Split between branches

Renee4christ · Mar 17, 2010

You are so right about this being the best military nursing forum out there! I simply love it! I joined the army in September of 2009 and I will graduate nursing school in May of this year and I feel like it was the best decision I ever made. I applaud you because you are ahead of the game and gathering your info so you can be sure of your choice, which is exactly what I did. I thought about my decision for a good 2 years before I was 100% sure that I wanted to join.

What I did initially was call up all 3 branches (Army, Navy, and Airforce) and set up appointments. I came prepared with all my questions that I wrote down at home and asked each of them to the recruiter. I would suggest that you write down whatever information you would like to know.. my recruiter was very patient in answering all my questions and in no way did I feel pressured. Just make sure you go to a healthcare recruiter.

All 3 branches have positives and negatives, you just have to go with the branch that suits you best. I went with the army because they are the largest out of the 3, offered the most money in loan repay, and offers the Public health speciality course that I want. So, it really depends on what you are looking to get out of your experience :)

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Mar 18, 2010

Renee's right. If you're thinking about critical care or emergency medicine, then I'd totally agree that the Army is the way to go. Second choice for that would be the Navy since they deploy heavily with the Marines (and are the only medical corps for the Marines).

If you're interested in general medicine and family medicine, I'd suggest the Air Force. That's why I came back into the Air Force (I'm prior enlisted) - I want to be an NP in a family practice setting and I think the AF does that better than anyone. I'm an oncology RN at Wilford Hall at Lackland Air Force Base; this is the only place in the DoD for cancer care and for bone marrow transplants (that's the unit I work on) so our medical team and chief docs have been here for years.

Renee4christ · Mar 18, 2010

Also remember that all branches of nursing are deployable :) You may not hear about it as much with the AF and Navy, but they are used as well. Deployments are 6 months right now for army nurses.

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Mar 19, 2010

Also remember that all branches of nursing are deployable :) You may not hear about it as much with the AF and Navy, but they are used as well. Deployments are 6 months right now for army nurses.

Completely true.

We've got one RN that just came back, one getting ready to go, and I'm right behind her - and we only have nine military RNs on my unit. Of my COT classmates, one's leaving in June, the next one's going in December, one of the RNs from my unit went to COT with me and she's going in December. Two others at another base are leaving in December. Keep in mind we just graduated in November!

We deploy as much, and for just as long (six months), just not as often, if you know what I mean by that.

LiveWithIntention · Mar 20, 2010

Renee4christ and carolinapooh,

Thank you so much for the replies. You have been very helpful!

I prefer working in an intensive or critical care type setting. However, as long as I am working with soldiers, I am pretty much willing to work anywhere.

So when I am not deployed and working at a base hospital somewhere, which branch would I work with the most soldiers? Or does this just depend on the hospital itself?

Carolinapooh, is the Air Force currently deploying for 6 months?

I have been trying to make this decision for over a year now, and I still can't make up my mind! I don't know why I'm so torn between the branches. I feel like there is so much information that I don't know.

Like I said, I've always had a huge facination with the Air Force. I also like the option of being a flight nurse. (I don't know if that is something I would do, but I like having the option) I also have a good friend that is currently a student at the USAFA. I don't talk to him much anymore, but awhile ago he told me to definitely go Air Force. However, I understand that he is biased.

Any more information that you guys would happen to have reguarding each branch, I would love to hear about it :)

Thank you again for your help! I really appreciate it.

Oh, and I have one last question (sorry if I'm bombarding you!) I have never talked to a recruiter before. I am very skeptical of them. How does talking with a recruiter even work? Do I have to drive to their office, or do I just speak with them over the phone? I much prefer talking in person, but I understand if that is asking for too much!

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2010

YOu have to talk to a HEALTH PROFESSIONS RECRUITER, not the guys and girls in the shopping center - they're enlisted recruiters and have a totally different agenda.

Go to the AF website (or Army or Navy) and you'll find a link to their health professions information. That's where you start.

Yes, the USAF is currently deploying for six months.

If you want flight medicine, then the AF is the only way to go.

How many active duty personnel you work with depends on where you're sent. My guess is that here in San Antonio there are more active duty folks currently hospitalized at BAMC over at Fort Sam (there's a big rehab center there for the military, the Center for the Intrepid) than here at Wilford Hall - but of course as the two hospitals merge and WHMC is torn down to become a massive clinic complex, that will become more and more the case.

I'll miss Big Willie...

I work on the Bone Marrow Transplant unit at Wilford Hall, the only place in the DoD for such care, and so I see everyone - active, retired, and dependents. All of them have their own story to tell, and I love taking care of all of them. The active folks are often heartbreakingly young, the retirees are treasures, and the dependents followed and stood by their spouses during their careers, sometimes decades long.

The only people treated at military medical centers are military, past and present - the exception being trauma cases. On our surgical and medical ICUs, there are several civilian traumas currently in-house. This creates problems and losses of revenue: the law says we have to treat, we can't dump, and we can't move them until they're stable, but much of San Antonio requires Medicaid and WHMC loses thousands of dollars a year on the civilian Medicaid cases. We're also the only Level I trauma center on our side of town, so I wonder what will happen when Big Willie is no more....

LiveWithIntention · Mar 20, 2010

I'm sorry to hear about all of the changes at Willford Hall...

I hope everything works out for you when that happens.

Whenever you said, "I see everyone - active, retired, and dependents. All of them have their own story to tell, and I love taking care of all of them. The active folks are often heartbreakingly young, the retirees are treasures, and the dependents followed and stood by their spouses during their careers, sometimes decades long."

--you are so right, and I love how you worded that.

I think I would love taking care of all of them. It would be an honor.

I have such a passion for nursing, and a whole lot of care to give. This is exactly where I want to be using it.

I'll be sure to talk to a health professions recruiter. When is the best time to contact them? I'm only 20 years old right now, and I still have 2 more years until I earn my BSN. (can't wait!) Do you think it's best to gain experience (like 6 months or a year) beforehand? I feel like I'm kinda in an awkward place right now.

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2010

Talk to them NOW, regardless of what branch you choose, because the package takes a while to put together.

Experience doesn't matter. The main difference would be having to go through a separate preparatory nursing course with that service (you'll see people post about NTP - the Nurse Transition Program - with the Air Force) or not having to go. A year's experience won't advance your pay or your rank, other than give you a little time in grade. I'd come straight in if I were you and were able to do it that way.

The kick is that you might not be able to come straight in because of recruiting numbers or whatever - so you'd get a job on the outside anyway until you were selected.

LiveWithIntention · Mar 20, 2010

Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate it. You have been so helpful.

This is something I have always wanted to do and I'm very passionate about it. However, right now I'm still trying to figure out if it's a logical decision. I have a boyfriend of 4 years, and we plan on getting married right after we graduate college in about 2 years. He's an engineering major, and we're not really sure how that's going to work out with all of this. I am also extremely close to my family, and they're not very supportive of this decision. There are also some family health concerns right now, and I'm not sure if I should leave them.

I don't want to regret not pursuing my dreams. Regret is the worst feeling.

But I also don't want to regret leaving my family and putting strain on relationships.

This can either turn out to be the best decision I've ever made, or the worst.

I'm just trying to gather as much information as I can so I can make the right decision.

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2010

Then you're going about it completely the right way.

caliotter3 · Mar 21, 2010

I was always glad I stayed away from the Navy simply because I could have never stood wearing white uniforms, ever, under any circumstances!