rules for military nursing -- disappointing :(

Published

Specializes in Medical Surgical, Telemetry.

i am a practicing nurse for 7 years with a BSN and is determined to join the navy. i spoke to a recruiter and was disappointed that they're NOT accepting a foreign graduate, YET, an NCLEX and a CGFNS-passer (CGFNS - Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing School) AND has been serving Uncle Sam for years! they said if im sooo determined to join the Navy as an officer, i need to re-take my Bachelors at a school accredited by NLNAC and CCNE -- REALLY?! i AM gna have to REPEAT a degree that i have been practicing in the United States ALREADY?!!

total BS.

OMG, enlighten my soul and make me feel better. THANK YOU.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.

The drawdown has given the military the ability to be very selective at this time. I understand your frustrastion but there has to be some kind of baseline for training.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER, ICU.

Sorry you can't serve as you'd like. The military is just like any employer, they get to set the requirements for employment. You might try a school like Excelsior that might give you credit for classes already taken.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I would certainly get another opinion.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Your civilian employment and potential military employment are not equivalent. If I moved to Canada and had a license to practice there, I would not immediately expect my foreign (even US) education to guarantee me a position in their military. Even if you went to an American school that was not CCNE accredited, the Navy would not accept your degree - case in point: I was required to attend a school chosen from a list via my recruiter, and one of my alternative choices was not CCNE accredited and was thus invalid.

Sorry to hear you're upset about this - on the bright side, you've been employed here for 7 years as you said, which is all many foreign educated nurses could hope for.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

All branches of service have the same requirement for accreditation. Have you explored the possibility of continuing on for an MSN at a school with the required accreditation? Might be something to explore with a recruiter.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in mental health, military nursing.

Hmm. I personally know at least one new AF nurse who went to school overseas (Russia), not sure if it was accredited by those agencies... A second opinion never hurts.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion