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Would you be interested in a career where you could expect to receive a sign-on bonus of $20-30 thousand, a competitive salary, school loan repayments of up to $120,000, 30 days paid leave a year, life insurance, dental insurance, and health insurance — plus good retirement benefits? If this sounds good, then look into military nursing.
Every branch of the US military needs medical staff, which means that in addition to all of the above, you could do some traveling and see some areas of the world you might never see otherwise. As long as you are a US citizen, have a registered nursing license and are over 21, you can become a military nurse — male or female. Here’s a quick run- down of the main military nursing careers.
Army Nursing
Become one of the almost 3500 active duty Army Nurse Corps nurses if you like the idea of working in the field, going overseas or working on a military base in the US. If you choose to go through the army ROTC program, you can start your nursing career as an officer. After a year of on the job training, you can choose from one of four specialized areas: OB-GYN, Preoperative, ICU, and Psychiatric.
Air Force Nursing
As a member of the US Air Force Medical Service, you can choose from one of 6 nursing fields: Women’s Medical Specialist Corps, Medical Corps, Dental Corps, Veterinary Corps, Medical Service Corps and Air Force Nurse Corps. You’ll need a BA in nursing to join the Air Force nurse corps because all nurses in the corps are commissioned officers.
Navy Nurse Corps
To become a Navy nurse, you have to be enrolled in an accredited BA nursing program when you sign up because all nurses in the navy nursing division hold the rank of ensign or higher. Once you sign on to become a Navy nurse, you can receive a monthly stipend after your sophomore year of $1000. After college, you can start your career by working on a Navy ship or at a naval hospital.
