Thinking about joining the military as a nurse

WoundedBird · Apr 27, 2013

Just like you mentioned about your cousin not having a lot of say, here's what happened to my husband while he was in the Air Force: his 'wish list' contained specific bases in Europe for the first 3 or 4 lines and his last line just read Europe. Where did he end up? A small base in Colorado (we had 3 4-way stop signs and it took 2 minutes to drive across base). Orders (both deployment and stations) are based on the needs of the specific location.

Hope this helps explain how the military sends people places.

nurse2033, MSN, RN · Apr 28, 2013

Nurse don't go near the battlefield (with perhaps some crazy exceptions). You don't pick your base, you are assigned based on current needs. If you join, you give up a fair amount of choices. This is one reason everyone who joins deserves respect for putting service first. As for the family piece I joined after divorce and my ex supported me after but not before, go figure...

navyman7 · May 4, 2013

Check out my thread; Military Nursing Questions Answered. Many great questions/answers there.

Also nurses can go into battle while deployed. Check your facts. FST's/FOB's can and often are on the border of the fighting and take incoming fire/mortar fire. Also some AF PJ's are nurses too and they may have to lay down some lead at times. Also ships can be deployed to a combat zone where nurses may be.

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · May 11, 2013

USAF PJs are not nurses. Some PJs are officers, all RNs are officers, but PJs who are officers are not nurses - they are our most highly trained paramedics and combat medics. They are also not LPNs (we don't have them in the Air Force) and they're not nurses. PJs are considered 'personnel recovery specialists' and do in the field whatever is necessary to keep that person or persons alive. It's not nursing, no PJs (enlisted or commissioned) are nurses, and any PJ will tell you the same exact thing.

No nurse will be "laying down lead" because it's banned by the Geneva Convention - we are noncombatants, we can only shoot in defense of our patients or in self-defense. This is true regardless of the branch you serve in. If you're captured, even if you're the highest ranking person in the prison camp, you have absolutely no power because you are a non-combatant and are only there to treat the sick and wounded on either side. We have no command authority whatsoever, which means if it's me (a captain), two Naval third class seamen (E4s) and an Air Force Staff Sergeant (an E5), the E5 has command because I am medical and am classified differently. I could be a full bird colonel (O6) and I have no command power as an RN. Same goes for chaplains and doctors and PAs.

RNs don't 'go into battle' in the way that Joe Citizen considers people 'go into battle'. And mortars don't just hit at forward operating bases - Iraq's hospital was bombed twice (they used to call Fallujiah Mortarsville) and my husband was at the chow hall in the Green Zone when it was mortared back in 2003. The chow hall was in the center of the air base, far from the front lines. Ground war is ground war.

eyesopen_mouthshut, CNA · May 13, 2013

USAF PJs are not nurses. Some PJs are officers, all RNs are officers, but PJs who are officers are not nurses - they are our most highly trained paramedics and combat medics. They are also not LPNs (we don't have them in the Air Force) and they're not nurses. PJs are considered 'personnel recovery specialists' and do in the field whatever is necessary to keep that person or persons alive. It's not nursing, no PJs (enlisted or commissioned) are nurses, and any PJ will tell you the same exact thing.
No nurse will be "laying down lead" because it's banned by the Geneva Convention - we are noncombatants, we can only shoot in defense of our patients or in self-defense. This is true regardless of the branch you serve in. If you're captured, even if you're the highest ranking person in the prison camp, you have absolutely no power because you are a non-combatant and are only there to treat the sick and wounded on either side. We have no command authority whatsoever, which means if it's me (a captain), two Naval third class seamen (E4s) and an Air Force Staff Sergeant (an E5), the E5 has command because I am medical and am classified differently. I could be a full bird colonel (O6) and I have no command power as an RN. Same goes for chaplains and doctors and PAs.
RNs don't 'go into battle' in the way that Joe Citizen considers people 'go into battle'. And mortars don't just hit at forward operating bases - Iraq's hospital was bombed twice (they used to call Fallujiah Mortarsville) and my husband was at the chow hall in the Green Zone when it was mortared back in 2003. The chow hall was in the center of the air base, far from the front lines. Ground war is ground war.

Sorry to butt in.. Are you saying that once I finish my ADN and join the service, I could apply to become an officer? I wouldn't need my BSN? That's really cool, if that's how I'm understanding it. Thank you in advance for the reply.

Editorial Team / Moderator · May 13, 2013

Sorry to butt in.. Are you saying that once I finish my ADN and join the service, I could apply to become an officer? I wouldn't need my BSN? That's really cool, if that's how I'm understanding it. Thank you in advance for the reply.

No, you would need a BSN.

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · May 13, 2013

No - Lunah is correct. My answer was more to correct misinformation regarding the role of pararescuemen - PJs - in the USAF.

navyman7 · May 17, 2013

Thanks for the clarification. I met a retired PJ who told me he was a RN. He didn't specify wether or not he was still AD and in the PJ's when he had his RN. My bad.

Despite the above clarification I have met a few navy RN's who have deployed with seals and others, who had to lay down some lead. Spoke to one just last week.

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · May 21, 2013

"Lay down lead" for an RN means defend your patients, as I said. We are BANNED from combat by the Geneva Convention - we can only pull a firearm to defend, not instigate - the rules are not the same for us, and I've served on both sides of the GC, as a combatant (USAF Security Forces, six years) and now as a noncombatant. I can honestly say I've never been told of such an incident (and as an RN, if you're in that situation, something's probably terribly, terribly wrong) - and I work closely with the Army. Nurses - regardless of service - don't go on SEAL or special forces-type missions - we're certainly not qualified for that. I think you're being a wee bit dramatic with your word selection and people who don't know will definitely get the wrong idea.

navyman7 · May 24, 2013

Carolina;

As I have said before, I HAVE met a few nurses and physicians who have deployed with the seals and other special ops groups and some of them have had to shoot back. I have seen some of the pictures myself. Please don't tell me what I know and don't. I can't speak on things related to the AF, so don't speak on Navy things as if you are an expert.

I am not being dramatic, just presenting as much info as possible for all those who are reading. Lets move on from this topic now.

DSchulte99 · May 24, 2013

I have met people with the frss units that have had to use their weapons. In addition a nurse at my current command was with spec ops and did jumps with them. He doesn't have a jump pin but I have heard of nurses earning their jump pin while serving as a nurse. Also remember the enemy doesn't see a convoy of docs and nurses and say hey let's leave them alone.