Currently an Army Reserve First Sergeant and 2 years away from receiving a BSN. Should I stay Enlisted or become an Officer?

2016-03-22T11:14:32-04:00

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 22 at 2016 11:15 AM

2016-03-22T11:15:34-04:00

Needs more tags. I suggest tagging your MOS and the Officer and Warrant MOS of your field.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 22 at 2016 11:22 AM

2016-03-22T11:22:05-04:00

As a former E6 in the Navy, who was on track to make E7 at the time - my decision making process ultimately lead to me knowing I was going to do 20+ years in the military and that even though I so badly wanted to have anchors pinned on my collars and earn the title Chief Petty Officer - I came to the realization that I would probably retire either a Chief (E-7) or Senior Chief (E-8), which would have been fine with me and would have been indicative of a great Naval career imo. The one thing that kept pulling me over the the officer side was retirement. I knew if I had applied and been accepted at that time - I would retire at the O-4 paygrade (possibly O-5 if I go to 30 years). I wanted to ensure I provided a quality of life for my daughter that I never had growing up - so with current pay and ultimately retirement, being an officer just added a little more ability to provide my daughter an excellent quality of life. Either way, being an E-7/8 or eventual O-4 - my daughter's quality of life has been and is way better than anything I experienced growing up.

One question I have for you 1SG is would you apply for an AMEDD commission into the Nurse Corps? Or would you apply for a commission and be open to any branch?

Response by SSG Leo Bell made Mar 22 at 2016 11:35 AM

2016-03-22T11:35:24-04:00

That's a good question. You know NCO's lead the way. But the best officers are the ones who were an NCO. I think it would be a great idea for you to be an officer as long as you get the proper rank and pay. Don't trade in your stripes for bars if your losing money.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Mar 22 at 2016 11:49 AM

2016-03-22T11:49:24-04:00

Which aligns better with your goals? With your family's goals?

How much short term pain are you willing to put up with for long term reward?

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 22 at 2016 11:49 AM

2016-03-22T11:49:41-04:00

Don't forget you will also get the extended scale officer pay up to O3. But it really depends how much longer you plan on staying in and how high you think you'll make it before retirement. I'd look closely at the pay scales and compare where you would start 01E/02E vs E8 possibly E9 pay.
Remember though you will also become a lieutenant. Unless you wear you dress uniform, no one will care how high speed you were as an NCO, you will be a Lieutenant. But that would only be for a few years, especially if you are high speed, which I imagine you are. The promotion potential is far superior than the enlisted side as far as end end result goes.
For me it was very easy decision as I still have 10 years to go before considering retirement.

Response by SGM Mikel Dawson made Mar 22 at 2016 12:23 PM

2016-03-22T12:23:07-04:00

I could give you some advice, but just read the posts and you got it. Ask your self - What do you want and where do you want to go.

Response by LTC Paul Labrador made Mar 22 at 2016 12:40 PM

2016-03-22T12:40:08-04:00

If you plan on practicing as a nurse in the Army you have no choice but to pursue a commission. they will not allow you to fill an ANC position on the mTOE or TDA as a 1SG, even if you do have the credentials for it. If you don't plan on being a nurse in the Army, and only practicing as a civilian, then at this point in your career, there really is no point in switching over.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 22 at 2016 12:53 PM

2016-03-22T12:53:59-04:00

As others have said, you need to make sure your decision aligns with your personality and goals. Also consider how much time you have left before retirement - as an E-8 you obviously have several years in. How much longer do you want to serve? Which career track (enlisted vs. commissioned) offers you the best opportunity to continue to serve and further your career? As an E-8, I would imagine you might be getting close to your ceiling for career and promotion opportunities which would make the commissioned track more appealing. BUT, as an E-8, your retirement pay is more likely higher than that of a junior commissioned officer. Can you serve another 8-10 years to gain the rank to make a difference in retirement pay? Are you willing to be viewed (as a junior officer) as you have viewed other junior officers? Big changes going from senior enlisted (respected) to junior officer (unfortunately often times viewed as "clueless" and "bumbling").

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 22 at 2016 2:05 PM

2016-03-22T14:05:02-04:00

This is something my wife is looking into right now. She's a Reserve Staff Sergeant who's about to finish her BSN in less than a year. I called AMEDD recruiting on her behalf to get the lowdown.

--First, Direct Commissioning into Reserve Nursing requires the BSN plus a minimum of 6 months work as an RN. You can't even submit the packet until then, though you can prep a few months in advance. They will also need references (civilian and military), all your past 214s and awards, and a whole bunch more for the packet. They even have to re-process clearances, even if you already have a TS/SCI. And though it's rarely a problem, you must have at least a 3.0 GPA as the cutoff for applying.
--Second, you would qualify for O1E-O3E in place of normal O1-O3 pay, but in all honesty you'll probably also qualify for saved pay (per AR 37-104-4 Ch. 3-4) so don't worry about the lower pay scale for junior Officers -- you won't lose a penny.
--Third, if you serve less than 8 years commissioned (which can include IRR) before transferring to the retired list, then you'll lose your commissioned rank for retirement and revert to your highest qualifying enlisted rank. If the Officer rank you reach turns out to have better retirement, better to wait out the 8. (Note: I'm pretty sure there's a waiver for this if you are medically retired before 8 years commissioned.)
--Finally, as others have mentioned, ultimately this comes down to what direction you want your military career to take. If Nursing in uniform is what you want, and you're willing to put in the time (and remember that the time won't start until you commission, which is still 2.5 years away at a minimum) jump at it. Otherwise, just retire at E8/E9 and have a good civilian career as a nurse.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Mar 22 at 2016 7:44 PM

2016-03-22T19:44:00-04:00

Purely as a thought that might possibly not otherwise occur to you, you might consider going USPHS commissioned corps. Depending on your age, and I only mention this as another aside, you might care to look at their junior and PR in your case senior CoStep program which is their analogue to ROTC. Also look at the USUHS nursing programs and also the USUHS pH.d. programs in biomedical sciences, e.g., physiology, pharmacology, etc. You might also want to look at excelsior.edu which if ove never heard of it is an external and online school highly reputable long military friendly with an excellent MSN and NP I think set of programs. You ought to consider doing a d.n.SC. or pH.d. in nursing as well if only because once you're out working you might have a hard time getting back to do such further credentials. Also USPHS has an extensive arrangement with the regular services especially army to use USPHS in psych roles clinically especially I had read I think in TX though I'm fairly certain such interservice assignments exist elsewhere plus as you may know USPHS supplies most clinical staff to USCG other than PAs I think if you might care to go that way incl aerospace med for flight nursing just another thought that's all I'm saying you know? Just food for thought it might allow you some flexibility that's my only point.

Response by CPT Kurk Harris made May 20 at 2016 9:52 AM

2016-05-20T09:52:12-04:00

As someone who was an NCO and then became an ANC Officer, it was a great step for me. You'll approach leadership and management differently than as an NCO. As far as stigma about LTs goes, that is dispelled as soon as they see you in action. I was a 66H, a 66B, and had the M5 identifier. I felt that I was pushed to become better at a time in my life where complacency can become the devil. Unless you just want to stay as a 1SG I would seriously consider it. That being said, I would not hold onto the idea that you can just lay low as a junior officer. Having made 1SG, I doubt you have that in you. If you do it, I suspect you'll quickly start to solving problems. Whatever your choice, best of luck.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 18 at 2016 6:03 AM

2016-10-18T06:03:20-04:00

Many before you have done so ..even as late as 20+ years...but in the Regular Army, If you decided to persue the commission to reap the benefit of retiring as an Officer, you will have to do an 8 year obligation (it was 10 when I did it) I was 33yo at the time I commissioned. Don't worry too much over the stigma of a 2LT...You will be significantly older than your counterparts...I would always bring up PT...."hey at least I don't have to run as fast...."and soon as you don your Class A...the skeptics will shut up...Amedd Officer Basic is a snap...it is not designed to be difficult...but designed for those with medical and medical support degrees...I had a lot fun and ended up retiring with 31 years @ 49 years old...between the Regular Army and the Res/Guard....like any job it has its ups and downs...