QM/PI/Risk Management in Military Nursing?

[furryhat, BSN, RN]

First - thank you to all those who post and respond on this board. It has provided a wealth of knowledge and goals over the years!

For those with military nursing experience (any branch), are there Quality Management, Performance Improvement and/or Risk Management nursing roles?  Do they ever commission directly or is it promotion only? Are you aware of any non-"bedside" roles you can enter directly?

Background: I have had a long shot dream of becoming a military nurse that started before I even entered nursing. Nursing is a 2nd (or 3rd?) career for me and, now in my late 30's, I am finally getting my physical act together and making strides to achieve the necessary weight loss and strength building to not be laughed out of the AMEDD recruiting office. I still have a ways to go before I will contact them, but I am confident I will reach it this year.  I did a year of Army ROTC in undergrad many moons ago, work at the VA now, and have read about as much as one can (including this forum for years!) so I have a basic understanding of the military life but know that I really don't have any idea what it's actually like ---  Enough to know I know very little ?

I expect to apply for an OR nursing slot when the time comes. I have 5+ years OR experience and plan to get my CNOR in a few months (solely to boost this application. I remember old discussions here about certification bonuses vs sign-on bonuses and how to get the best bang for the buck, but I just want to be the most competitive app I can be).  

My question stems from the fact that in the actual real-world right now, and not my dream world where I can apply and get an OR slot with the next board,  in the real world I am ready to move my career forward, exit the OR and enter administration, particularly in quality.  Even with a transition into administration, I plan to still apply to the Boards for an OR slot.  But that is based on the assumption that you can't go directly into a non-"bedside" role. Is that accurate?

Thanks for any responses and advice here, and thanks for all the others previously!

[jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA]

Prepare to take a step back with your management transition if you join the military.

Generally speaking, you cannot start immediately as a military nurse in a non bedside role.  The reason is because the military strongly values longevity and time in service, and you can't lead (which non-bedside roles typically are) without a decent amount of it.

Depending on your starting rank, you might be able to do management  or quality improvement down the road...at least 4 years in I would say.  

[furryhat, BSN, RN]

Thanks so much!  Confirmed my hunches.  And I'm glad to hear quality improvement is an area that exists for down the road.