After Nursing School, Specific Study

Hey Clarise, it's always awesome to hear when people are interesting in the nursing field and in the Army as well. I'm currently a registered nurse in a civilian facility and also for the Maryland National Guard. I did Army ROTC during my time in college/nursing school, so that's how I ended up where I am today. But there are two ways to do nursing in the Army:

1) If you choose to go for your nursing degree (BSN, 4 years), you can also do Army ROTC during your time in college which basically trains you to become an officer. you can received a scholarship that can help pay for school, but you are required to serve in the Army for a certain amount of years after you graduate. You can either join Active Duty (working full time in the Army) or the Reserves/National Guard (part time for Army).

2) you can join the Army after getting your degree through something called "direct commissioning". Once you get you degree and license, you can apply to join the Army as a nurse. Big difference between 1 & 2 though is time and money: option 1 you can get all/a lot of your school paid for, but you also give a lot of time for ROTC. for 2, you can focus on school during your college years but wont have any scholarships, though the Army does provide some financial resources for paying back school loans and things like that.

I know this is a lot of information and I'm not sure if I explained it clearly (also tried to be relatively short & concise, but there's a lot to the process haha), but if you have more questions feel free to ask!

To answer your question about the specialty you should study in school...

all BSN programs follow the same general course of study and cover the lifespan. Nursing school doesn’t allow for specialty focus. That comes once you’re out of school and in the work force. For instance, I went into pediatric emergency medicine after school. I got the necessary specialty training at my job site through an internship that lasted 4 months and included classes, relevant certifications, and designated preceptors/resources. And most hospitals do something similar with new graduates no matter what your focus. Hope that helps!

Hello Future Military Nurse!

If you desire to be a military nurse officer, you can go with one of two routes. You could try to get straight into the military attending the officer academy and select healthcare/nursing as your area. Another route is to complete a BSN and then applying to become a military nurse officer. I have assisted a few BSN new graduate nurses with references. Either way you will need to focus on your studies and get high marks in your classes. I think you will love a career in nursing no matter if you get into the military or not.

Your choices are excellent!!! Nurse and army. As a nurse I joined the army reserves and learned so much. You might consider meeting with a Army recruiter before you go to school. Sometimes if you join the army they will but you in nursing school and pay for everything. The most important thing is that it’s all written in your contract before you sign up. All the areas of nursing you are interested in are great choices. Once you get into school you will figure out where you want to be. Good Luck!!!

Clarise, I'm unfamiliar with the military nursing program but I really encourage you to go for it, if it is a good fit for you. I wanted to add to Jamie's post about the specialty to go into. During my clinicals, it became obvious which specialties I liked and which ones I didn't. This was common with my classmates as well. So I encourage you to put the specialty decision on the back burner, until you get into nursing school because there will be classes that you will love and hate and there will be rotations you will love and hate. :) But it will help you decide which specialty to start with and you can always expand your expertise. Very excited for you, Good Luck!

Hi, Clarise,

I am a former Army Infantry Officer. Primarily, there are three ways to commission into the Army - going to the United States Military Academy at West Point, the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), and attending Officer Candidate School (OCS). I commissioned through the ROTC Program at my university. Several of my peers were in the nursing program and went on to be Army Nurses. If you are interested, I'd recommend getting in touch with the ROTC Programs at the schools you are interested in/have been accepted to. Check out the links below for information on commissioning sources and steps to become an Army Nurse, specifically.

I hope this helps - good luck!

Great plan towards a career goal. Do look into the best opportunities in how to obtain them. Are you going to rely on scholarships, grants, loans, or possibly utilize enlisting in the Army as a way to pay for nursing school? In regards to the specialty, you will rotate through all and will get a flavor of what excites you and pulls your curiosity....that may be where you may want to start your career. Or if not sure, go med-surg and get to learn and practice your skills on the entire adult body. You can specialize later. There’s no rush and general nursing gives you a solid foundation. Good Luck!!