Thinking about joining the military as a nurse

[mikealty]

Hi,

As of yet i don't have any nursing degree. i know i will be going into nursing (hopefully next fall) and i have a lot of thoughts about going into the military. i have a wife and daughter (18mths) and i just need some information to help me figure out if i want to join or not. i don't know which branch i would join, but probably which ever i would have the least chances of deployment so i can stay with my family.

so for those with experience, which branch would enable me to stay out of battle fields? i know i am (and i think my wife is) ok with out of country stations, so as long as we can all go im ok with it.

also, which branch would i have the easiest time choosing the base i want to be stationed at, instead of them choosing for me? (from my cousins experience, he doesn't have much say in the army)

im not looking for the basic info that i can find online, more about actual experiences.

also, i was not thinking of joining before i got married, so my wife is not fully into the idea, but could be swayed if i really want to join. but any families out there go through a transition like this? civi marriage to military one? how was the transition?

thanks for your time and thoughts!

mike

[nurse2033, MSN, RN]

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.

I stand corrected, I was writing imprecisely. Navyman is correct (about FOBs). What I meant is that nursing is not a combat position. There have been nurses killed by enemy fire.

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

While I well realize the enemy could care less, you're still bound by the GC and the UCMJ to play by the rules, regardless of what the other guy does. We're still not combatants. My point was mainly the use of 'laying down lead' - which we don't do and can't do. You fire in self protection/protection of patients and NOT as a combatant response. If your encampment is hit, you take cover - you don't open fire. THAT'S my point. There's no difference to a non-military person in your terminology - but there is on the inside.

And we don't deploy in the same capacity as SEALs or any other special forces - the mission is different for us. That's my point - a civilian won't know that and will quite likely get the wrong idea.