An Army (and Navy and Air Force) of Opportunities
By Barbara Marquand
In both wartime and peacetime, nursing careers in the military offer exceptional opportunities to see the world, serve your country and advance to leadership positions.
Nursing articles provided by MinorityNurse.com.
Among various assignments as a U.S. Navy nurse, Commander Ava Abney has practiced in a pediatric outpatient clinic in Puerto Rico, run an obstetric services department in Guam and cared for service men and women aboard an aircraft carrier. Spanning the globe on land and at sea, the African-American nurse's 18-year career in the military has given her opportunities she never would have had as a civilian.
"It's so wide open," says Abney, who now heads up quality management at the Naval Hospital in Pensacola, Florida. "And it's still very exciting."
Few institutions can match the career diversity offered by the military, where nurses are groomed for leadership from day one and have wide-ranging opportunities for training and advancement.
"We're all about leadership," agrees Lieutenant Commander Select Darnell Hunt, an African-American Navy nurse who is a medical officer recruiter in Kansas City, Missouri. "If you follow the career paths, you're able to progress to whatever level you choose."
Endless Opportunities, Unbeatable Benefits
Even before the global war on terrorism and Operation Iraqi Freedom, demand was heavy for nurses to serve in the Army, Navy and Air Force. Nurses work in a variety of specialties in the military, including OB/GYN, community health, mental health, pediatrics and critical care.
The Army is focusing its current recruiting efforts on operating room nurses, medical/surgical nurses and nurse anesthetists, although it continues to recruit nurses from other specialties as well, says Colonel Ann Richardson, chief, Army Nurse Corps Division of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command. As for the Navy, Hunt says the greatest needs now are for generalists, med/surg nurses and critical care.
