Are you interested in becoming a nurse or are you already a nurse and don’t know what you should do with your career? Becoming an Army psychiatric/mental health nurse might be the answer for you. A psychiatric/mental health nurse takes care of the emotional and mental well being of soldiers. This article will give you a background on the Army Nurse Corps, life as a psychiatric/mental health nurse, Army benefits, and military life.
About the Army Nurse Corps
The Army Nurse Corps is the corps within the Army that provides nursing care. Other corps within the Army are: the medical corps (doctors), dental corps (dentist), veterinary corps, medical service corps (admin and medical support), and medical specialist corps (nutritionists etc). A corps (pronounced “core” as in “hard core”) means group and, in this case, a group of specialized troops. The unusual spelling with a silent “p” and “s” is due to corps being a french word. The Nurse Corps is currently headed by Major General Jimmie O. Keenan (“Army Nurse Corps”).
About Army Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing
Psychiatric/mental health nurse, military occupational specialty code (MOS) 66C (pronounced “sixtysix charlie”), is a military nurse specializing in psychological health to ensure that soldiers are mentally ready to take on the stress of combat and military life. Some duties include: crisis intervention, such as suicide intervention; patient counseling; group therapy; and mental health education.
The requirements for becoming a 66C depends upon whether one wishes to serve within active duty or within the Reserves. The active duty requirements are: a bachelors of nursing, 21 to 42 years of age, a valid nursing license, and US citizenship. The reserve requirements are similar to the active duty but one can also be a permanent US resident (“Psychiatric/mental health nurse (66C)”).
All Army nurses are officers. In the military, an officer is highly regarded and treated with the utmost respect. This means that enlisted soldiers will salute you as you walk or drive by, stand at attention when you enter a room, and give you special attention when you speak. In addition to the respect you have, the Army offers good benefits for nurses, such as:
- Army Nurse Accession Bonus – $20,000 or $30,000 bonus for signing up to become an Army nurse (“Benefits”).
- Health Professions Loan Repayment Program – up to $120,000 ($40,000/year for 3 years) to repay student loans (“Benefits”).
- Travel Opportunities – in active duty as well as in the reserves (but more so on active duty), one can travel for training and education as well as job duties.
- Retirement – after 20 years of service in active duty, one is qualified for retirement.
- 30 Vacation Days a Year – by regulations, all active duty personnel have 30 vacation days a year.
- Full Medical and Dental – all active duty military personnel receive full medical and dental benefits.
- Second Language Pay – Foreign Language Proficiency Bonus (FLPB) is a monthly pay in addition to one’s regular pay for proficiency in a language the DOD deems important. It ranges from $100/month to $1,000/month depending on proficiency level and need (“Foreign Language Proficiency Bonus FLPB”).
- Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) – the TSP is the government equivalent of a 401(k).
- Post Exchange (PX) Access – the PX is the department store on base that offers tax free shopping. This includes alcohol.
- Commissary Access – the commissary is the on base grocery store and, by law, must operate without a profit. The commissary will also match any other price in town, even sale prices.
- Paid Continuing Education – to advance to some higher positions, one is required to obtain additional education. The additional education, for example a masters degree, will be paid for by the Army.
66C Training
If you decide to become a 66C, once you’ve completed Officer Basic Leadership Course, a 3 week basic training for officers, you’ll report to Walter Reed Army Medical Center for job specific training. The school is held twice a year and is 16 weeks long (640 academic hours). The class will range from 3 students to a maximum of 5 students (“Information For Course 6F-66C”). Other branches, for example the Air Force, have psychiatric/mental health nurses as well but all training is conducted by the Army in a joint effort. This is for financial reasons and the DOD has been coming to this since the 1990’s with the Joint Medical Readiness Training Center (JMRTC) as well as the Defense Medical Readiness Training Institute (DMRTI) that replaced JMRTC. This is similar to how all explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) is conducted by the Navy (Herd).
Military Life
How your military life will be depends upon whether you choose to be in the Reserves or active duty. Active duty is what most people consider military life. The Army Reserves is a special branch of the Army that was enacted to provide the Army with a large pool of trained personnel in the event of war. Reservists are coined “weekend warriors.”
The difference between the Reserves and active duty is huge. In active duty, a 66C will work at a duty station serving soldiers and retired military personnel. Every few years for the duration of one’s service, one’s duty station will change and, therefore, one will be relocated. There are more advancement opportunities within active duty then there is within the Reserves usually.
Active duty members receive full pay as well as Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH). BAH is an additional pay to cover food, rent, and the cost of living. One’s BAH is determined by the cost of living index for the given area.
Another cool feature of active duty military life is that doctor visits and sick days are not counted. For example, lets say that you report to work at 8am and are feeling sick. You can inform your group leader of this and ask to go see a doctor. You would be excused from work and still receive your pay. If the doctor concludes that you need time off of work for your ailments, you would not need to report to work for the duration the doctor prescribed: this does not come out of your vacation days since an Army doctor is an officer and you, therefore, are ordered not to go to work. By following his order of not going to work, you are doing your duty as a soldier.
The main benefits of the Army Reserves over active duty are that you will not have to relocate to a new place, you can keep your old job, and you can still defend the US. In the Army Reserves, one attends drill once a month as well as an annual training (AT). Drill is a minimum of 2 days (Saturday and Sunday) and a maximum of 4 days (Thursday to Sunday) by regulation. Usually the commander will only have drill lasting 2 days because extra funding is required for a 4 day drill. AT ranges from 2 weeks to 29 days and usually takes place during the summer. AT length and location depends upon the mission and varies year to year.
Conclusion
If you are a nurse, becoming an Army nurse can be a great benefit for you. Not only will the Army pay back your loans, the Army will also pay for additional education as well as give you great benefits like full medical care. If you do not want to be in active duty, you can still participate in the Army Reserves while keeping your current job. This will allow you access to military benefits as well as the opportunity to help your country in times of need.
References
“Army Nurse Corps.” Army Nurse Corps. US Army, n.d. Web. 28 May 2012. .
“Benefits.” Goarmy.com. US Army, n.d. Web. 28 May 2012. .
“Foreign Language Proficiency Bonus FLPB.” Hrc.army.mil. HRC, n.d. Web. 28 May 2012. .
Herd, Mike. “Phase Two – Eglin Air Force Base, FL.” 753eod.com. 753rd EOD, n.d. Web. 28 May 2012. .
“Information For Course 6F-66C.” Atrrs.army.mil. US Army, n.d. Web. 28 May 2012.
“Psychiatric/mental health nurse (66C).” Goarmy.com. US Army, n.d. Web. 28 May 2012..