Roll Call for all Military and VA Nurses and those considering the Service

[RNPATL]

As the moderator for this forum ... I am interested to know where everyone is from, their background, branch of service (or VA VISN) and what they like the best about Military or VA Nursing .... this forum generally has some really good traffic, and I would like to pull all of us together and get to know one another a little better.

[AFnurse3]

Wow....much different from where I am! I work a small Med Surg Unit with plenty of staff! We had 11 patients a few days ago....our norm is 2-4 patients....so this was the most we'd had since I arrived last Dec. We are fully staffed and getting 5 new nurses....2 arrived last week. It's not uncommon for us to have a 1:1 or 1:2 ratio. It's also not uncommon to have more nurses on the floor than patients! Our hospital doesn't have an ICU or even telemetry so we have a very low acuity, too. To be honest, most of the time, I feel like I am losing my skills.

[Nurse Entrepreneur]

I've been a registered nurse since 1989. I paid for a good chunk of my BSN with a 4 year Army ROTC Nursing Scholarship and served in the Army Nurse Corps from 89-98. I was stationed at Ft. Benning Georgia and Ft. Riley Kansas while on active duty and also graduated from the Army's OB/GYN Nurse Course at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu. I was a 66G.

I enjoyed being an Army Nurse until I became a mother. I tried to combine the two for about 9 months and chose to leave the Army Nurse Corps. I know lots of Army Nurses who are also parents and combine the two. I could not do it though. My H was also on active duty at the time in the Infantry. Anyway, four kids later, I felt I made the right decision for me and my family.

[sdrn04]

I've been a registered nurse since 1989. I paid for a good chunk of my BSN with a 4 year Army ROTC Nursing Scholarship and served in the Army Nurse Corps from 89-98. I was stationed at Ft. Benning Georgia and Ft. Riley Kansas while on active duty and also graduated from the Army's OB/GYN Nurse Course at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu. I was a 66G.

I enjoyed being an Army Nurse until I became a mother. I tried to combine the two for about 9 months and chose to leave the Army Nurse Corps. I know lots of Army Nurses who are also parents and combine the two. I could not do it though. My H was also on active duty at the time in the Infantry. Anyway, four kids later, I felt I made the right decision for me and my family.

Hi, I was just wondering if you could give me some specifics as to why being in the Army Nurse Corps and being a mom didn't work out for you. I am 33 and civilian, have been an RN for a little over a year. I'm very interested in joining the AF as a nurse after completing my BSN(plan to start in Jan). I have two children, they're 4 & 6 now. Do you think it's at all doable in your personal opinion? I know I'd have to make huge sacrifices, but my husband is very supportive, has been the caregiver the majority of the time while I was in school, worked, etc. I am very interested in joining the AF for the loan repayment(have a huge loan debt), retirement, and experiences from traveling. Of course, it's a great honor to serve my country above and beyond those other reasons. Sorry for the long post. I would appreciate any feedback. Thanks:) !

Stephanie

[R2002K]

Hello all,

I am prior service enlisted Army Airborne Infantry, an am now starting my BSN program. My plan is to rejoin (is that the proper word?) some branch of the reserves. Any advice about which is better is welcome. Being commissioned has been a long time goal of mine, and I look forward to getting back in uniform.

P. Denny

Tulsa, Ok

P.S. If I go ahead and join an Arny Reserve unit under my old mos (11B) will I have any trouble changing my status when I am licensed?

[Corvette Guy]

Hello all,

I am prior service enlisted Army Airborne Infantry, an am now starting my BSN program. My plan is to rejoin (is that the proper word?) some branch of the reserves. Any advice about which is better is welcome. Being commissioned has been a long time goal of mine, and I look forward to getting back in uniform.

P. Denny

Tulsa, Ok

P.S. If I go ahead and join an Arny Reserve unit under my old mos (11B) will I have any trouble changing my status when I am licensed?

1. IMHO, you should visit a Health Care Recruiter, or Nurse Corps Recruiter, which ever applicable in regard to Army, Air Force, , or Navy, in all branches to see what each has to offer you. However, being a prior service US Soldier would certainly make for an easier transition back into the Reserves. AMEDD OBC would be a walk in the park for you.
   
2. IMHO, you'd be better off waiting to apply for direct commission in the USAR Nurse Corps once you've finished BSN program & passed your State's Nursing Board exam. The USAR is short on RNs, yet they may be just as short on 11B.

Good luck!

- 1LT AN USAR & Prior Service USMC

[FST66E]

I am new to this forum and fairly new to the military. Comissioned as 2LT USAR in January 05.

Many years in the Operating room.

Current assignment in military FST OIC.

I love my experience so far in the Army and am glad to have the opportunity to care for the best!

[fmfnurse]

Hey There Y'all,

I'm a civilian nurse (GS) working for the world's greatest Navy. I have the great honor of working with heroes (my FMF corpsmen who've served in OIF/OEF) and taking care of heroes (sailors, Marines, airmen, soldiers). Wish I'd done this years ago. (21 years of civilian ER and ICU experience clinically, House Supervisor role the last 10 years till coming to work for the Navy 3 years ago).

Those of you who see my screen name (or whatever we call it on here) should know that it is a joke-there are no civil service FMF nurses, heheh, but my coworkers tease me about turning green...I just find I enjoy working with Marines the best...uRAH!

I'd be expecially interested to hear from civil service nurses who have worked or are working OCONUS, as well as military nurses in those locations as well.

Tell me which are your favorite OCONUS MTFs and why. Which ones to avoid, etc.

Thanks!

fmfnurse

[Corvette Guy]

Hey There Y'all,

I'm a civilian nurse (GS) working for the world's greatest Navy. I have the great honor of working with heroes (my FMF corpsmen who've served in OIF/OEF) and taking care of heroes (sailors, Marines, airmen, soldiers). Wish I'd done this years ago. (21 years of civilian ER and ICU experience clinically, House Supervisor role the last 10 years till coming to work for the Navy 3 years ago).

Those of you who see my screen name (or whatever we call it on here) should know that it is a joke-there are no civil service FMF nurses, heheh, but my coworkers tease me about turning green...I just find I enjoy working with Marines the best...uRAH!

I'd be expecially interested to hear from civil service nurses who have worked or are working OCONUS, as well as military nurses in those locations as well.

Tell me which are your favorite OCONUS MTFs and why. Which ones to avoid, etc.

Thanks!

fmfnurse

BTW, its OORAH! :wink2:

However, Marines are the best and thank you for your compassion & care towards Devil Dogs.

... always remember Nov 10th, where it all began at Tun Tavern in 1775.

Cary James Barrett [A.K.A. Corvette Guy]

Registered Nurse, BSN 2004, ADN 1998, CST 1995-1998

First Lieutenant, AN USAR w/5501st USAH, since 2003

Sergeant, USMC AD, 1980-1988 Once a Marine, ALWAYS a Marine

[fmfnurse]

BTW, its OORAH! :wink2:

However, Marines are the best and thank you for your compassion & care towards Devil Dogs.

... always remember Nov 10th, where it all began at Tun Tavern in 1775.

Cary James Barrett [A.K.A. Corvette Guy]

Registered Nurse, BSN 2004, ADN 1998, CST 1995-1998

First Lieutenant, AN USAR w/5501st USAH, since 2003

Sergeant, USMC AD, 1980-1988 Once a Marine, ALWAYS a Marine

Okey Dokey now, CG, I can say it, just not spell it hehehe, but I sure know how picky you Marine-types can be about stuff like that, so please forgive me :bowingpur:

So, tell me, why go ANC instead of NNC if you were prior enlisted USMC?

What is your specialty? Do you plan to go AD, or just wait your turn to be activated/mobilized/deployed to the desert???

Semper Fi, dewd!

fmfnurse

[Corvette Guy]

Okey Dokey now, CG, I can say it, just not spell it hehehe, but I sure know how picky you Marine-types can be about stuff like that, so please forgive me :bowingpur:

So, tell me, why go ANC instead of NNC if you were prior enlisted USMC?

What is your specialty? Do you plan to go AD, or just wait your turn to be activated/mobilized/deployed to the desert???

Semper Fi, dewd!

fmfnurse

Forgiven, LOL. :)

I chose the Army Nurse Corps for several reasons.

1. IMHO, the US Army & USMC have more in common than the US Navy & USMC, even though the Marines fall under the Dept. of the Navy.
   
2. My son was an honor graduate at FT. Sill Army BCT in 2000. He wanted to enlist in the USMC, yet he desired medical training and I suggested he consider the Army over the Navy [see #1]. He was a 91D [OR Tech] USAR for 4 years, then approved for the University of Houston Army ROTC Program, and now is a Jr at the U of H. :)
   
3. I live about 65 miles from [bAMC] Brooke Army Medical Center, FT Sam Houston [san Antonio, TX]. Plus, my USAR Unit is at FSH, TX.
   
4. At the time of my desire to enter to military as a nurse I was an ADN. I accepted direct commission as 1LT AN, USAR in 2003, and in Aug 2004 I achieved my BSN. :balloons:
   
5. I have applied for the [uSAGPAN] US Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing, Jun 06. However, even though I have Phi Theta Kappa Honors, 3.4 GPA, and 3.766 GPA in AAS in Surgical Technology, AAS in Nursing, and BSN respectively I've been told my acceptance to the USAGPAN is unlikely d/t less than competitve GRE scores.

My AOC [MOS speak for officers] is 66E (OR RN), and Secondary AOC is 66H (MedSurg). However, I've been working as an 66H8A [CCRN] on drill Saturdays at BAMC. If I'm not accepted into the USAGPAN, then I have an offer to leave the [RC] Reserves and come over to [AC] active duty as an 66H at BAMC for the CCRN course, then gain the additional 8A skill identifier. I'd prefer to be in the AC, rather than get mobilized on active duty for 6-18mos.

BTW, your username is outstanding ... Fleet Marine Force Nurse ... OORAH!

[fmfnurse]

forgiven, lol. :)

i chose the army nurse corps for several reasons.

1. imho, the us army & usmc have more in common than the us navy & usmc, even though the marines fall under the dept. of the navy.

why is that? because of the 'infantry' type focus of the two? "every marine is a rifleman", etc? isn't the marine corps the 'infantry' of the navy? (somehow, i think that question might upset somebody-in advance, no offense intended. )

my son was an honor graduate at ft. sill army bct in 2000. he wanted to enlist in the usmc, yet he desired medical training and i suggested he consider the army over the navy [see #1]. he was a 91d [or tech] usar for 4 years, then approved for the university of houston army rotc program, and now is a jr at the u of h. :)

what's his major? which nurse corps has more opportunities for operational nursing? that's the kewl stuff...where the once-in-a-lifetime experiences are that can never be matched in the civilian sector.

1. i live about 65 miles from [bamc] brooke army medical center, ft sam houston [san antonio, tx]. plus, my usar unit is at fsh, tx.

we'll try not to hold that against you, lol (j/k) this past summer, i flew down there in a herc belonging to one of our usmc squadrons to greet returning oif/oef marines as part of the group co's entourage. spent most of it in the burn unit and stepdown. very impressive operation y'all have down there.

1. at the time of my desire to enter to military as a nurse i was an adn. i accepted direct commission as 1lt an, usar in 2003, and in aug 2004 i achieved my bsn. :balloons:

ooorah~:cheers: and congrats! why did you go in as an o2 instead of an o1? was it because of your prior service time? how long does the army give an adn to complete their bsn?

1. i have applied for the [usagpan] us army graduate program in anesthesia nursing, jun 06. however, even though i have phi theta kappa honors, 3.4 gpa, and 3.766 gpa in aas in surgical technology, aas in nursing, and bsn respectively i've been told my acceptance to the usagpan is unlikely d/t less than competitve gre scores.

you can retake the gre....??? what a shame for the army to prevent the progression of a highly motivated and experienced individual into a program of study who's graduates are a critical need, especially in a time of war... reminds me of people who treat lab results instead of patients...can't see the forest for the trees...

my aoc [mos speak for officers] is 66e (or rn), and secondary aoc is 66h (medsurg). however, i've been working as an 66h8a [ccrn] on drill saturdays at bamc. if i'm not accepted into the usagpan, then i have an offer to leave the [rc] reserves and come over to [ac] active duty as an 66h at bamc for the ccrn course, then gain the additional 8a skill identifier. i'd prefer to be in the ac, rather than get mobilized on active duty for 6-18mos.

do you have your ccrn yet? that would support your ability to be successful in the crna program.

btw, your username is outstanding ... fleet marine force nurse ... oorah!

:thankya: thanks...took you long enough to figure it out tho ...lol...i keep asking for the pqs for the "civil service fmf nurse warfare device" lol

they just don't seem to be able to locate it, hehehe

what unit do you work on during your drill saturdays? are you employed as a nurse in the civilian world as well? or? what, do they have a "buda regional medical center"?? lol sorry 'bout that, hehehe. tell me your thoughts on working at bamc. how quickly are they consolidating services with wilford hall based on the recent brac? i understand wilford hall will be an ambulatory surgery center, and inpatient care will all be transferred to bamc, is that correct? any progress in that direction?

what do you know about behavioral health care at bamc? any contacts in that area? despite my clinical background, i confess to a profound interest in combat stress disorders. who'da thunk it? an er nurse turning psych???

i went to the triservice combat stress conference at camp pendleton about 6/7 months ago, and found my niche. am on our base's cism team, and provided cisd for the folks on our base who went to nola for the hurricane(s). we are working to partner with the va outpatient mental health services here to support our ad and selres folks returning from the desert. they recently received notice of funding for specific oif/oef ptsd/combat stress program, and are in the process of acquiring staff, etc. looking forward to collaborating with them to provide the specialized care our folks need.

fmfnurse

[Corvette Guy]

:thankya: thanks...took you long enough to figure it out tho ...lol...i keep asking for the pqs for the "civil service fmf nurse warfare device" lol

they just don't seem to be able to locate it, hehehe

what unit do you work on during your drill saturdays? are you employed as a nurse in the civilian world as well? or? what, do they have a "buda regional medical center"?? lol sorry 'bout that, hehehe. tell me your thoughts on working at bamc. how quickly are they consolidating services with wilford hall based on the recent brac? i understand wilford hall will be an ambulatory surgery center, and inpatient care will all be transferred to bamc, is that correct? any progress in that direction?

what do you know about behavioral health care at bamc? any contacts in that area? despite my clinical background, i confess to a profound interest in combat stress disorders. who'da thunk it? an er nurse turning psych???

i went to the triservice combat stress conference at camp pendleton about 6/7 months ago, and found my niche. am on our base's cism team, and provided cisd for the folks on our base who went to nola for the hurricane(s). we are working to partner with the va outpatient mental health services here to support our ad and selres folks returning from the desert. they recently received notice of funding for specific oif/oef ptsd/combat stress program, and are in the process of acquiring staff, etc. looking forward to collaborating with them to provide the specialized care our folks need.

fmfnurse

1. the usmc is not, i repeat not the infantry of the navy. ask one of your devil dog patients for a more elaborate explanation. the usmc & army have many similar job specialties, etc.
   
2. my son's college major is biology, with a minor in military science. his goal is medical school to become a plastic surgeon.
   
3. i came into the usar nurse corps as an o2e [1lt] based on years as an rn, the "e" is a prior service designation that adds about $50, or so to my military paycheck. the usar has the only nurse corps branch that will accept adns. however, to be promotable to maj you must have a bsn.
   
4. i took the gre twice with a $1000.00 kaplan gre prep course in between. my scores did improve on the second attempt. i was not going to apply for the usagpan until a friend of mine [retired soldier nurse anesthetist] encouraged me to do so. he witnessed others being accepted to the same program with less competitve gre scores. i did earn an "a" in a college statistics course, and as you well know dosage calculation exams are emphasized heavily in most nursing programs plus, i've taken two pharmacology courses [lower & upper division level] with dosage cal in the curriculum. i can guarantee, without a doubt, i have what it takes to be successful in the usagpan. i was a single-parent with 2 preteen sons during my aas in surg tech program, and single-parent w/2 teenage sons during my adn program, and worked 64 hrs biweekly as a surg tech [a.k.a. scrub tech]. btw, finished w/phi theta kappa honors & 3.4 gpa respectively in the forementioned programs. my two sons left the proverbial nest during my 2 yrs in the rn-bsn online program, yet i did work +80 hrs/biweekly as an adn. i do have to thank my present wife [married 4/28/04], an er rn, for her help & support while in the rn-bsn online program, which i completed w/3.766 gpa. nonetheless, i cannot change the rules and if i'm not accepted to the usagpan d/t less than competitve gre scores, then so be it.
   
5. no, i don't have ccrn certification. yet, that is not a requirement for the usagpan. yet, i'm sure is a plus for those applicants with such credentials. i do have over 12 months critical care nursing experience in the past 5 years [around 18 mths w/most as wknd nites charge rn], which per the usagpan phase i program director meets the critical care nursing requirement.

huh? i knew the fmf acronym [fleet marine force] since i learned same back in 1980 at mcrd san diego. i just wanted to recognize your cleverness in using fmfnurse for your allnurses.com username.

i have been working in the or at seton medical center the past 3 years. before that, about 18 months in the or at south austin medical center, 18 months in a 10 bed icu at central texas medical center, and 18 months on the telemetry floor at seton medical center. i began my health care career as scrub tech from 1995-1998.

on drill saturdays with my usar unit i work on 2n/sicu, which is a 10 bed intensive care unit. on one of my 2 week usar annual training duties i worked 3n/stepdown unit at bamc. these are the only two areas at bamc i've had direct contact. bamc seems to be a great place to work with it being a trauma level, as well as a teaching facility. the computer charting is very user friendly, too.

it is my understanding, in the near future [under brac] wilford hall will no longer belong to the air force. the ob/gyn related areas will be transferred to bamc. btw, [under brac] fsh will actually be expanding, yet the details i do not know.

i was pcs at mcas el toro, ca [1985-1988] and did some security training at camp pendleton. love that part of the country. one of the soldier nurses in my usar unit organized a day long behavioral health promotion workshop [worth 5.5 ces] with emphasis on combat stress. your interest in combat stress disorders is very admirable [god bless you!].

:uhoh21: my fingers now need a rest! :rotfl: