What do Army Reserve nurses do?

Malenurse13 · Dec 18, 2014

First you need to realize you are not in the "real Army", when you are in the medical side of the Army. I have been in both. I was an Engineer before I went medical.

I have also been in both Active and Reserve medical units.

My Reserve unit often had the RN and LPN at a civilian hospital on drill weekend. About once every 2 months they would come to the field hospital for the weekend and do MOCK train (pretend training)

On annual training it was a field hospital the time I went, supporting other units. In Addition when I was Active as an engineer A group of us were attached to reserves doing annual training (we were their for 4 months as they did their 2 weeker) Again Reservist medical did a field hospital in camp. And a field hospital is a real hospital, think ER and Trauma in tents and connexes.

FYI be friendly with X-ray department their equipment must stay cool so they have AC.

Of course you still have all the Army stuff you do also. 1 weekend you will do the range. 1 to 2 PT test And 1 your NBC and stuff. A lot of units do that on their 2 weeker.

Since you are a RN (2LT) The Enlisted (LPN, medic, rad-tech, ect) will be putting up and taking down hospital. You stand around an watch and tell them ideals that work in your head but not in real world. (sorry couldn't resist. lol) No usual at that time you will be in some meeting.

Now on Active Duty it a lot like Civilian just add pt test, range, NBC and stuff. Once in a great while there will be a run you are required to run in. But most the time you wont even do company pt. Unless you are in a unit that is pure field. My wife was in one of these In those ones you will do PT in the morning disappear most the day and be back for last formation.

nrryan · Dec 18, 2014

First you need to realize you are not in the "real Army", when you are in the medical side of the Army. I have been in both. I was an Engineer before I went medical.
I have also been in both Active and Reserve medical units.
My Reserve unit often had the RN and LPN at a civilian hospital on drill weekend. About once every 2 months they would come to the field hospital for the weekend and do MOCK train (pretend training)
On annual training it was a field hospital the time I went, supporting other units. In Addition when I was Active as an engineer A group of us were attached to reserves doing annual training (we were their for 4 months as they did their 2 weeker) Again Reservist medical did a field hospital in camp. And a field hospital is a real hospital, think ER and Trauma in tents and connexes.
FYI be friendly with X-ray department their equipment must stay cool so they have AC.
Of course you still have all the Army stuff you do also. 1 weekend you will do the range. 1 to 2 PT test And 1 your NBC and stuff. A lot of units do that on their 2 weeker.
Since you are a RN (2LT) The Enlisted (LPN, medic, rad-tech, ect) will be putting up and taking down hospital. You stand around an watch and tell them ideals that work in your head but not in real world. (sorry couldn't resist. lol) No usual at that time you will be in some meeting.
Now on Active Duty it a lot like Civilian just add pt test, range, NBC and stuff. Once in a great while there will be a run you are required to run in. But most the time you wont even do company pt. Unless you are in a unit that is pure field. My wife was in one of these In those ones you will do PT in the morning disappear most the day and be back for last formation.

Thanks for the response. I've been told about the difference between the "real Army" and the medical side, and I'm okay with that. You pretty much answered my questions. One thing, for those drill weekends where the nurses went to a hospital, are they just functioning as a nurse normally would (having a normal patient assignment), or will we just be receiving training at the hospital?

Also, for getting into a particular unit, how do I find out information about each specific unit? I've been told that if I go reserve/NG, I will have to find a unit that has a spot open for a nurse, but I have no idea what this process is like.

Malenurse13 · Dec 19, 2014

Yes they did patient care. The unit had a deal with the hospital. Someone in the unit worked at the hospital, unsure of the details on postion in unit or hospital of the person. But benefit to hospital was they needed less paid staff on weekend and unit received "floor time"

About the unit. Either go to the unit and talk to the Commander or Sargent Major or call them to find info on it. Also you should be able to go to a weekend drill and watch them. We had people do that, of course they were thinking of enlisting, but I see no reason you couldn't do it.

A good point of the Army Medical officer/enlisted the line is very blurry Officer make more money but they didn't have a stick up their bottom.

Something else to consider You can be in a reserve unit not in your state. And if you find another unit you can change to it

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Dec 20, 2014

It all depends on your unit and local hospital. We had a local VA by us but because they were so small there was no real training available. Most of the time in both of the Combat Support Hospitals (CSH) I was in in the reserves was a lot of warm body time with little training other then the mandatory stuff.

Dranger · Dec 22, 2014

Depends if you are in a CSH or USAH.

I do 0 clinicals (by choice) and have functioned in the S-1, S-3, PL and XO role. You get a lot more freedom to do Army stuff as a nurse in the reserves than you do on AD which all focused on clinicals. I have run ranges, made commander briefs, done OPORDS all the while being a nurse.

There are a lot of reserve nurses who do nothing and just fly under the radar but if you are eager and competent you can snatch up roles usually taken by those in the MSC or other non-medical branches.

nrryan · Dec 22, 2014

So if I want more of the clinical experience in the reserves, would I be better off in a USAH then? I am not too familiar with the difference between the two yet!

Depends if you are in a CSH or USAH.
I do 0 clinicals (by choice) and have functioned in the S-1, S-3, PL and XO role. You get a lot more freedom to do Army stuff as a nurse in the reserves than you do on AD which all focused on clinicals. I have run ranges, made commander briefs, done OPORDS all the while being a nurse.
There are a lot of reserve nurses who do nothing and just fly under the radar but if you are eager and competent you can snatch up roles usually taken by those in the MSC or other non-medical branches.

Malenurse13 · Dec 23, 2014

Ok here is a secret most people above E-5 and 2LT know in both active and reserves. If you want to do your job you can find a unit that you can do it. If you want to do office work you can find a unit and do it. And if you want to be lazy (Sham) you can find a unit you can do that at.

In addition you can also volunteer to do active tours in reserves.

All of these may require leg work on your own, or you may get luck and get what you want. And changing units in reserves is pretty easy. If you do go AD before you sign in find the unit on post you want and they will help you get in it when you sign-in post.

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Dec 23, 2014

Ok here is a secret most people above E-5 and 2LT know in both active and reserves. If you want to do your job you can find a unit that you can do it. If you want to do office work you can find a unit and do it. And if you want to be lazy (Sham) you can find a unit you can do that at.
In addition you can also volunteer to do active tours in reserves.
All of these may require leg work on your own, or you may get luck and get what you want. And changing units in reserves is pretty easy. If you do go AD before you sign in find the unit on post you want and they will help you get in it when you sign-in post.

As a officer who served 7 years in the Army Reserve this is not always true. For one thing you might live hundreds of miles away from another unit that you could drill with. At one time I had a 200 mile one way drive for drill and once I started drilling with them there was no open positions for a while. I needed up,being the S4. If there is no leadership position in the unit you are stuck with them for at least a year. Some are unable to travel the distance because of work and family commitments. Depending on your work shift you can not always travel the night before. Yes, your employer has to give you the time off to travel but they do not have to pay you. For some this defeats the purpose of being in the reserves, extra income. So to say that you are a scammer because there is no position for you in a large unit is a disservice to those are unable to fill a leadership position because of numbers in the unit, unable to travel etc.

Yes there are scammers out there but to paint a broad brush that anyone who does not end up with a leadership position is scamming is wrong. Remember at most drill centers there is not enough computers, training aids etc.

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Dec 23, 2014

Also, I have served with many nurse both active and reserve who have volunteered to deployed and never been picked up. You can do all the leg work in the world but a lot of times it just depends on the luck of the draw what happens when it comes to deployments etc.

Malenurse13 · Dec 24, 2014

As a officer who served 7 years in the Army Reserve this is not always true. For one thing you might live hundreds of miles away from another unit that you could drill with. At one time I had a 200 mile one way drive for drill and once I started drilling with them there was no open positions for a while. I needed up,being the S4. If there is no leadership position in the unit you are stuck with them for at least a year. Some are unable to travel the distance because of work and family commitments. Depending on your work shift you can not always travel the night before. Yes, your employer has to give you the time off to travel but they do not have to pay you. For some this defeats the purpose of being in the reserves, extra income. So to say that you are a scammer because there is no position for you in a large unit is a disservice to those are unable to fill a leadership position because of numbers in the unit, unable to travel etc.
Yes there are scammers out there but to paint a broad brush that anyone who does not end up with a leadership position is scamming is wrong. Remember at most drill centers there is not enough computers, training aids etc.

If you are doing it for the pay you are better off working another job. If for experience Reserve is not the best place. Active would be. In regards to the reserves; volunteer deployment requires leg work. Summiting paperwork will get you nowhere 99% of the time. You must follow through and Yes you may have to go a few states away. In regards to AD your time in a unit, and what you do all goes back to checking out the units before you sign in. If you don't you get stuck with whatever is given to you.

It all about what is your highest priority.

I am not understanding how you got the bit about scamming. If you were just saying in general; just because you are not in a leadership position Does not mean you are scamming. I 100% agree with you. If you were referring to "Sham" or "Shamming", Shamming is a Army term meaning: To do nothing, to be lazy. To duck out of any responsibility. An example would be to show up for first formation. then go home and watch TV, or go to the mall, or sitting around BSing with everyone and doing nothing productive. Then Show up for last formation.

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Dec 24, 2014

Not everyone can afford to travel either because of work or family time. Yes, you are right being in the reserves is just not about the money but it is one of the main reasons people are in the reserves along with serving your country, enjoying the life style. How many reservist do you see drill for free, not many and most have been to get their 20 good years for retirement. Yes, this does happen time to time mainly because someone has reached MRD and only needs a couple of months to get their 20 year letter. You can check out a unit before you check in but that does not mean you will get the whole picture until you start drilling with them. Shamming and scamming can be interchangeable since they both mean basically the same thing. Trying to get paid without doing anything. As far as experience most nurses will better off working in the civilian world then either AD or reserves. Most military hospitals would not be open in the civilian side because of their low inpatient census. When it comes to deployment you can check all the blocks, jump thru all the hoops and still not get released from your unit or picked up by another. I know from personal experience on this. What my original post was stating is that there is a wide range of activity or non activity that happens based on your unit, size of your unit, funding for your unit, etc. and you and not shamming or scamming the system. If there is only enough work for 1 person but 5 soldiers want to do it, 3 or 4 will not be able too just because there is not enough work. There are some leaders who hold on to the work they have for the same reason, there is just not enough to go around and they are looking out for their career. Is this a good reason, no but we all know it happens specially now with the drawdown. A goo example of how things can change from year to year. Once I was sent to be an instructor on Sim-man when it first came out. The unit was to get some the following FY, guess what happened? The funding was cut.