So, my dream is to become a US Navy nurse and work on one of those ships, but I know that it's very competitive. And since I barely have anything on my resume, I was thinking I could beef it up by getting a military job while I'm getting my BSN.
I have a lot of free time right now and the latest I will be starting my BSN program is spring 2015. So, my question is, would it be possible to go through school and work in either the reserves or NG at the same time? One of the programs I'm considering will give summers off, and Ideally, I would like to work during those summers with a job in the medical field, which I might be able to get through NG or reserves.
Any direction/insight is helpful to me. I appreciate everyone's comments. Thank you.
@Enthused RN, what is the difference for times when you are supposed to serve between NG and Reserves? How long are the training parts of the job? And another thing, would I have to relocate?? I'm actually considering Army now since I live right next to an Army base and I cannot swim well so I'm reconsidering Navy. Also, if I were to enlist, how much time would be obligated to serve?
I don't think I will get into the BSN programs I applied to for fall but pretty sure I will get in for a backup school I'm applying to for the spring. This gives me 9 months from today to do something with my life.
*edit*
Just found info on length of training for Army reserves medic.."Job training for a health care specialist requires 10 weeks of Basic Combat Training and 16 weeks of Advanced Individual Training, including practice in-patient care."
Just found info on length of training for Army reserves medic.."Job training for a health care specialist requires 10 weeks of Basic Combat Training and 16 weeks of Advanced Individual Training, including practice in-patient care."
Is it the same for NG?
The Guard and Reserves are both Army. The training is one and the same as active-duty soldiers. You wear the same uniform and you follow the sames rules and customs. You are considered an American soldier once you complete training regardless of the component you belong to (active/Guard/reserve). In your post, you are correct - you go through around 10 weeks of basic training then around 16 weeks of medic training at Fort Sam (be warned: sustaining an injury during training can prolong your time there. Take care of yourself if you do go to training.) The main difference between active-duty and Guard/Reserves is that you return home after completing your training and then drill one weekend per month, 2 weeks a year after that. You can serve pretty much anywhere. I live hundreds of miles away from any Army post but I drill with a unit that is about 15 minutes away from my house. For the Guard, you drill at armories. With the reserve, you drill at a "reserve center" (reservists - correct me if I'm wrong on the name). These armories and reserve centers are all over the place. If you live far away from where your unit drills, you will get billeting (aka lodging). I'm not sure on the specifics of how billeting works - probably something to ask a recruiter.
As for enlisting and service obligations, everyone accrues an 8 year service obligation. If and when you commission, your enlistment contract becomes null and void. Ask a recruiter on specifics of the service obligation. That goes a little bit beyond what I can eloquently describe here.
You sound pretty interested. I say take it to the next level and meet with a recruiter and see what you think.
Yes, I'm a bit worried about meeting with a recruiter because of past experience. When I was in high school there was a marine recruiter that would hawk me down and every time he saw me would try to persuade me to join. I even got persuaded to take a practice asvab and do pull-ups at his office.
Anyway, I am trying to get as much information from non-recruiters first.
What are some things I should look more into when comparing each branch for the route I am trying to go? Also, I want to go to anesthesia school in the long run. I don't know if there would be one branch that is better than the other for this because I know all of them offer loan repayments and tuition assistance.
LOL, in high school recruiters were a bit aggressive with me too but that's because it was only a couple years into both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and they needed as many warm bodies at they could get. These days it's hard to get their attention because of the drawdown. You have to be a very serious candidate to get their attention even just to enlist. I'm not sure what to look for when comparing each branch because the pay and benefits are exactly the same. I guess maybe the culture of each branch is something to consider? As for anesthesia school and the long run, you can actually switch branches later down the road if you really wanted to. It requires a lot of paperwork but from what I've read, it is doable.
So based on the jobs that I'd want for each branch, army 68w vs navy corpman vs af medic, what kind of things should I consider related to my end goal of becoming a nurse? Which has greater chances of deployment? Because if I'm doing this I want to be able to go to school at the same time. another thing I've been wondering was what time of the year are you required to do the two week duty? Could be in the summer? Cus that's when I would get vacation from school.
No one can really answer if you will be deployed or not. I was deployed twice in the reserves, once in the Navy and once in the Army. Your 2 weeks will depend on your unit and what their training schedule is. Again I have done my 2 weeks in the winter and in the spring with both services. As far as becoming a nurse it will not matter which service you choose, you just have to choose the best one for you. Each service has different rules on tuition assistance and waiving your annual training because of school. Just because a service has a rule about students does not mean that your unit will allow you to use it since the needs of the unit come first.
If you're worried about deploying don't join. Nothing is a guarantee. Also it's an honor and privilege to deploy. If you don't see it like that then maybe the service isn't for you.
Yes, these are things I am considering for my final decision which is why I'm asking. Obviously I know that deploying is apart of the job and I would be happy to help the soldiers wherever they are around world. Otherwise I wouldn't consider joining. But this is not about my reasons for joining the service. If it is very likely to be deployed as a reservist or NG then I will have to hold off on this thought because I want to finish school in a timely manner. I just thought that being in the reserve since it is part time would allow me to do that.
Hi all! I am interested in Joining Reserves:) I have an appointment with a recruiter tomorrow. I am in PT nursing school and no job, will there be enough time? Thanks
inspiredbynavy
221 Posts
@Enthused RN, what is the difference for times when you are supposed to serve between NG and Reserves? How long are the training parts of the job? And another thing, would I have to relocate?? I'm actually considering Army now since I live right next to an Army base and I cannot swim well so I'm reconsidering Navy. Also, if I were to enlist, how much time would be obligated to serve?
I don't think I will get into the BSN programs I applied to for fall but pretty sure I will get in for a backup school I'm applying to for the spring. This gives me 9 months from today to do something with my life.
*edit*
Just found info on length of training for Army reserves medic.."Job training for a health care specialist requires 10 weeks of Basic Combat Training and 16 weeks of Advanced Individual Training, including practice in-patient care."
Is it the same for NG?