RN wanting to join Military Need Advice

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Jul 1, 2010

hello everyone i would like to thank all of you ahead of time for your replies, this is going to be a long post. i am interested in joining one of the branches of the military as a rn. my interest in the military is threefold: 1) i think it is an honor to care for our men and women who courageously serve our country. 2) i am interested in the army reserves and possibly active duty. 3) i am also in interested in the usagpan (crna) program. currently, i am a critical care nurse with 3.5 years experience and i have my ccrn and cmc specialty certifications. i will be finishing my bsn by december of this year. i did finally contact a army health care recruiter and spoke to him briefly. here is a list of questions that i asked him along with his answers. i would appreciate any feedback from you guys in the army as well as other branches (i will be contacting the navy and af as well). also are their any other questions i should be asking etc.
is it possible to become a reservist if i have not completed my bsn? he said yes we take asn but perfer bsn there is a limited number of asn slots available each year.
will i get constructive credit for years as a rn i will most likely hit the 4 year mark before i join due to the application process? the recruiter said that my app would be forwarded to hr and they would decide. generally it is 2:1 or 2 years equal 1 yr of constructive credit
what is the length of commitment as a reservist? 3 years the total commitment is 8 years. 3 years as a drilling reservist and 5 years in the irr
if i become a reservist and am ready to apply for usagpan, would i be eligible for direct accession to active duty without finishing my reserve commitment or are they intertwined? he said yes but would have to get it approved by higher ups. he said the way the army looks at is that you are advancing your education and we would not hinder you. inorder to switch over to active you have to do most of the boarding process again.
how long is deployment as a reservist rn and to where? he said expect at least one deployment but he said they will ask for volunteers first and if the posts don't get filled you would have to go. he said deployment ranges from 6-12 months. most deployments for rn'a are now 6 months. they can vary depending on what position you are in. if you are in a command position or brigade or higher position it will be for the whole deployment. from what i have been reading is that the army is really trying to keep deployments to 6 months for rn's is this true.
how long is officer's training and what are the physical requirements (weight, height, physical fitness)? the recruiter said it was based on age and off the top of his head he didn't know. this is true, as we age we get more time on our run and decreased in the number of pushups and situps. also, the maximum weight and body fat increases a little bit as we get older.
when i and if i join, how soon will officers training begin and will i receive any pay when i attend? he said i have up to a year to attend olbc in san antonio and is currently 26 days. this is for reserves, once you start drilling you need to put in your paperwork to reserve your seat in the class. yes you get active duty pay while you attend. this includes base pay & housing.
as a reservist, how would it impact my civilian job and could they lay me off or terminate me because of mandatory requirement to attend one weekend a month and two weeks a year? they can't touch you legally no, they can not do any of this. but, some employers have found a way to do it but not say it is related to you being in the reserves. also, while you are preforming your military duty they can not make you use benefit time, find your own coverage etc. one little know fact is that egsr has the ability to fill paperwork againist any company that recieves federal money and have that money frozen while there is a dispute over a reservist termination etc. this does not happen often but can. if you are up front with your employeer and give them as much advance notice and work with them most will work with you. i had 6 or 7 full time positions while i was in the reserves and never had any issues with a employer. but, i know some employers do not know the laws or just do not care. if they are a company that does not care about the laws more then likely they are not a good company to work for anyway.
would i qualify for student loan repayment what is the maximum that would be repaid? he said i would qualify for 50,000 in loan repayment that varies depending on what is available when you sign your contract.
what is the current bonus for rn's and are there certification bonuses as well? once i get my bsn they have a $60,000 bonus as well as above it varies depending on when you sign.
again thank you for your replies and feel free to share any info.

hopes this helps some.

allnurses Guide · Jul 1, 2010

I just skimmed through your post, but if your goal is to do the Army CRNA program why not just complete your BSN then apply to the Army's direct entry CRNA program for civilians.

crna_home

ShapeShifterBM · Jul 1, 2010

Thanks guys for your replies so far. wtbcrna good question right now I have alot of student loan debt and I am wanting to get rid of some of it and I figure going the reserve route would help with that. I also have considered just going straight into CRNA school through the military as well. I just want to have my t's crossed and i's dotted before applying. I really want to be prepared so I need some chemistry classes and I need GRE and want my CSC to be competitive. Could I get loan repayment along with school being paid for and a full salary (AD)? I do read alot of the posts on nurseanethesia.org forum as well.

allnurses Guide · Jul 1, 2010

Thanks guys for your replies so far. wtbcrna good question right now I have alot of student loan debt and I am wanting to get rid of some of it and I figure going the reserve route would help with that. I also have considered just going straight into CRNA school through the military as well. I just want to have my t's crossed and i's dotted before applying. I really want to be prepared so I need some chemistry classes and I need GRE and want my CSC to be competitive. Could I get loan repayment along with school being paid for and a full salary (AD)? I do read alot of the posts on nurseanethesia.org forum as well.

Your loans will be deferred while in school getting your BSN and MSN, so I would just go straight for the CRNA route and skip the reserve route. You could be deployed, have to do manning assist, or any number of things that could cause a delay getting into school if you join reserves 1st.

Either way good luck! Military anesthesia school is rough, but a great education overall.

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Jul 1, 2010

The military CRNA school is ranked #2 in the country. If you go this route plan on look days once you get to clinicals. I work with some new grads from the program and they say that you will be working 14-18 hours aday between work and studying

teenynurse · Dec 23, 2010

what is the length of commitment as a reservist? 3 years

if i become a reservist and am ready to apply for usagpan, would i be eligible for direct accession to active duty without finishing my reserve commitment or are they intertwined? he said yes but would have to get it approved by higher ups. he said the way the army looks at is that you are advancing your education and we would not hinder you.

how long is deployment as a reservist rn and to where? he said expect at least one deployment but he said they will ask for volunteers first and if the posts don't get filled you would have to go. he said deployment ranges from 6-12 months. from what i have been reading is that the army is really trying to keep deployments to 6 months for rn's is this true.

how long is officer’s training and what are the physical requirements (weight, height, physical fitness)? the recruiter said it was based on age and off the top of his head he didn't know.

when i and if i join, how soon will officers training begin and will i receive any pay when i attend? he said i have up to a year to attend olbc in san antonio and is currently 26 days.

as a reservist, how would it impact my civilian job and could they lay me off or terminate me because of mandatory requirement to attend one weekend a month and two weeks a year? they can't touch you legally

would i qualify for student loan repayment what is the maximum that would be repaid? he said i would qualify for 50,000 in loan repayment

what is the current bonus for rn’s and are there certification bonuses as well? once i get my bsn they have a $60,000 bonus.

ok i am about in the same boat as you, pretty much same answers to the questions, except, i am a critical care registered nurse for 3.5 years, i also am a flight nurse and er nurse. yeah, i work alot lol. i will finish my bsn in march. i will go in as a critical care nurse and will be officated in march. my recruiter told me i have three years for officer training to be completed. i can try any crna program i choose and get stipend for 2,000 a month once in a program. also will get 20,000 sign in bonus each year for three years. i will try to get into various programs. i will also try to get into army program.