Life as a Navy Nurse
Dec 11, 2014 | 12:00 pm
No, being a Navy nurse does not mean sailing the bounding main with sails billowed out. Often as not, it means 12-hour shifts in various ports of call that are not always romantic. A Navy nurse may work 36 hours at a given time should the need arise, but it seldom should. The “See the World” ad does have some credence. As a nurse, you may be stationed in somewhere Asia, say Okinawa, and get military courtesy flights to all of the major sights in Asia on your off time. It may be on your dime, but the romance of travel can be yours, along with occasional bouts of natural disaster, and those create new challenges that are hard to imagine. Let’s prepare you.
“What is it like to be a Navy nurse?”
A Navy Nurse career seems to be different than that of other nurses. The job can have you working on the land and sky, as well as on the sea. You may be helping sailors or their families at any given time, but there are other duties. You may be called on as a corpsman on a military mission or to work with traumatized victims of a natural disaster that only the U.S. Navy can get to fast enough to make a difference. The plate is full for a Navy nurse, and so is the time clock. Normal shifts are often 12 hours with two to three days off between shifts, but when the game is on, you may be called on to work 36 hours straight. If you do not have an inner pool of endurance or adrenaline, this may not be the job for you.
“What does a Navy Nurse do?”
For most of your career, you may not notice the difference between your work as a Navy and civilian nurse. You go to work, you do your daily duties and you go home. The difference may be that you live on base in the ultimate gated community, or you can get assistance and live in the surrounding environs. Or, you may find yourself deployed, on board a ship ranging from a tin can destroyer to a flag aircraft carrier. Each ship has its own set of normal maladies to injuries that can only be found on board the ship that you are on. This diversity lets you hone your triage and treatment skills beyond almost any civilian situation.
“What is Navy life like?”
To get an idea of what people have experienced as a Navy nurse, you may read this article at AllNurses.com. All Nurses provides first hand reports that are compelling and very real. They give you a sense of what the world is like in this profession.
A military nursing position gives you unique experiences that will make you stronger and more adaptable in any civilian position you take later on. The camaraderie and the team work under pressure can make you a far better nurse and give you a world view that most other people could only dream of in their stationary careers.