[athena55]

Hello cnelson2
Well, I actually asked for Landstuhl, WRAMC and BAMC as my first, second and third choice....And I ended up here at WBAMC. You know the saying...."The Needs of the Army..." I am not complaining as El Paso is very beautiful, a very friendly city. But I am not used to the quick heat, the dry winds and the dust (did I mention the HEAT? Everyone tells me "But it is a dry heat" vs a humid heat, I guess and I reply, yeah, dry heat, so is my oven!) WBAMC is located at the foot of the Franklin Mountain Range and is about 3 miles from post (Fort Bliss) No BOQ on base so I have an apartment off-base, but I am so close to the Hospital.
Sorry, I digress. I am STILL in-processing here at Beaumont which should take me about five days, or so I am told. In-processing at Fort Bliss took me about ten days, sigh. BUT, but so far I am very happy. I like the attitude of everyone I have met, so far. You will find -- speaking only for the Army and the Active side of the house -- more of a team spirit in the military vs working in the civilian world
Another member of this Military Forum (Gen) could speak to you in more detail about what to expect after your OBLC experience
Gee, August will be here before you know it!
Welcome to the ANC! Hooah!
athena

[cnelson2]

Athena,
Thank you for your reply. I am happy and eager to begin nursing with colleagues who have this team spirit; I've heard of this from other nurses. I didn't know in-processing took longer than one day. Are you actually doing something everyday, or is it just waiting on paperwork to be processed? Also, did you find the officer handbook to be helpful for passing any exams you needed to take in OBLC? Glad to hear El Paso is a nice place to live. I will be able to choose my PCS tomorrow when HR calls me back.
cnelson

[athena55]

CNelson:
Yeah, in-processing takes more than a few days. I was told, here at Fort Bliss, that initial in-processing can take up to ten days and I was told that most complete it within that time frame. I consider In-Processing a sort of scavenger hunt, if you will. You are given paperwork and you will go through the different HR offices and get the paperwork stamped, proof that you went to a particular department like Finance, DEERS, etc.
Then on to whichever Army Medical Center you are attached to: Same thing. Paperwork that has to be stamped with each specific department. One thing doing all this running around is good for.....It helped me orientated my way around WBAMC, that's for sure But then again, some days I felt like
I did read through the Office Handbook prior to my going to OBC, and it really didn't help with the subject matter. I think it is a good idea that OBLC is actually longer cuz when I went I felt very much overloaded with the amount of "stuff" we had to read and memorize for the midterm and final! Plus I felt shortchanged when it came to doing practical, clinical medical/nursing stuff. Didn't do enough because of the limited time we had in the field (Camp Bullis) and we had lots of warrior tasks to complete.... Oh, get a hold of a copy of the Soldier's Manual of Common Tasks: Warrior Skills Level 1 (Oct 2006) if you can. I believe you will get a copy when you get to OBLC but if you can get a hold of a copy read it. It will prepare you for what you will learn and experience while at OBLC.
Being at OBC was a great time, for me. Met and made friends and learned ALOT about myself. Warrior Pride! Train to Save!
athena

[cnelson2]

Athena,
Thank you for sharing your experiences with me. I emailed HR with my final choice of WBAMC yesterday. I was planning on flying to OBLC because the drive would take 3 days from CA. I imagine a car would not be that important because of the long hours/days/weeks of training. Do you suppose my orders will include a prearranged flight to OBLC or will I be having to pay/arrange this? When you arrived to OBLC, did you have living quarters arranged in advance or will this happen sometime during in-processing?
Hope all is going well for you

[cnelson2]

Athena,
Thank you for sharing all your experiences and information. Will I find out about living quarters during in-processing at OBLC? Also, will the travel arrangements be made when orders for this TDY to OBLC be made in advance by the Army?
I hope you are doing well getting settled into your new job. Will you be going directly into critical care or oncology?
CNelson

[athena55]

CNelson:
Hey, as soon as you get your official orders for OBLC get your rear in gear and head off to your base/post travel office. You will need to make like a dozen copies of your OBC orders. Bring one when you make arrangements for your flight. The Army will pick up the tab for your round trip ticket. Of course, if you are AC then during those last few days before your graduation from OBC you should get new orders on where you will be PCS'ing. Not sure if you will have some Leave time before you PCS.
Also when you get your orders for OBC PLEASE call the number that should be listed on the orders for your lodging. I realize that it is, or was, first come, first serve but when you get them on the phone ask if you can make reservations for lodging at Fort Sam. When I made the phone call I was told not to worry that there would be enough student billeting at Fort Sam. Guess what? Got there and I was one of about 25 OBC students that had to be bussed to a hotel. Missed out on a lot of stuff living "off campus" like that.
So, to sound like a typical nagging Mum:
1) As soon as you get your official orders for OBLC make sure you make your travel arrangements. At Fort Hamilton (New York City) I called in with my orders in my hand, answered all the questions then I faxed in a copy of my OBC orders and for good measure hand delivered a copy ( a wee bit anal, no?)
2) Once you have your air flight information call Fort Sam (again if I am not mistaken the number should be on your OBC orders) and make arrangements for your living quarters.
3) Go to the website www.cs.amedd.army.mil/obc/ and check it out for more info. It should assist anyone going to OBLC
GOOD LUCK! Keep us posted from time to time on how things are going Maybe on your down time you might want to check out the ANC museum.
Best of luck to you,
athena (CPT Mary)

[oxford4447]

CNelson,
Did you end up picking WBAMC? I also should be at OBLC in august. August 3rd exactly! My NCLEX date isn't until next week...so really it all depends on passing that! Are you going to OBLC that same date?

But anyhow, my first assignment is WBAMC. I am pretty excited! But, not too excited since the NCLEX is about all I think about these days!

Good luck making your decision if you haven't made it already!

-kim

[cnelson2]

Dear Kim,
Yes, I finally got the call from ANC headquarters a while after my paperwork was submitted and I chose WBAMC. I'll see you August 3rd for some camping fun! It's already 83 degrees F in Texas at 0930. Would this be hot for you! I hear it's a dry heat so it's not as bad as NYC's heat. I wish you the best of luck passing the NCLEX. It felt like I could study forever for that test. I had to wait a whole month for my test results...CA doesn't use that early result notification program that is available almost everywhere else. See you in August
Cnelson