What area of nursing do I need to specialize in to get accepted as an Active Navy nurse?

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Specializes in Behavioral Health.

Like the title says, I'm interested in going Active Duty (first choice is Navy, however, Army and Air Force aren't completely off the table). I'm waiting on an acceptance letter (or rejection letter) from the ADN nursing program I applied to (yes I know I have to get a BSN to go Active). My goal is to go Active Duty and get stationed in Europe (preferably Germany or England) ASAP. So:

1. What nursing specialty gets me the best chance of going Active? What are they looking for? Med-Serg? ICU? Med-Serg is where I'd like to start off and the ICU interests me also so either one would be great.

2. Also, what specialty gets me the best chance of getting stationed in Europe as soon as I"m done with my initial training (OCS or OTS).

I've been researching old forums and I understand that, at least for the Navy, there are specific duty stations they like new 0-1s to go to but I don't really want to go to California or the East Coast again (been there enough for the National Guard and I've learned that I don't like San Diego, Bethesada, or Portmouth very much (and yes, I have been to all of them. In fact, I go back to Balboa this summer). I do understand that I military can and may send me where ever they want; I'm just trying to tilt to odds in my favor.

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Specializes in Prior military RN/current ICU RN..

Trying to do anything in the military "ASAP" is next to impossible.

First....get your Associates if that is the plan. THEN get your BSN. Don't put the cart in front of the horse. You are talking about Europe and you still have not earned an associates. You need to get the best grades possible. If you do not do that nothing else will matter.

Second picking an MOS only for the reason of going to Europe is very short sighted. You will be working..A LOT and your patients deserve an RN who enjoys their work not just because they got to go to Europe.

If you get the grades, get your BSN, get a commission, do your 2 years of med surg, go to a course to get specific specialty training, then who knows maybe you will get stationed in Europe.

Personally I would be worried less about duty location as an Ensign and more on becoming a fully capable nurse.

Good luck.

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Specializes in Behavioral Health.

This literally answers none of my questions. I obviously know that I need to get my BSN to become an officer (because I said that was the plan). I never ever said I was planning to specialize in an area JUST so I can get to Europe or get a commission. I said I am interested in Med-Surg and ICU. What benefit would it be to me to make it to Europe but be miserable the whole time at work? Also, ASAP stands for As Soon As Possible meaning not necessarily instantly. I've been in the military long enough to know its a hurry up and wait process. Nothing happens instantly. The military is going to get service out of you but that doesn't mean you can't attempt to get what you want out of it. The military needs nurses (though not as much as they did at the height of the war efforts) and I want to go to Europe. There is nothing wrong with giving myself the best chances of getting there. Lastly, there is nothing wrong with planning your future. Who waits until they have graduated to figure out where they want to work? That makes no sense.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

A couple of thoughts, not sure if it will answer your questions or not. First, the Army does not need new nurses, so that would be off the table initially. Critical care seems to have the most traction in any branch, but all are super competitive in this time of drawdown. But Europe has really shrunk in terms of hospitals — there are far more clinic-ish positions, unlike when I was growing up there in the 80s/90s and we had big hospitals in places like Wiesbaden too. Have you thought about staying civilian and going overseas as a GS civilian one you're an RN with some experience? I know a lot of people who have done that, and I actually got tapped for an interview for Landstuhl as a civilian just as I was also selected for active duty commission into the Army Nurse Corps, lol.

Good luck in your nursing program! Keep your GPA as high as possible, the military really cares about that.

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Specializes in Behavioral Health.

I wonder how much experience I need as an RN to be competitive for a GS position in Germany. I have thought about going as a GS. I'd rather be a GS in Germany than working at my local hospital but at the same time,I'd much rather be an officer so that I can be working towards an Active Duty retirement (even though I have 11 years currently in the Guard I only have 1 1/2 active duty time). I hope by the time I finish, they're accepting new nurses (come on Trump lol). Thanks for yours answer and thanks for the well wishes!

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

Most GS staff nurse positions require one year. You can search jobs on USAjobs.gov. There are plenty of GS jobs stateside as well, with possible opportunities in nursing in the Reserves that could count toward your retirement. More food for thought. :)

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Specializes in Behavioral Health.

From what I read, it is not very probable to go from the Reserves to Active. Am I wrong? I don't want to go Reserves and then be stuck as a Reserve officer. If I can't go Active I think I'll stay Enlisted and keep waiting. I'm only 29 so I have a few more years I can wait. I'd just further my education and increase my experience to make myself a stronger applicant in the future!

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Specializes in Behavioral Health.

Do you think if I got a Gs position in Germany and THEN when Active the Navy would leave me there? I know when I first enlisted, if a member wanted to PCS from one overseas base to another overseas base it was likely they would be allowed to because it was cheaper for the military to move someone from say Italy to Spain compared to moving them from Italy to Texas.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

Are there even Navy nurses in Germany at all?

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Are there even Navy nurses in Germany at all?

Unsure on this point, but I did learn one thing over the years: Home is where the Navy sends you!!:up:

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
Unsure on this point, but I did learn one thing over the years: Home is where the Navy sends you!!:up:

Lol. The Army one is more like "if they Army wanted you to have a family, they would have issued you one." :roflmao:

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Ambulatory Care, Military.

If your goal is to be stationed in Europe, especially Germany or England, Navy is not the way to go. The Navy does send a few nurses to the hospital in Germany, but those are few and far between, especially for active duty. European duty stations for the Navy are mostly in the 2 bases in Italy and 1 base in Spain. There are more opportunities to be in the Pacific, Japan/Okinawa/Guam. You'd have an easier time getting stationed in Germany or England if you were in the Air Force or Army.

If you do get commissioned, specialties don't matter as much, they tend to just put you where they want to put you. With that said, Mother/Baby/L&D nurses are always needed in the overseas billets. ER nurses also tend to be needed.

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