The Army Nurse Corps is a branch of the United States Army, and it’s one of the most rewarding military careers you could possibly have. Nurses are in charge of all medical care for soldiers, and they work to ensure that those soldiers are ready for battle by providing them with the best possible care.
There are a few steps you need to take before becoming an army nurse. First, you’ll need to get certified as a nurse. Then, you’ll want to make sure that your nursing certification is recognized by the Army Nurse Corps. After that, it’s just a matter of signing up and waiting for your first assignment!
The first step is getting certified as a nurse. The American Nurses Association has created a list of accredited programs across the country that will help prepare you for your career as an army nurse. Once you’ve completed your coursework and passed your exams, you can apply for certification through them—and this will help ensure that your education will be recognized by the Army Nurse Corps.
How To Become An Army Nurse
Military nurses share many similarities to civilian nursing, in which the common goal is to treat patients and promote their well-being. However, military nursing is a career under starkly different circumstances. Military nurses might work either at home or in foreign countries, often at military bases, military hospitals, and military clinics.
Nurses who wish to serve their country can be part of the Nurse Corps of any major military branch – Navy, Air Force, Army, and Coast Guard.
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ACCREDITATION
CCNE
LOCATION
Online
PREREQUISITE
RN Required
Enrollment: Nationwide, excluding IA, IL, WI
Capella’s online RN-to-BSN degree is an accredited program designed for working nurses. Thousands of nurses have completed their BSN program with FlexPath, that allows you to control your pace and set your own deadlines. With FlexPath, you can complete your RN-to-BSN program in 9 months and under $10,000. Cost varies by pace, transfer credits, and other factors. Fees apply.
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ACCREDITATION
CCNE
LOCATION
Online
PREREQUISITE
RN Required
Enrollment: Nationwide
Walden’s online programs for nursing meet rigorous standards for academic quality and integrity, and the School of Nursing teaching faculty all hold doctorates. With three degree completion options, you can choose a bachelor’s in nursing path that makes sense for your busy, unpredictable schedule.
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ACCREDITATION
CCNE
LOCATION
Online
PREREQUISITE
RN Required
Enrollment: Nationwide, excluding AK, ID, MA, NH, NY, OK, OR, RI, SD
GCU’s RN-BSN program is tailored to meet the needs of the RN adult learner and to maximize the strengths that the working RN already possesses. Transfer up to 90 credits and earn a BSN in as little as 12 months. GCU’s online classes allow you to study at the times that work for your schedule while still enjoying a close connection with your classmates and instructor via online discussions.
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ACCREDITATION
CCNE
LOCATION
Online
PREREQUISITE
RN Required
Enrollment: Nationwide
These nurses may also work in hospitals or global response centers alongside deployed military personnel during natural disasters or times of war. Military nurses can work in potentially dangerous environments, like foreign war zones, and work under extremely stressful conditions.
Military nurses have to be prepared to deal with the emotional demands of working in war conditions. As a reward for the extreme sacrifice and dedication of military nurses, the career also comes with amazing access to healthcare benefits, education, and the opportunity to rise in rank.
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PART TWOHow To Become a Military Nurse
Serving your country in the capacity of a military nurse is a great honor and privilege. It will also set you up for lifelong success beyond your time in service.
6 Steps to Becoming a Military Nurse
- Earn Your Nursing Degree. In order to become a military nurse, you must earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or an advanced nursing degree from an accredited school. (Because military nurses are commissioned officers, an associate degree will not be accepted). Find BSN programs here.
- Take and pass the NCLEX. After you earn your BSN or advanced degree, you must pass the National Licensure Examination (NCLEX) to earn your certification as a Registered Nurse.
- Gain civilian experience or decide to enlist. At this time, you can begin working as a Registered Nurse (RN) in the United States. You can choose to work and gain experience in the civilian nursing field first, or you can decide to join the military as a new graduate nurse.
- Talk to a recruiter. When you are ready to enlist, you should speak to a military recruiter of whichever branch you have interest in. Once you decide on a branch, make sure you meet all eligibility requirements determined by your recruiting branch.
- Complete the application packet. Once you’ve met all of the eligibility requirements, you can begin to work with your recruiter on your application packet. This process will take about a year from initial onset to final approval from the commissioning board.
- Complete an Officer Basic Leadership Course (BOLC). if you are selected, you are required to complete a 5-10 week commissioned officer course. Training includes education on leadership skills and an introduction to military life. You will also perform some amount of physical training during this time. Upon completion of this required military training, you will be a military nurse.
The other option is to apply to one of the military academies including West Point or the Naval Academy prior to becoming a nurse. Then, you can have the military pay for your nursing school tuition and put you on a path to becoming an officer.
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PART THREECertifications for Military Nurses
The main certifications you will need are a Bachelor’s degree and an active RN license from a non-compact state. You will also need to be certified in Basic Life Support (BLS).
If Acute Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certifications are required for a particular nursing specialty, you should also have these completed as well. Any other specific certifications relative to your nursing specialty are helpful but not required (i.e. CCRN).
Currently, there is no specific certification for military nurses. However, it is important to remember that the military has their own set of requirements for the military aspect of the job.
PART FOURWhat is the Military Ranking System?
The military as a whole operates under a ranking system, and military nursing is no exception.
Rank structure determines pay grade and responsibilities based on your level of experience. Upon becoming a military nurse, you start as an Officer with the lowest pay grade “O-1” (Military Ranks). With further experience, specialty training, or education, your pay grade and rank climb up.
The military ranking is important because it directly equates to pay scale. The pay grade which is part of the pay ranking is composed of two characters; the first one is a letter and the second one is a number. The first character of the pay grade is always the letter O capitalized. It is pronounced “oh”. The O stands for Officer. The second character is always a number and corresponds to the current rank the officer or nurse is currently at. So, an O-1 is the lowest pay grade in the officer corps. The highest pay grade in the military is an O-10 and corresponds to the highest-ranking officer in that respective military service.
For example, as a military nurse in the Army, you would start as Second Lieutenant, then First Lieutenant, Captain, Major, and so on. With each earned rank, different responsibilities and higher pay grades are awarded.
PART FIVEMilitary Nurse Salary & Benefits
The salary range of a military nurse ranges from $58,000 on upward. Your salary as a military nurse is based on your education level upon commissioning, your rank, and any special certifications you may hold.
The median annual salary for registered nurses was $77,600 per year or $37.31 per hour as of May 2021, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS doesn’t specify salaries but according to ZipRecruiter.com, military nurses earn $72,642 per year or $35.00 per hour.
Unfortunately, because military nurses are on a government pay grade scale – the exact pay of military nurses is not entirely known.
Military Sign-on Bonuses
In addition to your salary, you will have the option to accept a sign-on bonus or student loan repayment. A person who is a registered nurse and agrees to accept a commission as an officer may be paid an accession bonus of up to $30,000 for a four-year contract or up to $20,000 for a three-year contract.
Military Student Loan Forgiveness
Nurses who choose to accept the student loan repayment have the option of having their loans repaid up to a maximum of $40,000 per year.
Military Nurse Benefits
The benefits of becoming a Nurse in the military are numerous! You are provided with the tools you need to develop your career and continue training and growing as you become a respected leader in your field.
In addition to opportunities for continuing education and clinical specialization, you will receive low-cost or no-cost medical, dental and life insurance, generous retirement plan options, housing allowances, food stipends, and 30 days of paid vacation earned annually.
You’ll also enjoy a reasonable work-life balance that provides plenty of time for family and recreational pursuits. The amount of your housing allowance and food stipend are dependent upon your rank, but as you get promoted these stipends increase.
PART SIXMilitary Nurse Career Advancement
Pay increases in the military rely on many factors. Moving up in rank is the number one factor. This will increase not only your pay but also the stipends that you are allotted. Deployments will offer you things such as hazardous pay for the time you are deployed.
In the military, nurses have many opportunities to advance their rank and assume more responsibilities. Commissioned Officers in the Army Nurse Corps hold the following ranks:
- Second Lieutenant
- First Lieutenant
- Captain
- Major
- Lieutenant Colonel
- Colonel
- Brigadier General
- Major General
There are three pathways for advancement: Clinical/Operational, Staff, and Executive/Leadership.
Clinical/Operational Track
The clinical track is characterized by a solid clinical foundation with progression as a field grade officer into advanced practice nursing, clinical specialist, element leader, and flight commander roles.
While in the clinical/operational track, you can incrementally acquire the executive skills required for entry into the executive/leadership track.
Staff Track
In the staff track you will branch out to jobs or specialties such as readiness, quality, health promotion, prevention, case management, research, and education/training.
Squadron or group level staff jobs are an integral part of day-to-day business and overlap into the operational track. To advance within this pathway, you should develop your specialty to be competitive in major command or lead agent positions.
Executive/Leadership Track
The executive leadership track springboards from the operational and staff tracks and affords you the opportunity for potential promotion to colonel.
In this track, you must have a solid operational background with an intermingling of staff jobs. Officers in this track possess executive skills, solid command potential, and the appropriate level of Professional Military Education (PME).
These tracks aren’t set in stone, and movement between them is possible during the first half of your career. However, as your seniority increases, flexibility to switch tracks becomes limited.
>> Check out nursing jobs near you on the job board!
Job Outlook
The number of nurses and nursing students who wish to join the military and serve their country while helping their fellow men has greatly increased. There is a positive increase in the job outlook in military nursing occurring over the next decade predicted to be between 19% to 26%.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that nursing employment will grow at a rate of 9 percent through 2030 – faster than the average for all jobs.
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PART SEVENWhat Does a Military Nurse Do?
Military nurses carry out similar responsibilities as traditional nurses in hospital or outpatient facilities. Upon arriving at their assigned area, military nurses may check in with their direct supervisors and perform care in a particular setting. If nurses are delegated to work in a hospital or clinic, common responsibilities include patient assessment, passing medications, and working with other healthcare professionals.
Patients in these settings are commonly military personnel, their families, or any other military employees in local support roles such as diplomats and educators.
In areas of active war, military nurses may serve to triage patients or stabilize and treat patients with life-threatening injuries, like wounds from explosives and gunshots.
PART EIGHT Which Schools Have The Best Military Nurse Programs?
Top 10 Military Nurse Programs
Methodology
This list is based on a number of factors including:
- Reputation
- NCLEX pass rate
- Tuition
- Acceptance rate, when available
- Only ACEN or CCNE accredited schools are eligible
Because military nurses can attend any school, earning a quality education best prepares students for a career as a military nurse.
This list also takes into consideration schools with approval from NROTC, Army ROTC, and similar military scholarships. By accepting these scholarships, nurses commit to a minimum time commitment of working with the respective military branch.
Nurse Panel
Our selection panel is made up of 3 Registered Nurses with years of experience and multiple degree:
- Tracy Everhart, MSN, RN, CNS
- Tyler Faust, MSN, RN
- Kathleen Gaines, MSN, BSN, RN, BA, CBC
There are numerous programs fit for future military nurses and our panel of nurses ranked them based on factors mentioned in the methodology. Because individual nursing pathways and careers take various forms, the top 10 military nurse programs are ranked in no particular order.
1. NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
Annual Tuition: $27,440
Online: No
Program Length: 4 years
Located in New York, New York, NYU accepts high school graduates directly into their BSN program, introducing students to nursing topics early on. Knowing that you’re accepted into the nursing program before enrolling at NYU is a huge bonus. Of course, applicants need to meet the program’s rigorous admission requirements. Regardless, NYU hosts one of the best undergraduate nursing programs in the nation, so graduates can easily transition into a military nursing position.
