Question

[RN.1]

So I”am commissioning as a nurse soon into the army . I was wondering after my initial contract is done can I switch over to another branch? Don’t get me wrong I like the army but keep hearing other branches treat the nurses better . What would be the process to switch ? What are the difference between other branches for nurses compared to the army nurse Corp? Any insight would help.

[Jeckrn1, ADN, BSN]

Yes you can do a inter-service transfer. Not sure how easy it is to do.

[jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA]

I've looked into it for myself. As a nurse, you don't really do an inter-service transfer. Instead, you separate, have your experience/service re-evaluated and re-commission.

Generally speaking, you tend to loose rank when you do this. That's because time in grade resets. If you were to leave as an O-3, you would probably enter the new branch as an O-3 with no time in grade.

[jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA]

I realize this might not make sense to a non-military person. Time in grade is very important for promotion. You are only eligible to compete for a promotion board if you have the minimum time in grade required.

Time in grade (TIG) is the amount of time you have held a given rank/grade. O-4 boards generally require between 4-6 years of TIG as an O-3 for consideration.

If you were to lose several years of TIG, you would need to wait several years longer to promote. That would certainly cost you a significant amount of money...and may cause a delay in career opportunities down the road (which are sometimes rank-driven). That is why switching branches can be disadvantageous.