Reserve Nursing Officer- Combat Arms??

[dstevens]

Hey Everyone, thanks for taking a look at the topic.

So currently, I'm a RN in the ER. I'm considering DEO into the reserves as a Nursing Officer (NO) or DEO into some other Military Occupation.

I've talked to the recruiter, attended and Open House for Nurses and Nursing Students at the local armoury and I grilled the Major with questions pertinent to nursing as the recruiter knew nothing. I got a buddy as a med-tech, he just passed his QL3 as well.

From my understanding, in terms of nursing, Primary Reserves is the go to option because if you are in Reg Forces as a nurse  you are losing your nursing skill base ( IVs, Assessments and whatnot) due to lack of exposure to the quality of clinical cases I could see as an ER nurse in a Civy Hospital, unless you are deployed.

Point is I would rather be in the combat arms. Has anyone heard of, or is it possible to jump ship to combat arms once I've reached the OFP as a nursing officer. I understand that some individual's viewpoint may argue that nurse's are not qualified battlefield leaders especially after spending 2-3 years training just to become a nurse ( forget training to lead soldiers) and lack combat experience or the stresses of leading men under battlefield conditions.

I've researched the site rather extensively and have not found an answer.

Furthermore my 2nd cousin was in CSOR, he went through some PTSD, but I've talked with him about the adrenaline filled lifestyle, the hours and the negative consequences it has quite extensively. That said,  it strongly appeals to me, I'm only 23- I can afford to put off a nursing job for 5-10 years. I would at least like a chance to apply and see if I've got the chops. And no i'm not a superninja wannabe etc. 

Thank you for your time,

dstevens,
Conflicted applicant.

 

[Trick]

I might have misunderstood, but you're asking if it's possible for you to switch to the Combat Arms after entering as a Nursing Officer? It should be, but it's not easy or at all guaranteed. You will often have to spend a few years doing your initial trade as well.

Again, maybe I misread, but why apply as a Nursing Officer at all if you don't want to do it? If you have a degree you qualify to apply as DEO to the Combat Arms (I believe Infantry, Armour, and Artillery are all open atm). If you want to be in the Reserves, that all depends on the job availability in the Reserve Units close to you.

 

[Staff Weenie]

Why join as a General Duty Nursing Officer (GDNO) when you do not want to be one? There is nothing in the policies governing the CF that demands that you join in an occupation that mirrors your civilian education or skill set. If you want to be Infantry, do it.

Over the years, there have been a number of civilian Nurses and Doctors in the Reserves in all sorts of non-medical occupations. One Doc was happy to drive trucks - it was a childhood dream come true.

On the other side, understand and accept this - if you are an Infantry Officer, you cannot be deployed as a GDNO, and you cannot, outside of an emergency, touch any patients, you're not recognized as a clinician by the CF. 

People's opinions on whether somebody who is a civilian RN or BScN can lead troops as a combat arms Officer are not relevant. It is the will, the effort, and the personality combinations that you as a human bring to the table that will determine how successful you can be. Employing a trained GDNO in a combat arms leadership role in a conflict is a gross waste of a limited resource, and a violation of the Geneva Conventions. You could defend yourself, your patients, and your facility, but you cannot go out and lead an attack.

 

[Pusser]

If you want to be an infantry officer, then go ahead and be an infantry officer.  There is nothing stopping you.  If your degree meets the DEO requirements for Infantry (and a BScN likely does - as far as I know "any" degree is acceptable for Infantry - there are plenty of Engineering graduates in the Infantry). 

However, be aware that when you walk into a recruiting centre with Nursing degree, they will do everything they can to recruit you as a nurse (we are desperately short of nurses), so you will have difficulty convincing them to take your desire to be an infantry officer seriously.  Having said that, they cannot force you to put "Nursing Officer" as one of your choices on the application form, but if you do, you can pretty much rest assured that Nursing is what you will be assigned, even if it is your last choice and Infantry is open.  In short and in my opinion (note that I am not a recruiter), if you don't want to be a nurse at the moment, do not put it down as a choice.

If you wish to transfer to nursing later in your career, I don't think you will have too much difficulty because (as I mentioned before) we are short of nurses and you would already be qualified (try to keep your licence up to date).  However, doing it the other way will be VERY difficult.  Once you're a Nursing Officer and because we're short of  nurses,  they are unlikely to let you transfer to the Infantry.  You could still try to release and re-enroll, but that is also difficult and rife with risk (not to mention loss of certain benefits).

If you do manage to get in as an infantry officer, you must realize that you will be an infantry officer, regardless of the fact that you might also be a licenced RN.  You will NOT be allowed to do anything medical other than first aid.  In fact, as has already been mentioned there could be some serious Geneva Convention issues, including accusations of perfidy (which is a war crime).  Similar issues crop up if are a Nursing Officer and try to do some infantry stuff.  Be aware.

 

[curious george]

Short of nurses?! ???  There's only 15 spots for the whole country!  I'm fighting tooth and nail to get in.  I really want to be there.  Please give up your spot for someone who worries everyday whether they get in or not.

 

[dstevens]

Thanks for the posts everyone they were most insightful,

I'm going to go Reserve Inf. Officer, try it out see if I like it and  then I may in 3-4 years time see if a spot is open in the Reg force for Inf. Officer.

Though, it does look bleak that a position will open up in the future especially with all these budget cuts!

Also I do always have the back door open for nursing in the military,

Thanks,

dstevens.

 

[ModlrMike]

If you do wind up going RegF InfO, I recommend that you maintain your registration and pick up some casual shifts when you can, or do some other sort of direct nursing work. If you ultimately decide to change to NurO, not being out of the game will improve your chances.