Air Force COT questions

Specialties Government

Published

First of many questions:

How much time is there before the end of COT and the beginning of your new nursing job? I should be heading to COT on June 29. If COT runs for four weeks, and ends on (for example) a Friday, do I start work at Wilford Hall three days later, on that Monday? I am just wondering if I have to set up my housing/apartment whatever *before* COT starts, or if I will have a few days to do that after COT.

Second question:

Is there a ribbon that is automatically granted once COT has been successfully completed, such as the Air Force Training Ribbon? I think the only other two you can earn at COT are Small Arms Expert Marksmanship and USAF Basic Military Training Honor Graduate, correct?

Third question:

Is there any source for getting study materials ahead of time, or are they not available before COT. If not, any suggestions for study?

Thanks in advance for any help!

M Metzler, RN, BSN....soon to be 2nd Lt.

Specializes in Anesthesia.
Do they no longer have tuition reimbursement? If not, that's ridiculous.

AF still has tuition reimbursement/assistance, but as a commissioned officer you owe two more years from the last day of your last class if you use TA. The time committment runs concurrently with any other time committment, but it is still something to think about. Not to mention TA doesn't cover everything (fees, books, and it caps out after a certain amount). http://www.military.com/money-for-school/tuition-assistance/air-force-tuition-assistance

Fine by me - I plan on sticking around anyway. Better than footing the whole bill.

For officers (when I was in), the time used to run CONSECUTIVELY. Wow - they've come a long way...

Also, when I was in, you used to be able to use the GI Bill after X amount of time in service to pay the difference in the bill. Can you still do that?

what am i missing here...? you hear all the time "i'm joining the military because they'll pay for me to go to school." but you have to sign up for the GI bill, then it doesn't cover 100% all the time, and you owe more years of service if you use the assistance? so if i sign a 4 year contract and then decide not to stay in could i not go to school on the GI bill without owing more time? what am i not understanding?

School comes after the military.....

Specializes in Anesthesia.
what am i missing here...? you hear all the time "i'm joining the military because they'll pay for me to go to school." but you have to sign up for the GI bill, then it doesn't cover 100% all the time, and you owe more years of service if you use the assistance? so if i sign a 4 year contract and then decide not to stay in could i not go to school on the GI bill without owing more time? what am i not understanding?

We weren't talking about the GI Bill and owing time. We were discussing using tuition assistance to pay for school. It is a different program available for AD and I think reservists, but you can encur more time when using TA. You do not encur more time when using your GI bill, but it doesn't mean it will cover all your school's expenses either ie. you won't being to go to Harvard on your GI bill alone.

Specializes in Anesthesia.
School comes after the military.....

?? I started a graduate nursing program shortly after joining the AF, and I am currently going to graduate nursing full time while on AD. You don't have to wait to goto school until after the military. It is not always the easiest thing to do, but officer/enlisted persons do it all the time.

I don't know if that is what you meant, but I thought I would clarify somethings about being AD and going to school.

I am currently going to graduate nursing full time while on AD. You don't have to wait to goto school until after the military.

Are you also full time AD? In other words, how are you managing to be a full-time grad student and a full-time AF nurse? How much of grad school is the AF paying for while you are AD?

Specializes in Advanced Practice, Home Care, Med-Surg,.
what am i missing here...? you hear all the time "i'm joining the military because they'll pay for me to go to school." but you have to sign up for the GI bill, then it doesn't cover 100% all the time, and you owe more years of service if you use the assistance? so if i sign a 4 year contract and then decide not to stay in could i not go to school on the GI bill without owing more time? what am i not understanding?

There are many options in regards to military and paying fro schooling. Most of these options are beyond what you will see in the civilian sector. These options include student loan bonus/payment programs, GI bill, tuition assisstance, ROTC. For example with me(Army) I am already coming in with a MSN and I am a NP, I have tens of thousands in student loans, so I opted for the ACTIVE DUTY HEALTH PROFESSIONS LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM (ADHPLRP). But I'm also hoping to pursue a PhD at some point which I will use my military benefits for at some time. For me there would be no civilian job that I could take that would pay off my loans period and then still have more options to pay off more schooling. By accepting the loan program AND a bonus I signed a 6 yr committment but my plans are for 20 anyway so that works great for me.

Specializes in FNP cardiology, ER.

I was enlisted before and got my Associate's degree courtesy of TA. If I remember right it was 75% for tuition. We were on our own for books, but there were plenty floating around so they were pretty cheap. I then got out after my 4 yrs and went to nursing school using the GI Bill. I had enough left over to cover me for my MSN as a Family NP. Now, I am hoping to return as a FNP in the AF and give a little thank you back. The military is an excellent way to further your education. You will get out of it what you put into it. Best of luck!!

"Full time" in grad school is only two classes. You work a schedule similar to a civilian RN in a military hospital, so you have weekdays off.

I worked with plenty of RNs at Duke who worked full time and went to grad school full time; it's not like doing undergrad full time.

Thanks carolinapooh. So someone would be able to earn a NP part time while on AD in the AF? How much of that (for instance at Duke) will the AF pay? Seeing you are doing this part time what is the payback (in AD time) for Uncle Sam's part time tuition assistance? I suppose all of this is dependent on a person being stationed at one duty location long enough to put together enough part time classes to become a NP? Can't imagine the grad classes transfer well or that you can easily move into another college's grad program. Am I mistaken?

Ok, this may sound silly but what running shoes should I buy. I’m developing a shin splint and I’m told it’s my cheap shoes.

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