Student thinking about joining Army reserve / ROTC

[aclays]

Hi folks, I'm a first semester BSN student thinking about joining the Army Reserve and ROTC program. The picture painted by my recruiter is enticing, but I'd like some outside input.

According to a pamphlet titled "US Army Reserve and ROTC Benefits and Financial" I'll get about 1400 a month from the combination of drill pay, gi bill, rotc kicker, and rotc stipend. Tuition paid, and for an extra year on my contract, 23k of my student loans paid off. This summer I'll need to go to basic training for 10 weeks. According to my recruiter, when I graduate from school I am guaranteed a job as an RN in an army hospital.

Does this sound about right? The guaranteed job in the Army Nurse Corps is a determining factor, I have zero interest in being one of the guys with the guns in Afghanistan, the money they offer isn't good enough for that.

I'm also interested in opinions on being an RN in the Army Reserve. I've got a wife and son, and my wife is also in the first semester of nursing school with 4 semesters left. We're aware that I may have to do 1-2 unaccompanied tours over the course of 20 years, and that we'll have to move every 3-4 years.

Thanks!

[Cursed Irishman]

You're being directed to what's known as the SMP program; not a bad program overall, but you're initially enlisted and have to join w/ your unit knowing you'll be SMP, which limits slots.

If you have no interest in being deployed to a war zone or are not willing to mobilize the more realistic 4-5 times over twenty years, look elsewhere.

[aclays]

I don't mind being deployed to Afghanistan a couple times, but I want to know if I can guarantee it will be as a nurse and not as a soldier. If the government pays for me to get a BSN they'll want me to use it, right?

According to the recruiter I wouldn't have any problem getting into a unit in our region if that's what you're referring to with the limited slots, apparently he was told to find a nursing student and so far hadn't had any luck?

According to a friend of mine that's about to retire, mostly we'll be moving around to different bases around the USA, possibly a few out of the country. These should all be accompanied tours unless I end up in a more dangerous area, and my wife and I are just fine with that.