Are there any army nurses out there who can give me advice?

[maureen82]

I just started a BSN program last year. I want to be a member of the army nurse corps in the reserves. I am thinking of enlisting now in the reserves as an army medic and using the GI bill to pay for school. My question is, once I graduate and pass my exams, how difficult is it to get promoted to officer and join the nurse corps? Should I wait until after I graduate? I need the money now, but don't want to be stuck in my medic mos three years from now when I graduate. I want to be able to advance.

[cougarnurse]

Maureen, we do have a member who just got back from Iraq; his name is SoldierNurse. Will send him a messege to reply.

'Cat'

[SoldierNurse]

Originally Posted by maureen82

I just started a BSN program last year. I want to be a member of the army nurse corps in the reserves. I am thinking of enlisting now in the reserves as an army medic and using the GI bill to pay for school. My question is, once I graduate and pass my exams, how difficult is it to get promoted to officer and join the nurse corps? Should I wait until after I graduate? I need the money now, but don't want to be stuck in my medic mos three years from now when I graduate. I want to be able to advance.

Here are my thoughts... finish your BSN program FIRST, then seek out your local Army Health Care Recruiter to submit Army Nurse Corps Reserve application packets. Why?...

You cannot get promoted to officer from enlisted ranks, as you stated. I realize you are not familiar with the military, which is why you inquired. The enlisted Soldiers and officers are seperate. You would run the risk of remaining in the enlisted ranks long after completing your BSN program.

Plus, if you were a combat medic in the Army Reserves [USAR] you run the risk of getting mobilzed to active duty, therefore your BSN program would be interrupted. I will say I was in the USAR Nurse Corps as an ADN and was attending a civilian RN-BSN program while in the reserves. However, IMHO combat medics in the USAR seem to be more frequently mobilized than Army Nurse Corps officers in the reserves.

[SoldierNurse]

maureen82, do you need any further assistance regards to the ANC?

[LivingDeadNurse]

i have been out of the military for awhile now and if i remember there are programs where u can go to school and the military picks up the bill so long as you give them so many years after you graduate so that might be an option too. hope that helps.

[SoldierNurse]

Originally Posted by LivingDeadNurse

i have been out of the military for awhile now and if i remember there are programs where u can go to school and the military picks up the bill so long as you give them so many years after you graduate so that might be an option too. hope that helps.

... thanks for your military service

[LivingDeadNurse]

you don't have to thank me. i never served any war time. thank you..you guys did all the hard work

[SoldierNurse]

Originally Posted by LivingDeadNurse

you don't have to thank me. i never served any war time. thank you..you guys did all the hard work

Hold on! I served USMC 1980-1988 during the Cold War, as well as came back into the military in 2003 & been serving ever since.

Point being, you be proud, you're a veteran, too!

[badphish]

I agree with Soldier Nurse. DONT START as a Medic. I was a Combat Medic for 20yrs. I had many soldiers serve under me that thought this was the correct way to go to get to RN. WRONG!!!!!!! Medics are almost always in short-supply, understrength MOS, Stop-loss etc. Once a medic, forever a medic. I saw a few (1) get the green to gold (enlisted - college , while on active duty- to officer) route. Most that came in as a medic planning on becoming a RN while in were gravely disappointed.

And being that we are in two wars right now, reservist medics are going to spend a lot of time deployed. get your BSN then talk to an Army Nurse Recruiter. RNs are in short supply in and out of the military, so there will be a position waiting for you once you finish. ROTC might be an option. Transitioning from an enlisted medic to an Officer RN is a hard thing to do.

Also being an Army Medic is more of playing mom, preacher, and counselor than anything else.

let me give you an idea of how hard it is to advance your medical career as a combat medic. I joined in 1982. around 84 i became interested in becoming a paramedic. in 2001 i was finally able to go to paramedic school, while on active duty my last full year in the army. this was only possible because my supervisor alowed me the time to do so.

now i'm working towards my RN while serving as a Paramedic in a busy 911 EMS service full time.

Don't become a medic unless that is what you want to do for a very long time. The army recruiters will tell you whatever you want to hear, to get you to sign up. "you'll be working in a hospital, if and when you deploy"
" you wont be on the front lines, you can pursue your RN degree while you are in the reserves/active, they'll tell you its EASY to change to officer corp, etc." just say no.

peace out,

be safe

brett

[SoldierNurse]

Originally Posted by badphish

I agree with Soldier Nurse. DONT START as a Medic. I was a Combat Medic for 20yrs. I had many soldiers serve under me that thought this was the correct way to go to get to RN. WRONG!!!!!!! Medics are almost always in short-supply, understrength MOS, Stop-loss etc. Once a medic, forever a medic. I saw a few (1) get the green to gold (enlisted - college , while on active duty- to officer) route. Most that came in as a medic planning on becoming a RN while in were gravely disappointed.

And being that we are in two wars right now, reservist medics are going to spend a lot of time deployed. get your BSN then talk to an Army Nurse Recruiter. RNs are in short supply in and out of the military, so there will be a position waiting for you once you finish. ROTC might be an option. Transitioning from an enlisted medic to an Officer RN is a hard thing to do.

Also being an Army Medic is more of playing mom, preacher, and counselor than anything else.

let me give you an idea of how hard it is to advance your medical career as a combat medic. I joined in 1982. around 84 i became interested in becoming a paramedic. in 2001 i was finally able to go to paramedic school, while on active duty my last full year in the army. this was only possible because my supervisor alowed me the time to do so.

now i'm working towards my RN while serving as a Paramedic in a busy 911 EMS service full time.

Don't become a medic unless that is what you want to do for a very long time. The army recruiters will tell you whatever you want to hear, to get you to sign up. "you'll be working in a hospital, if and when you deploy"
" you wont be on the front lines, you can pursue your RN degree while you are in the reserves/active, they'll tell you its EASY to change to officer corp, etc." just say no.

peace out,

be safe

brett

I was instructing BLS [aka CPR] to Soldier Medic students [68W] last week. I asked if anyone had prior CPR experience. One spoke that they were already a civilian LPN. Next break we had I asked her if she wanted to be a M6 [68WM6], which is an LPN Soldier. She asked her Army recruiter about same but he told her not to worry about that she would get that MOS automatically eventually.

Well, next break I found an NCO [SFC]. He was one of the enlisted Cadre [I'm officer cadre] that was a 68WM6. He suggested that she go see her Retention NCO to change her contract to reflect her as a 68WM6 upon completion of our 68W program.

It is ashame what some of these recruiters get away with.