68WM6/ US Army

teiladay · Feb 29, 2008

Excellent question! I'm glad you're posting the question here vs. asking an enlisted military recruiter. If you do speak to a recruiter, ask to speak to an OFFICER who is an RN who acts as a liaison with the recruiting office (often this will be an O4 or higher); this is the next best thing to reading the actual DOD Regulations (which I can't encourage you enough to do).

To answer your question: Basically, the enlisted nursing job will only give you an advantage of sorts for an LPN program. It does not just "transfer over" to the civilian sector. I DO NOT advise you to take the 68W job, unless you just have no other options. * Look at the OFFICER programs! Both the Army and the Navy offer a decent bonus (around $10k + $1,000 monthly) for you to work on a BSN.

The bottom line is if you're really wanting to get into nursing on a level beyond LPN, in the military... then RN as an officer is the only way to go (note: unless you're dealing with the Reserves, you must have a BSN (or above) to be commissioned as an RN).

Read this REG: DOD INSTRUCTION NUMBER 6000.13 June 30, 1997

(if you can find a later version, please let me know!) The information in this DoD INSTRUCTION seems up to date as I've corresponded with Naval and Army Medical Recruiting over specifics as recent as the beginning of this year (Jan 2008).

Keep in mind that the military operates in a "bubble". Pilots in the Army (without civilian flight experience) just can't go out and fly civilian aircraft without gaining the appropriate check outs, flight reviews, etc. *In the military you can often do what your civilian counterparts cannot. In the Army, you can take a 40hr Combat Lifesaving Course and be giving yourself, or another soldier an IV by the end of the week. Medics have performed light surgeries, etc.. it's a whole different world in the military as we both know.

I highly encourage you to get out and go to college and come back in as an Officer. Staying enlisted is a huge financial rip off.

Good luck whatever your decision!

teiladay · Mar 3, 2008

If you're talking about this program:

"The mission of the United States Army Practical Nurse Course is to educate and prepare highly trained battlefield medics, Sergeant and below, whose primary MOS is 91W or 91WY2. The 91WM6 (Practical Nurse) coupled with Health Care Specialist (91W) training, possess the skill set to provide first line trauma care far forward on the battlefield, perform as members of Forward Surgical Teams, and function in expanded and support roles in Combat Support Hospitals and fixed medical facilities. The 300-M6 Course is approved by the Board of Nurse Examiners for the State of Texas and upon successful completion, soldiers qualify to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN). The soldier must obtain and maintain licensure as a Vocational Nurse/Practical Nurse for award of the ASI M6."

* The Army has shuffled MOS designations over the last few years so you might have been offered a true LPN track by the Army.. if you take/pass the NCLEX-PN, then you're a PN no matter what, and I suppose you'd have to apply for a license in whatever state you wish to work in once leaving the Army.

Practical Nurse to Registered Nurse would typically (depends on school you attend) require you to take the typical prerequisites: Anat/phys I & II (with labs), microbiology with lab, sociology, chemistry with lab, statistics, etc.. some schools offer advance standing if you're an LPN/LVN.. Check the websites of various schools for their requirements/prerequisites. That's about the meat and potatoes of it :)

Keep safe over there and I hope the Lord keeps you all well.

Kindest

Teila K. Day

(Army Veteran)

psalm, RN · Mar 3, 2008

Sounds like great advice above. If I was 30 years younger I would go for the BSN and be an officer. Whatever you do, THANK YOU for your service!

psalm

U.S. Army WAC veteran, 91B20

hybridboy78 · May 12, 2008

wow! that is all i can say about the officer that was on this page trying to recruit you to the anc (army nurse corps.) that is awesome!

okay, now you asked a question about m6's........it would probably be better to get the "skinny" from a m6 but hey that is just me? i would rather have a duck tell me what it is like to be a duck then a dog tell me if you catch my drift?

the rn that replied to you only told you their version of what possibilities lie open to you with having this career field, m6 (which they didn’t know too much to be honest with you.)

you will have a greater understanding of a lot more things that deal with the body after graduating the m6 course and i suggest you do it to further your education.

the license you obtain if you pass the nclex will be valid in texas (civilian) initially and everywhere in the army (don’t you love how that works?) then, you can use your da 1059 to gain access to any lpn job in any state as you just have to submit your paperwork and pay their fee to have the new license. that paperwork (da 1059) shows that you completed an accredited nursing program because that is what it is. the thing about anc’s is they don’t recognize that we (m6’s) have a license and they treat you like you are still an idiot medic that doesn’t know anything.

trust me brother, i have been where you have been and it was a hard transition to know someone had cellulitis and how to deal with it, not be able to because the doctor didn't put his two cents in and write it down in a chart and officially diagnosed it. it’s funny that when someone isn’t breathing, doesn’t have a pulse and has been that way for over 15 minutes and not submerged in icy water, it takes a doctor to pronounce them dead before they are.

c’mon………you got to love that common sense goes out the window when it comes to a credentialed person and their ego and the how much we as society let them get away with that.

rn’s act that way too as i guess they forget that a nurse is a nurse; it is the level of responsibility and what your scope is that changes. there are no special tomatoes they are just as red or green as the next one. that is the civilian aspect that has rolled into our job (which sucks) because of having the licensure the army will provide you with.

if you decide to re-enlist or extend your contract to obtain this asi you will be in ait again for 52 weeks. this course is not too difficult especially if you have some medical background and you are doing your job as “doc” over there.

you just have to dump the mental aspect of deciding things on your own. this is what that means, "nurse's can think and they are very smart but you cannot do anything, regardless if you are an rn or lpn (lvn) or not, without a doctor telling you to do it besides nurse generated orders and care plans. this will be a severe step back if you are currently a "line doc" out there in the dirt at first but then you will find that you are expanding your knowledge base and you will understand things much quicker than a noob to the field.

remember that you can transfer your license wherever you want granted you have your paperwork still (1059). my wife is in the reserves and this is how i know because she is a m6 too and has licensure in michigan and texas, all on the army's dime.

also, if you take the training you receive at m6 school and transfer it over a lot of colleges (assuming you can get in as the rn courses are booked all over for a while) you will be able to receive an adn which is a two year degree but who cares?

it is still an rn and you still get paid for it regardless. when you get to a medcen; go talk to these civilians that work in the hospital as gs-10’s (or whatever they call them now with the new nsps system), just for having their adn. you will be surprised i will tell you that and they are government employees.

doing your education on your time on active duty while on the army’s dime is just being smart. do it!

this is what my wife and i are currently doing and when we are done the army doesn't need to know we are rn's because quite frankly, they just don't.

if you want to be an officer and you want the army to pay for your bsn there are many routes available but to be frank with you why not just do m6, finish that up, serve as a nurse for a while so you see if you even like it or not and then apply for the amedd commissioning program and let them pay for your college too so you get the bsn and the commission and the headache of being a private again. basically when you are a lieutenant that is what you are and they treat you that way. the choice is yours.

do something though, because 68w is not going to get you paid when you get out and i know you know that. if you have any specific questions about the course email me. i will tell you everything to expect and all that. as for the prerequisites, don't worry about that.

just apply because you don't need those just be prepared to get the army cram session teaching. there are many things the army will pay for you just need to talk to the right people that will give you an unbiased perspective on it.

i am all for you to become an officer as you would make more money and it would be better for you (life wise and retirement wise if you were thinking that way) but to be honest politics suck and that is what you become as a senior non com too, so if you like that, do it. i prefer being with my joes but that is me.

take it easy,

-an active duty nco m6

babyjokes · Aug 3, 2009

Hello, I'm SPC Rodriguez,Marializ. Stationed right now in Eygpt and I want to join the 68WM6 team. I'm about to finish my associate's degree only 3 months away, after i get back home in Jan. I wanted to know what do before I reenlist. If you can please help me i would apperciated very much.

V/R

SPC Rodriguez, Marializ

mebamy · Sep 8, 2009

hybridboy78....If you could PM me I would really appreciate it. I am looking to enlist to get my nursing license and it's looking like the Army M6 option may be my best bet and I would like to speak to someone who's been there. What you posted assures me that the recruiter I talked to today wasn't full of it, but I'm still not totally clear on everything and want to be before I make such a commitment. I haven't posted enough to earn my PM privileges. Thanks!

lilgem · Jan 10, 2010

I am currently a reservist as a 42AF5...yet my goal is to be an RN....with ultimately reaching my PA or NP. I am about 4 courses away from receiving my Assoc. in Science degree. Would it be a waste of time if I complete these courses at my college becuase it will be incorporated in the 68WM6 program or should I complete the courses (I need Ana & Phy 1 & 2 + lab, Chem 1 & 2 + lab & statistics)? Do I have to have an Assoc. in order to even re-enlist as a 68WM6?

I was told that I can re-class a 68WM6...do a year AIT and once I am completed I will be an LPN and I can go for officer. Is that true? If I complete the 68WM6 can I work as an LPN in the civilian world? Once I am a 68WM6 (LPN), what will be the next step to get my RN or better yet Nurse Practioners or Physician Assist. degree so that I may work doing so in the civilian world? Is the ROTC program for PA or NP he best bet? Also, is it required to have the 68W mos before M6 or can I do it all in one shot? Or is the 68WM6 not even an option for what I am trying to achieve? I have lots of questions and very little sources of accurate information. I am 32 yrs old and have very little time to waste w/ my life. I want to get ahead in my career asap. Working while going to school has been very difficult for me, so what ever I can do in the quickest amount of time without having to physically work (which I assume will be through the military schooling) will be a preference. I want to dedicate as much as possible to acheiving my career. Any help will be greatly be appreciated. Thank you.

teiladay · Jan 10, 2010

Generally speaking, Colleges and Universities don't care what classes you've had in the military... they (military courses) DO NOT usually carry over for college credit, and justly so.

Here's a good rule of thumb that you can apply to both the military and civilian schools:

"DEGREES carry over, college or military credit doesn't." -Teila K. Day

Here's a good example; you take anatomy and physiology at some crummy little school and other schools won't accept their credits, even if hell froze over... HOWEVER, because that crummy little school is regionally accredited (by one of the common accrediting bodies), then colleges and universities will honor the DEGREE if you obtained one from that crummy little school. That means you'd be able to start on a Masters program at Harvard (assuming you got in) even though you got your undergrad at some horrible little school that no one accepts credit from. Ok, that's a basic rule of thumb, and the very reason why when you select a less-than-stellar school, you darn sure better graduate from it, or you've wasted your time and money.

You have been told that you can "Go for Officer" a year after you complete the 68WM6 course. Forget what they are telling you, and conduct your own research because you'll usually fair FAR better! Did the army tell you that there is a Enlisted to Officer program where they PAY for your tuition and you retain your pay while you attend a civilian college, and you're commission at graduation (passing the NCLEX)? Check into that program! You might have to be active duty- but those are the programs you want to check into. DO NOT waste your time doing 68WM6 if you want to be an Officer.

Complete the prerequisite courses at your college and pass the NCLEX. THEN finish your BSN (as applicable; required for active duty, not for the reserves and or National Guard) and then work as an officer.

Always finish civilian schooling FIRST, unless circumstances dictate you do otherwise.

Aren't you too old for ROTC?

Physician Assistant: Complete the required prerequisites, apply for the course at Ft. Sam Houston, get paid while going to school, then work as an officer.

NP: After completing your RN, complete an online or in-house NP curriculum and work in the military as an NP, bypassing the often requirement to work several years as a med surg RN. You'll also get constructive credit (refer to the appropriate DOD Instruction; do not go by what a recruiter, etc., tells you. Constructive credit is outlined in black and white.. there is no guessing as what rank you'll be if you have prior experience as an RN or a degree past the required undergrad.)

OR.. Generally do your time working med surg, then when it comes time for your advanced training as an officer, then you'll be sent to school for NP, CRNA, Critical Care, etc.. No promises on what you'll get. It all comes down to the military's need and space. You know the deal if you're already prior service.

You do not even remotely have to be an enlisted nurse before being an officer. Go for the RN/Officer, and skip everything in between if you can as it just wastes time.

* Check on the Enlisted to Officer Nursing Program. You'll get paid your current rate while going to school. It use to be that you're commissioned after passing the NCLEX-RN, and you'd have to finish your BSN while on active duty with a set time.

a) always read the requirements for any program yourself.

b) always read the regulation, Da-Pam, DoD Instruction, etc.. that governs any program, training or college credit that your completing or interested in completing.

I've had to correct folks at the Military Ed. Center on more than one occasion. Always know what you can and can't do by law or regulation... do not merely rely on what the 1SG, Commander, etc., tell you!

Hope that helps.

Teila

lilgem · Jan 11, 2010

Teila,

Thank you for your response...but I am still confused. There is just so much, I don't know where to start. I finish my classes for my AS then what? I am not too old for ROTC... So what will my next step be? ROTC for 3-4 yrs & finish w/ my PA or do the 68WM6 leaving me as an LPN, then transitions into an RN program in the military? Pls help. I'm sooo confused. Hope you can help. Thanks.

Weskalade · Apr 9, 2010

I am a 68W/ combat medic serving out my 15 months in Iraq, I was offered to reenlist for the 68WM6 program in FT Sam Houston, TX. Does N E 1 know if the program transfers to civilian side, and if it does, how do I get my RN from there?

I was in the m6 program and its not worth it the cadre told us at normal colleges will give you 33 credit hours of life skills and you really only need like 3 to 5 its alot of hassle for what its worth you will get to take the inclex test and if you pass you get an lpn certificate thats good for the nursing compact states, but you can take the state test of your choice but like i said its alot of work and very draining. if you have anyother question hit me up on facebook look my name up as weskalade

lmestas · Apr 9, 2010

I was a 68WM6 when it was 91C then 91WM6 in 2002. I cannot imagine much has changed since then. I went to the Practical Nurse Course in Fort Sam Houston, Texas for my 1st phase which is 6 weeks then Fort Gordon, Georgia for my second phase which is about a year. When you graduate you are able to sit for the NCLEX-PN and you get licensed as a Licensed Practical Nurse for the state of Texas if you are regular Army or your home state if you are in the reserves. At that time you are able to work as an LPN in whatever state you are licensed in and are also able to get licensed and work in any state you want as long as you fill out the paperwork with the State Board of Nursing and pay the fee. After LPN school I found an LPN-RN/ASN program in my area which are usually at Community Colleges or Technical Institutes (there are a lot of online programs as well). It takes about a year or more to get the prerequisite classes to get into the program, but when you get in you have to take a transition class and then you join the second or last year of the program. I had a wonderful experience and thought the Army Practical Nurse Course trained me better than the civilian sector. This is one of the few MOS's that actually translate in civilian life and very easily as well. As long as you graduate and are licensed, your education will be accepted by any civilian educational institution. :nurse: