ANC_Maj

Absolutely. 100%, without a doubt. Probably wouldn't even need to be "ordered" (the Army has a volunteer system for deployment). The year I was deployed was likely the most professionally gratifying year I have spent as a nurse.

You would start as an officer in the rank of 2LT (Army or Air Force) or Ensign (Navy). Army Recruiting is offering loan repayment and/or bonuses. Contact your local health care recruiter for the details. Congratulations on your decision to join the Military Medicine family! ANC_Maj

The civilians that work at any of the military medical facilities (such as NNMC or WRAMC) take care of the same patients that the military nurses provide care for. The civilian nurses are the glue that hold these facilities together - they are the continuity necessary to keep facilities running. The military staff can turn over as frequently as every 2 years. In the unit I currently am in, I have 73 assigned personnel and only about 25 are active duty. Hope that helps and thank you for your interest in caring for our wounded warriors! ANC_Maj

The Army program at Ft. Sam Houston, TX (San Antonio) is accredited by the UTHSC-Houston school of nursing and allows a select number of slots per year for the VA system. I would contact your education office for specific details about how to apply and check out the guidelines for application at http://www.anesthesia.med.va.gov/anesthesia/page.cfm?pg=52. Good luck to you! ANC_Maj

I too have been at BAMC (1995-1997). I have been to Madigan and Ft. Lewis, but know nothing about DDEAMC or Ft. Gordon. Feel free to ask specific questions either via PM or open forum. ANC_Maj

You do have a unique situation! I've not heard of anyone coming back AD after retirement from USAR/ARNG. So, I can't offer any advice or wisdom unfortunately. Good luck in navigating the system and I hope it all works out for you. What could we do to sway you back to the Army? We (as in the federal nursing services, not just the Army) are always in need of good officers and nurses! Keep us posted. ANC_Maj

I've not known the o-chem or biochem requirement to be waiverable. It is to your advantage to take either course (USUHS prefers o-chem) as it will assist you in understanding the complex pharm and physiologic principles necessary to be an anesthesia provider. I believe you do not have to have completed the course at the time of application - but you must demonstrate that you are enrolled and are in the process of completing the requirement. You may wish to cross post (if you haven't already!) your question to the pre-CRNA board. There are several military CRNA students and graduates that frequent that area. Corvette Guy and Wtbcrna are excellent resources that hang around here as well. It sounds like all of your other credentials are solid - however make sure you shoot for more than the minimum qualifying scores (500/500/3.5) on the GRE to make your packet stronger. I've heard anecdotally that it is slightly easier to get accepted from Active Duty rather than as a civilian direct accession or USAR. Best of luck to you and congratulations on your decision to join the ANC! ANC_Maj

This probably goes without saying at this point, but make sure you are working with a Healthcare Recruiter - it does make a difference. If something you hear from the recruiter doesn't sound right, check it out by asking around. Also, it wouldn't hurt to blatantly ask the question "What will my rank be?" OK - as far as the pushups are concerned, you were right no "girl" pushups for this man's Army! Here are the standards for passing and "maxing" the APFT for your age and gender 2 mile run - 24:00 pass, 17:36 max Push-ups - 10 pass, 34 max Sit-ups - 30 pass, 66 max Good luck and please share what you learn from the recruiter. ANC_Maj

Congratulations on your decision to enter the ANC! I am hesitant to identify any one facility as the "best Army Medical Center" as they all have different flavors and opportunities. I will tell you that I have been assigned at Brooke AMC (San Antonio), Walter Reed AMC (Wash DC), and facilities in Korea and Germany. All of the experiences were excellent and different. I suspect that everyone you ask will give you a different opinion on which is the "best." My advice is to be assigned to a large MEDDAC or MEDCEN for your first assignment. Those tend to offer the highest volume of acutely ill/injured patients so you can fine tune and hone your knowledge base, critical thinking abilities, and clinical skills. Feel free to PM me for facility-specific information. Good luck! ANC_Maj

Welcome to the ANC! I don't know much about Ft Bliss or WBAMC - but am headed there myself this summer. Feel free to PM me and I can fill you in on what I know so far! ANC_Maj

Another great resource is www.onestoparmy.com. Nice repository of information on all the installations CONUS and OCONUS. Some of the installations have information on both on and off post housing. Good luck and welcome to the Army Nurse Corps! ANC_Maj

I find it interesting that you would presume to know my thoughts on the subject. AND I do get the distinct feeling you are "fishing" for opinions and responses to spark a debate. A debate, I might add, that no military member currently serving should entertain.

Count me in as an "imbecile" too I guess. If the definition of imbecile is patriot, proud to serve their country and support the Soldiers, then I guess there are worse things to be! ANC_Maj

Good thought on the posting of branch of service, MOS/ANC. Perhaps a new thread should be started.

I can't speak for TX-RN-FNP, but while I was deployed (also OIF1), the ANCs helped out with all additional duties as well - TCN guard, night AOD, sandbag duty, and whatever miscellaneous duties came up. We actually had a "duty platoon" each day that each ICU/ICW was responsible for sending 2-4 people out for each day. For me it was a nice change of pace to be out doing the various duties, gave me some perspective, and I think it helped build camaraderie especially as the BOG days (and the temperature!) hit the triple digits and kept climbing. ANC_Maj

Just another FYI - some states will waive your license renewal fee while you are on Active Duty. Make sure you ask your state board of nursing (they don't often volunteer that information)!

The military only requires that you have an active/valid/unrestricted RN license. It doesn't matter what state it is from. For example, for the majority of my career I have only carried my original Montana license even though I've been stationed in Texas, Washington DC, and overseas.

Well, it depends on what you do, where you are located, and the needs of the Army and facility. If you are a CRNA or FNP you are more likely to continue in clinical practice (meaning actual "hands-on") longer. If you are trained as a CNS, Admin, Informatics, Education, etc. most likely you will begin assuming adminstrative/leadership/management roles once you are a MAJ. ANC_Maj

Truly, I can only give you my best educated guess. Because of the military school requirements, I would expect anyone to come in no higher than a Captain perhaps with some constructive credit (i.e. shorter time to promotion). In order to be promoted in the ANC to MAJ one must complete the Captain's Career Course - not a big deal, just a hoop to jump through. I've not know any nurse to come on active duty (with no prior service commissioned or enlisted) higher than a CPT, but I don't know everyone either! I imagine it is possible to be commissioned at a higher grade if you were highly published, held a doctoral degree, invented some life-saving device (just kidding!). I would really speak with a health care recruiter in your area (find one at http://www.goarmy.com/amedd/). I don't know the Army's take on the DNP yet either. As of FY07 guidelines, we are still only sending officers (fully funded) to PhD (not DNS, DNP, ND or EdD) programs. More to follow on that as the civilian sector moves toward the DNP as entry to practice for the NP role. Sorry I don't have more concrete answers for you! ANC_Maj

No problem! For admin you have 2 options - the US Army/Baylor program at Ft Sam for true healthcare admin and the traditional LTHET civilian school option for nursing admin. Don't sweat ECCO, just use it as a tool to refine your knowledge of critical care nursing. Enjoy Madigan and the CCNC! ANC_Maj

Rank at time of commission is not totally dictated by highest degree held. You need to talk to a health professions recruiter for your service of choice for more details. As an FNP I would expect you'd be commissioned as a CPT/O-3. I don't know about a PhD prepared nurse. Often times, I think one is better off to come on active duty at a lower grade as it gives you time to acclimate before being thrown into the bigger leadership positions that come with more rank. Just my opinion... I'm sure others have insights that they would be willing to share. ANC_Maj

The Army program is known as "Long Term Health Education and Training" or LTHET. The selection rate for LTHET is fairly high. Here are some of the FY05 rates: Overall (all programs) 104 apps, 88 selected (87%) MSN: 42 apps, 33 selected (79%) FNP: 15 apps, 13 selected (87%) CRNA: 37 apps, 36 selected (97%) PhD: 4 apps, 2 selected (50%) Like all services, selection rates are somewhat impacted by OPTEMPO and needs of the service. For Army folks, there is a pretty wide window of opportunity for attending LTHET - from your 3rd year of service until about the 14th year. The Army also has a wide scope of needs as far as degree programs are concerned as well - CRNA, FNP, CNS (all varieties), admin, education, informatics, etc. I know you're looking for USAF info - but I thought I'd throw all of that out there for others who may be interested (and perhaps to sway your decision - afterall, every nurse is a recruiter!). ANC_Maj

I can't speak for the AF or USN, but for the Army Nurse Corps, a Master's degree is a promotion discriminator for LTC/O-5, not MAJ/O-4. So, in other words you needs a MSN/MBA/MA, etc to be fully competitive for that promotion in addition to completing what used to be called Command and General Staff College (CGSC), now Intermediate Level Education (ILE). For what it's worth, I've been an ANC officer for ~11 years and love it! Wouldn't change a thing! Go Army! Not just because I'm biased, but because the education opportunities are more plentiful and the career advancement/promotion timeline is faster. ANC_MAJ

I think there are MANY of us out there in the military who feel the same way - we love what we do (and who we do it for)! I also agree with LT Dan, the "taxable" pay that is reflected on our W-2s may not competitive in some markets, but when you factor in the non-taxable allowances and other less quantifiable benefits... Well, there just is no comparison. ANC_Maj

I can't speak for the Air Force or Navy, but the Army selection rate to MAJ is about 92%. The only firm requirement is completion of the Captain's Career Course (a self-study correspondence series of course work and 10 weeks at Ft Sam Houston). Otherwise, promotion is based on meeting the Army standards, performance, and potential. For promotion to O-5 (LTC) you must have a Master's degree and complete what used to be called Command and General Staff College. Best of luck to you in your career and decision. ANC_MAJ