As Walter Reed Army Medical Center celebrate its 100 year anniversary this month, recent reports coming from America's military hospital are a reminder that the nursing shortage is not limited to civilian health care settings. The medical center, which opened on May 1, 1909, has 247 beds, 60 outpatient clinics, 16 operating rooms and, based on published reports, not enough nurses to go around.
Being a military nurse is a demanding but highly fulfilling branch of nursing. Active duty nurses take care of everything from minor injuries to near-death traumas that test every aspect of military and nursing school training. The military also offers flight nurse opportunities for flights transporting soldiers to hospitals, often over long distances.
In order to become a military nurse, current college nursing students and those already accepted into a nursing program, should get in touch with their campus ROTC program. Even if you're currently enrolled in another major program and want to switch to nursing, check in with your college ROTC program to see if it's too late. By joining ROTC, nursing students receive the military training and military nurse training they need while also eligible for a variety of ROTC scholarships to help pay their way. Some ROTC scholarships pay for 100 percent of a military nursing student's tuition (aka cadet).
A career as a military nurse is a great way to serve those who serve all of us. Don't forget, especially as we celebrate National Nurse's Week during this May that the original matron of nursing, Florence Nightingale made a name for herself mainly while working as a military nurse, caring for ill and injured soldiers from the Crimean War. With the job market in a temporary slowdown right now, planning a path into a military nursing career is something at least worth looking into.
Military Nursing Shortage
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