If you are a current or former army officer seeking to put your skills, knowledge, and experience to use in a civilian job, a nursing career is an excellent choice.
Pursuing nursing as a second career after military service is a rewarding option that many veterans always consider. It gives you the chance to make a meaningful impact on the lives of civilians.
A common pathway that most veterans consider is the military to BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing). Although the process is challenging, you will most likely find it easier to transition after reading this article.
Having researched, inquired from our great military veterans and friends, and considered available options, our nursing writing experts came up with this comprehensive blog article to help you take advantage of your military experience and apply it in nursing. We offer a comprehensive resource that you can use in planning and decision-making so that you can be of service to humanity once again.
Our comprehensive guide will outline the necessary steps, highlight the benefits, and provide practical advice for veterans making this transition.
Before you enroll in a nursing program, spend quality time thinking, researching, and assessing the type of career you would like to have. It is appropriate to establish your career goals to guide your decision. Nursing is a noble career that comes with personal rewards; consider your passion for getting into nursing.
Having a nursing career plan can also come in handy at the early juncture so that you work with SMART's short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals. If you are interested in working with a specific population or a particular setting, consider researching the available pathways.
Also, if your interest is in a certain nursing specialization, consider looking for the educational pathways and career progress required. The same applies to if you want to work in healthcare settings, hospitals, pediatric care facilities, mental health, nursing care facilities, health homes, schools, etc.; nursing offers abundant opportunities that you can pick up as a veteran transitioning to civilian practice. Maybe you want to become a Nurse Anesthetist, Nurse Practitioner, Registered Nurse, or Travel Nurse; find your best fit and set your career goals.
Given the goals you have set, the next step is to check out the educational requirements. With your objectives and clarity of the nursing career path that you wish to take, look into the educational requirements needed for you to get a license to practice as a nurse.
Look for programs that accommodate veterans and offer credit military training and experience. The available avenues to enter nursing for a military veteran, in this respect, include Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), or accelerated programs.
You also need to research the grade point average (GPA) you need to maintain to get your nursing degree. You should also be aware of entry-level exams such as the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) and certification exams such as the NCLEX-RN exam, which you will need to become a fully registered nurse (RN).
During this stage, you can approach an academic advisor, peer, or mentor who has been in your position to gain meaningful insights into the requirements you need to succeed in your military-nursing practice journey.
After understanding the requirements from either BSN or ADN programs that accept military veterans, you need to research for and use the available resources at your disposal.
First, you need to reach out to the admissions offices of the universities that offer military-to-BSN or military-to-ADN educational pathways. Being proactive when reaching out allows you to gather useful insights, tailor your applications, and assess the best programs and schools for you.
You should also check news and updates on military-to-nursing education programs. Check with your military organizational resources to get some of the universities and nursing schools that collaborate with veterans to offer nursing education. You can also join alumni networks and current student networks so that you get the hang of the challenges and opportunities.
Many organizations that offer veteran-specific scholarships, especially for nursing pathways, take advantage of them as a resource. Check out scholarship organizations such as the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, Army Nurse Corps Association, veterans of Foreign Wars, Fleet Reserve Association Education Foundation, and Pat Tillman Scholarship Foundation, among others.
If the nursing schools you are applying to offer Veterans Support Services, reach out to get the full information of the requirements and clarifications of your doubts and worries. Ensure that you are also up-to-date with the GI bill to know the conditions for getting full nursing tuition waived at the state universities and community colleges. If you choose to study at a private university, the GI Bill will shoulder a huge amount, which also applies to foreign nursing schools.
The GI Bill has full benefits for veterans who have:
If you are a veteran on active duty for less than 36 months or 1095 days, you are eligible for 50-90% of the full benefit, depending on how long you served. Check schools that collaborate with the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Some nurse-staffing companies, such as IntelyCare, assist veterans in pursuing openings in the nursing profession, including credentialing and training. You can take advantage of such agencies to pivot into a nursing career.
As you settle to decide on which nursing program to select, go for those that offer support for veterans. Most of these programs are in cities with dense military populations. You can also check if the program is affiliated with the Yellow Ribbon Program, which funds the tuition and fee costs exceeding the yearly national cap for Veterans in private schools.
As you decide, it is important to evaluate the various nursing schools and program options to determine which of those best fits you. You can ask yourself:
Answering the questions helps you to make smart educational decisions from military service to RN.
As you consider the programs, remember that getting a BSN is preferred over an ADN. BSN makes you a better-educated nurse, is preferred by most employers and prepares you for greater roles in healthcare settings. With a BSN, you have a better chance for career growth and leadership and can undertake advanced nursing roles.
When looking at the programs, consider:
Once you have decided where you want to attend nursing school, you need to apply. Before applying, review the admission requirements and consult with an admission counselor so that you can identify the gaps in education. If there are pre-nursing prerequisite program courses for ABSN, ensure that you take them. Check whether you meet the GPA requirements and if the programs require a nursing school entry exam. You should tailor your application by completing the admissions form and writing a nursing personal statement, a video essay, letters of recommendation, and transcripts (if applicable).
After securing the admission, it is now time to get into it. Ensure that you plan your studies well. If there are assignments such as essays, research papers, case studies, nursing care plans, shadow health, or simulations, ensure that you complete them on time. The same applies to coursework, capstone, theses, or dissertations. Also, plan well for and excel at clinical rotations. As you are a non-traditional nursing student, expect a few challenges that you can overcome just like others before you.
Immediately after graduating from nursing school, the final benchmark in your journey from the military into nursing is passing the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). NCLEX-RN exam tests you on all the concepts that you have learned throughout nursing school. It tests your ability for clinical decision-making, problem-solving, evidence-based care, and patient-centered care. Ensure to prepare for it a few months in advance so that you pass it well.
After receiving the RN license in your state, you can begin applying for jobs to begin caring for patients in a professional capacity. Finally, the transition from the military to the nursing profession is complete.
You can enter in many nursing specialties such as orthopedics, surgery, in-patient care, pediatrics, ambulatory care, obstetrics and gynecology, etc. You can begin your career by working in operating rooms, neonatal care units (NICU), ICUs, and private hospitals.
Even after earning your license, it is imperative to earn a board certification and maintain it via continuing education. Ensure that you take advantage of continuing education opportunities to advance your skills and scale through the nursing professional ladder.
Related:
Transitioning from military service to nursing is a very rewarding experience, according to the many friends, professional nurses, and peers we have heard from. It is a decision that makes you care for lives while back at home away from the fields and active military duty. It could be challenging, especially given the fact that civilian life has distinctive differences from military life. However, there are several reasons that makes one want to become a civilian public health professional. So you might ask yourself, “Why nursing?” well, there are many reasons, but here are some that stand out:
As the population grows and many people age, there is a significant increase in the demand for nurses. The BLS projects that there are an average of 193100 plus job openings for registered nurses (RNs) annually. This makes it the best choice to get gainful employment after completing your nursing education.
Nurses in the United States earn higher than average annual national salaries and hourly rates, approximately $59428 and $28.34, respectively. For the RNs, the salary shoots to $81,220 yearly and about $39.05 per hour. You would note that some states pay even higher. Apart from good wages, you also get the chance to have health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off.
When you transition into nursing as a veteran, you will transfer many skills to studies and practice. Some of the skills include communication, accuracy, problem-solving, decision-making, adaptability, teamwork, leadership skills, cultural competence, and precision, following standard procedures, time management, organization, and teamwork, among others.
The nursing profession offers many opportunities for continuous learning and professional development. You can pursue advanced degrees, certifications, and specializations to enhance your skills and advance your career. You can scale to leadership positions such as nurse manager, administrator, educator, or advanced practice roles. Overall, nursing offers long-term professional growth and job satisfaction.
You can leverage the GI Bill benefits to cover tuition, housing, and other expenses while in nursing school. Many organizations and funds offer scholarships and grants to veterans pursuing nursing degrees.
Nursing has a variety of work schedules, including part-time, per diem, shift work, or full-time. For a veteran, the flexibility allows you to balance personal commitments, preferences, and work. You get to achieve a better work-life balance, which improves your personal growth and well-being.
A common question for those serving in the army is “What next?”
Well, you can always consider nursing as a career after military service. Most veterans have taken advantage of this opportunity and gone on to become some of the most skilled nurses in the United States. Being in the service equips you with transferrable skills that can come in handy as you study nursing (whether through the ADN-to-RN or the most preferred BSN-to-RN pathway). The transition process into nursing school can be intimidating as a second-career nurse, challenging, and highly shocking. Having the right attitude, researching for resources, planning your time, studying well, and passing exams make the entire process seamless. The rewards of becoming a nurse after serving in the military outweigh all these challenges, which is why you should grab the opportunity.
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