Army vs. AF

Specialties Flight

Published

I am a pre-nursing student who plans to commission, reserve component, after I finish nursing school. Is there any advantage to one service over another in terms of experience especially if my ultimate goal is flight nursing? I also plan to volunteer to deploy as soon as the opportunity arises, and I know it will, for the sake of trauma experience. Any advice from you civilian and military nurses out there?

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If you want to be a flight nurse go Air Force. While Army nurses do provide en route care for transports (usually a patient transfer via helo where the patient needs more care than the medic can provide) AN don't routinely do this. A nurse is usually grabbed from the ER or ICU for the transfer.

Air Force does have actual flight nurse positions which involve 6 weeks of school and follow on training before they can care for patients in the air. There are a few nurses on this forum that can provide more specifics than I can, so hopefully they'll chime in.

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Yep, go AF. This statement is from a prior service Army bubba. As an RN you will have some great opportunities with the AF IHMO.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

Not burst anyone's bubble, but the AF won't let AD nurses go straight into flight nursing. It usually takes about two+ years before you can apply to go to flight nursing school and then get a flight assignment (expect 3-4yrs). Although, as a AF reserve/NG you can go straight into flight nursing.

Flight nursing in the AF is basically med-surg in the sky. The patients have to be stable in order to go with normal flight nurses, otherwise they go out with a CCAT team (MD, RT, and usually and ICU or ER nurse trained to transport critically ill patients). CCATT is not a full time job whereas AF flight nursing is.

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I've been told that flight nurses in the Reserves and Guard get to fly a lot more than active duty ones due. Plus you can join the reserves and go straight in as a flight nurse.

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Wait. Wait. Wait. You can go straight into flight nursing as a reservist? That's insane. From the research I've done so far, it takes 3+ years of critical care experience to be eligible to be a flight nurse, which I obviously won't have as a new grad. How can anyone possibly just go into flight nursing because they joined a certain component of the AF? Can someone please clarify this because it doesn't make sense? That just seems way irresponsible. Thanks all.

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Its not like they take you right out of nursing school. I was rejected my the first time I tried to get on with them because of lack of experience. Also, if you read what wtbcrna stated in his post "Flight nursing in the AF is basically med-surg in the sky. The patients have to be stable in order to go with normal flight nurses, otherwise they go out with a CCAT team" Flight Nurses in the Air Force don't necessarily have to have critical care experience. Do some reseach...Start by trying this website

http://www.goang.com/

Put flight nurse into the search box and see what you get. You could also talk to a Health professions recruiter as well.

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