From Battlefield to Healthcare: Veterans' Military Experience Boosts Nursing Success

As military personnel transition back to civilian life, they often face the daunting question of what career path to follow next. Many veterans find themselves drawn to the healthcare sector, particularly nursing, due to its compatibility with their skill set. According to Indeed, nursing ranks 15th among the top 25 career choices for veterans. The platform highlights how veterans' proficiency in making critical decisions, effective communication in stressful situations, and diagnostic skills seamlessly transfer to nursing roles. Moreover, the national average salary for registered nurses, exceeding $88,000 annually, adds to the career's allure. Veterans have the advantage of gaining substantial field experience during their service, which can be invaluable when entering nursing programs post-military.

IntelyCare, a nursing staffing agency based in Quincy, Massachusetts, operates across 31 states, offering veterans support in starting their nursing careers through assistance with onboarding, credentialing, and training.

Kelsi Speight's journey to becoming a registered nurse exemplifies the transition from military to nursing. Initially serving in the Air Force, Speight inadvertently found herself treating returning servicemen and women from Iraq and Afghanistan. Her experience as a travel nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic, where she worked in over-capacity hospital units alongside FEMA and the National Guard, was significantly influenced by her military background. Speight also emphasizes her role in inspiring other African-American women to consider nursing as a career path.

“I see it as my responsibility to help those in need, utilizing the discipline and teamwork skills acquired from the Air Force in my nursing career,” Speight remarks. For Renee Petell and Nicole Cernek, the nursing journey came after their service, influenced by family ties to healthcare. Petell, whose father and aunt had long healthcare careers, was drawn to the field in high school, earning her nursing assistant certification before joining the Army and later the Army Reserves as a medical supply specialist. Her military experience in setting up in-field medical facilities complemented her pursuit of a Licensed Practical Nursing degree, leading to a fulfilling nursing career in Massachusetts.

Cernek's path to nursing began before she enlisted in the Navy in 2018, where she served with the Seabees unit in Bahrain. Currently training with the Navy Reserves at Fort Dix, New Jersey, she balances her military role with her civilian job as a Certified Nursing Assistant, driven by a purpose to care for others. Both Petell and Cernek find parallels between the camaraderie experienced in the military and the connections formed in the healthcare field, underscoring the seamless integration of military discipline and teamwork into nursing.