This November, I thought I might write a small note of encouragement for the military spouse who is looking to go to nursing school.
Nursing school can be very daunting and a huge time commitment. The military is not exactly flexible in terms of our own personal ambitions. For some, the military can mean moving in months notice, your spouse being gone for months to a year or more at a time, or it can mean your spouse being called to duty and either planning or not planning for them to be gone at a moments notice.
All of these things and more are what the military spouse considers when thinking about her or his next personal goals and if they can be achieved in this lifestyle.
One of the biggest considerations, I think, is time. If you are a military spouse with a dream of becoming a nurse, you may think that there is not enough time; that there are too many risks associated with starting a nursing program because you are only stable in a duty station for a few years or less. I want to encourage you that there is a way. I will share my journey with you and lay out a few other ways to achieve the same goal.
My journey:
Accelerated Bachelors of Nursing (ABSN) program.
I went into nursing school applications as I was finishing my first bachelors degree. Most of my cohort did the same thing where they went into an ABSN program straight from undergrad. There were also many people who were pursuing nursing as a second career with anywhere from 3-20 years in their field before deciding to make a switch. There are many ABSN programs around the country and they vary from 12 month to 18 months. Mine was 16 months. It is accelerated in this way because you already have a degree and do not need any “fluff” classes. It is solely focused on nursing.
The ABSN program is very fast and a lot of information, tests, and clinical hours are pushed into a shorter period of time but you also get right into the actual nursing care so much faster than longer programs.
The downside is paying for another bachelor’s degree when you have likely already spent a decent amount of money on the first one.
It is also a serious time commitment. I didn’t have children when I was in nursing school but the likelihood of you being stationed near familiar support in order to help with the ever changing schedule of nursing school can be a big factor in making that decision. There were people in my cohort who had children, but, as far as I knew, those people had family nearby.
With that, an accelerated program may be beneficial for you if you’re looking to go to nursing school while you are stationed somewhere for a short time. If your spouse is gone a lot it can give you some purpose. And you get to graduate at an accelerated rate.
Other journeys
Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)
Nursing programs at community colleges are typically 2 years and you get your Associate Degree in Nursing. This may also be preferable in terms of the time you will be at a duty station and is much more accessible in that most cities have community colleges that host ADN programs whereas ABSN programs are not as accessible. The upside to this route is that the cost will be much cheaper than going straight into a BSN program. Additionally, you can then later get your BSN online and that will not be impacted by your next PCS.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
Of course, you can always go to get your bachelor’s degree. This may be dependent on how long you will be at your duty station and if there is a bachelor’s degree program in your area. Keep in mind that BSN programs typically last four years, which is one year longer than the typical duty rotation. Do not be discouraged, this can be an option for you!
Benefits of nursing as a military spouse
There are so many reasons why becoming a nurse is a great complementary profession to your spouse’s duty. There are a wide host of job opportunities from hospitals, clinics, educators, camp nursing, telehealth, and so much more. There will always be a need for nurses so you will never be out of a job, and with that comes a lot of flexibility on your part because the military tends to be the less-flexible one.
Oftentimes we find some of our closest friends and community through our military life; the same can be said for the nursing community and you may often find that they both overlap!
I hope that this blog post brought you some encouragement if you are thinking about starting your nursing journey.