on and transferring into a BSN program at a school that offers ROTC (by the time I transfer I may be 29, am I too old for ROTC?) - attempting direct commission after finishing my BSN and gaining two years of civilian nursing experience (would be around 31 -32 by then, will I be considered too old?) Current physical stats, I am 5`4, 134 Lbs, can do 60 sit ups in two minutes, 30 push ups, my run time is horrible at 25 minutes for 2 miles, I am definitely working on that. Which of the three branches with medical units is my best bet? I would like to be active duty, the idea of being deploy does not scare me away, and I have no problem with relocating. I am a single female with no kids, so I don't have any commitments tying me, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Please excuse me for my super long post, I figured being detailed will only help me in this situation.

Not much on the military part, but for weight loss you can try looking into a ketogenic diet. I was almost two hundred pounds before starting it about a year and a half ago. I am around 130 right now. The diet is strict but it works, and there is no starving. As long as you don't go crazy and pick up bad eating habits after reaching your goal the pounds won't come back.