Questions regarding critical care nursing and role of NPs in the Army

[JasonL]

Hello-

I'm glad to have found this forum. For a few years now I've been interested in joining the military, specifically the Army. I have nearly seven years' experience in critical care, and have CCRN certification.

Presently I'm working on my MS in pursuit of becoming an ACNP (Acute Care Nurse Practitioner) specializing in critical care.

It appears that as of now the military does not use ACNPs. Has anyone heard anything about the eventual inclusion of ACNPs in the military?

I'd like for my full-time job to be as an ACNP; be it active duty military or civilian, in which case I could function as a critical care RN in the reserves.

If I were to join the Army Reserve as a critical care RN (when I complete my graduate studies) what rank might I expect to be given? There seems to be some credit given for civilian experience and education.

Thanks in advance,

Jason

[mwbeah]

You are going to receive constructive credit.....say you have 3 years (for example sake) then you will receive 1.5 years towards promotion which means you come in as 1LT. If you have 8 years as RN then you receive 4 years constructive credit and will come in as CPT. You won't come in any higher than CPT.

Hope this helps,

Mike

[JasonL]

Thanks, Mike, for that information. I'd heard 1LT from some people, and CPT from others. I had spoken to a recruiter a couple of years ago, before I decided to go back to school, and at that time she was saying 1LT with credit towards CPT. I recently spoke with my father, retired Army 91D, who stated that he believed that I would go in as a CPT. By the time I finish school I will have 10 years' experience, so it looks like CPT. I certainly would not have expected anything higher than that. The reason I posted my questions here is that I don't want to call the recruiter yet as it is still something a couple years' down the road for me.

I'd still like to hear if anyone knows about the possible implementation of ACNPs into the military. I did learn that there was a report from '00 that examined the possibility of ACNP implementation in the USAF. It costs $21.95 online, I may order it. Of course, I could also function as a critical care CNS which I imagine they would have need for.

Thanks again,

Jason