Can any Navy (or any branch) Nurses give insight into joining the Nurse Corps as an Officer?

If you work ER or trauma, I suspect you will get deployed. The military tends to be younger, healthier patients except for our wounded. Our hospitals do have all the wards and specialities you would find in a big civilian medical center. You will get 4 weeks vacation starting year one.

Laura Danielle have you looked at any other branches or is there a particular desire to be a Naval Officer? The Army also has a robust healthcare professional recruiting program. Most Army Nurses work from a fixed treatment facility, then are deployed as needed through the PROFIS (Professional Filler System) to a unit you are usually habitually aligned to. Usually nurses are pipelined in such a way that you become charge nurses fairly quickly. You end up working on accreditation additional duties (for whatever replaced JACHO).

Deployments for Military Nurses these days are to fixed or semi fixed or expeditionary treatment facilities of one sort or another. They range from Level 1 (40 patient hold and surgical in a Medical Company in a Brigade Combat Team) to Level 3 Facilities (like Bagram or what used to be in Balad Iraq) or augmenting a theater asset like Landshtul in outside of Ramestein AB in Germany. Army nurses depending on specialty may also serve on Forward Surgical Teams. There are also aeromedical evacuation functions that typically have flight nurses, principally the domain of Air Force medical personnel.

The Navy has one hospital ship, USNS Comfort. It is manned according to mission from D.C. Area MTFs and puts to sea for specific missions. These are rare and by exception according to the former Commander of Military Sealift Command who was responsible for the ship and ship's company operations (not medical). Committing a Hospital Ship is almost a bigger commitment of national power than committing a carrier task group as there is only one ship.

LTC Paul Labrador I'm sure I have butchered this. care to fill in the blanks?

Laura, I cannot speak for the Navy, but having just left command in an Army AMEDD Recruiting Company I can tell you as you first come in, your work will be much like that of a traditional MED Surge Nurse in a civilian hospital...hours and shifts will vary based on location but probably (3-4) 12 hour shifts. as you grow in rank and depending on your path which can be much different in Army vs Navy, more admin functions will take place and perhaps a diminishing of clinical duties...again, varies on your own specific path. I have several nurse friends, one went to the Army Baylor MHA program and now does almost 99% admin but maintains her license as a BSN. I have another who got here certification and changed from 66H MED SURG to Labor and Delivery Nurse and strictly works there, with shift rotations like two months of days then nights etc....the one with MHA is strictly M-F 830-430. Still want the Navy? hahaha