Why Become a Military Nurse?
There are a number of reasons that a person would choose to become a military nurse. Not all of them involve the sumptuous pay scale and the unlimited power that officers have. This list is not intended to be a complete list of all of the perks and benefits.
Military Tuition Assistance: Most military services offer to pay part or all of the cost of going to college. When you look at the fact that the average nursing school can cost over $20,000 per year to attend it makes a lot of sense to look at the military to help you become a nurse.
Get Paid While you Learn to become a military nurse: Most times when you go to college you pay them to teach you. Then you have to find a job to support yourself while you do that. In the military ROTC program or other nursing related programs you get paid a small living allowance to help with non-school expenses. This stipend can range from $500-$2000 per month depending on the courses you are taking and what military branch you are in.
Leadership Experience: It may not appeal to everyone but the truth is that when you become a military nurse the military does provide an excellent opportunity to learn and develop leadership and management skills.
Benefits: It isn't sexy but benefits make up a large unseen part of any paycheck in the military. A list of the benefits include medical insurance, 30 days of paid vacation, unlimited sick leave if you suffer a catastrophic illness, educational benefits, 401k savings account, retirement benefits, tax savings on income and more.
Work Experiences: Military nurses get to work in a variety of work settings and will encounter some of the most challenging work of their professional life. Working with military service members who have been injured while serving their country can be some of the most rewarding work in the nursing field. Some of the work experiences you can enjoy by becoming a military nurse include OB, flight nurse, battlefield nurse, surgical nurse, ICU nurse, and trauma nursing.
Job Satisfaction: Military nurses enjoy some of the highest levels of professional autonomy in the field of nursing. This creates a large amount of personal and professional satisfaction.
Travel: Not many jobs offer the opportunity to travel the world and spend time experiencing other cultures but the military does. From Asia to Europe there are assignments all over the world. You can eat Sushi in Japan one month and be enjoying an original soufflé in a swank French bistro the next. And, if the travel is related to official government orders or part of an assignment, its all paid for by the military.
Diversity: When you become a military nurse you have the opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of work experiences. Do you enjoy diabetes education? The military has that. Want a career in research? The military has that too!
Why become a military nurse? There are a lot of reasons. If you can't find your reason here then I suggest talking to military nurses and find out what motivated them to become a military nurse.