Military Nursing Programs

Most military nursing programs are designed with a keen focus towards exposure to hospitals and medical centers, with regards to acute care issues. Many of the courses have been designed with a deep focus on a higher level of individual care. A military nurse could be assigned to a region that is active, so they are trained to be able to provide medical care in these situations.

Courses and Requirements
For the most part, military nurses follow the same education path towards becoming registered nurses (RN) as prospective civilian nurses. The basic requirement to get into a corps service nursing program is earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree and passing the required licensure exams to become a RN. Once a person qualifies to become a RN after completion of an undergraduate degree, they are then put through vigorous survival and protocol training to prepare them for serving on army base camps and such environments. If a nurse wishes to earn a more advanced degree, the nurse may pursue a graduate degree in nursing. When applying for admission into a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree program online or campus based, there are a number of requirements that you must satisfy. The first requirement of MSN programs is that students must have a BSN from an accredited institution.

Applying To A Program
Some MSN programs may require the student's GPA to be greater than the minimum GPA set by the school. Students are also required to have taken the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) within the past five years. If a student has not taken the GRE, then they may want to factor in time for studying and preparing for the exam when deciding when to apply to a MSN program. Many programs also require students to be able to demonstrate a commitment and passion towards nursing. This is usually done through interviews with university faculty members and through recommendation letters that universities may require from students. A personal statement may also be required with the application form, and this could be a good medium for communicating passion and interest, which could help admissions officers when choosing applicants.

Prospective students should be aware of when courses start, so that they know when they should have their application submitted. Applying to start a program in during the Fall semester could start taking place in the Spring, and accepted students usually begin studies and research in September. Applying for the Spring semester could begin in the Fall, and classes may start at the end of January.

Income Potential
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistic, registered nurses earned a median annual salary of $65,470 in 2012. The information provided is for civilian nurses, and each branch of the military may have differing annual income amounts. Generally, nurses enter as a commissioned officer, pay grade O-1. According the BLS, the monthly pay for this pay grade in January 2013 was $2876.40 for less than two years of service.