cohiak

Deployment is not a deal breaker. I am not a nurse. I am about to start an accelerated BSN program.

Thanks, exactly the kind of info I was hoping to get! So what I kind of gathered from your post is that there is (currently) not a big chance of getting deployed if I do not volunteer, although it can happen. (10-25% chance, is that a good ballpark figure?) This is better than I was expecting, I was afraid the deployment rate was upwards of 50% for nurses, regardless of preference. My recruiter spoke in detail about deployments being only 7 months, which included the transit and training time, is the 9 month deployment something you have seen in the past year or was that a couple of years ago? Thanks again. cohiak

Couple of questions for any current/prior active duty Navy nurses that may/may not have joined with the Nurse Candidate Program. Looking for some verification of info I've been told by my recruiter while discussing Nurse Candidate Program. I'm looking for some Navy nurses with non-biased information. If you can provide numerical stats, or your best guess stats, much appreciated! (Hey, I was an accountant in my prior career, I love numbers) Question #1 - Chances of getting deployed as an ER nursing during first 4 years of active duty? I know this is hugely dependent on world events also. Really any info on this would be excellent, because this is really my hang-up on whether or not to join. Would like to know if it's a definite, most likely, maybe, could happen, probably not, etc. type of situation, of course taken with a grain of salt. Even a stat like "i know 3 of 8 new navy nurses that got deployed during first 4 year assignment" would be helpful. Question #2 - What are the chances I would end up in San Diego for first assignment? How much of a say do I really have in where I get stationed first? I know they say you get sent to Virginia, Maryland, or San Diego primarily. I grew up in Alaska and went to school in Hawaii and California, not very interested in going to east coast. And I speak Spanish, which I am guessing is more useful in a place like San Diego. Question #3 - What are the chances that I would be able to START my career in the ER? I have 3 years of experience as an ER tech, I was also a firefighter, EMT, and ocean lifeguard prior. I've heard all nurses in Navy have to do 1 year on Med-Surg (no thanks) before transferring. Hoping that's not the case. Question #4 - Deployments: Any chance of extensions beyond the 7 month mark? Do you only stay ON BASE in the trauma bay as an ER Nurse during your deployment? in other words, no work in the field? On average, how many hours a week did you work during a deployment? again i'm sure this all varies greatly, any guess on this would be appreciated! Just want to know beforehand if I can expect 6-7 days a week at 16+ hours a day. My recruiter was...very... cryptic about deployment, and the work hours of a deployment. Thank you so much for any information provided, you all on this website have been a huge help to me. Take care and be safe cohiak