Air Force Nursing 2013

Specialties Government

Published

Hi everyone,

I just recently started the process to apply to be an Air Force nurse. I'm trying to complete my packet for the January 2013 (Feb 19-Board, Mar 08-Decision). Anyone else currently starting or in the process? Any advice with gathering my information?

Any current Air Force Nurses that could give me insight about their experience, especially regarding their first assignment?

My husband is about to separate from the Army and we are used to that way of thinking and doing things (i.e. lots of misleading information, less family oriented, less options regarding career). My recruiter had mentioned that everyone goes into a general clinical nurse slot, but is given the opportunity to specialize into a department of their choice after one year. My initial response was "Yeah... riiighhhttt." I don't actually believe that I would be given such a choice so soon, but I'm not sure if that is only because of our experience with the Army. Can anyone enlighten me??

Thanks!!

Recruiters are very busy and you have to be very persistent. I just spoke with my recruiter and I gently reminded him that he has not been answering my questions satisfactorily. In the process he mentioned that several things have changed. MEPS is no longer required before selection, in an attempt to save money. So first you submit everything, get selected, and then go to MEPS. MEPS has many disqualifying factors so it would be a shame to get selected and ready to go only to be rejected at MEPS, so keep that in mind. I applied NTP last year and my recruiter is still unsure about the upcoming NTP board. I'm not worried though. I am the OB alternate select#2 and it has been a very long wait. I believe you can apply to more that one service but there is a question in the application asking if you are applying to another service. My only thinking is they may not take you as serious if you're also applying elsewhere. It's already a competitive enough program, they're likely using any reason to weed through applicants. There's no harm in talking to recruiters though. So find out for sure from a recruiter.

FYI I used to be in the Coast Guard and many people I worked with couldn't swim. There was a required swim test that was a joke.... so long as you were able to keep your head out of water you passed. So I wouldn't let not being able to swim stop you from joining a sea going service. But the sea sickness thing is for real. Members would be discharged if their sea sickness prevented them from working. It's okay to get ill but if you get violently ill, you're out.

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Im active duty in a different program (NECP) but also waiting on the FY14 NTP dates. Anyone heard anything yet? Last I heard was they have tentative dates but they haven't been "blessed" yet. We automatically go to NTP so Im not on a waiting list.. just cant get my orders without NTP date...

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Thanks for your responses! And thanks for letting me know about the change in meps, my recruiter did not tell me that. It turns out, he has been taking so long to respond because his wife is having a baby and now they have changed my recruiter back to my original recruiter but I still have not heard from him at all. The other recruiter finally sent me my forms tho! But he has not been Available for answers to my questions. He did say ntp is for student nurses so you are only competing with other studeng nurses to get in and he said for me to stop listening to what I read on the internet. Lol

Also, I talked to one of my best friends' brother who has been in the navy for 14 years and is stationed right now at the local recruiting office and he told me that I can only apply to one branch at a time unfortunately but he said I should be trying for the navy instead because he wouldnt let the recruiter put me on the back burner like mine does. I just don't want to start over with the process tho. And I'm not sure if I get sea sick or not. I've been on a couple of cruises when I was 18 and I didn't get sea sick but I've been working on a barge on the river for the last year and a half and I feel really dizzy all the time and sometimes I get nauseous but I still do my job tho and I've never actually vomited at work but I still am scared when I come into work or leave work cuz I'm scared if I fall in, I don't know how to swim and I'm afraid that would be a problem if I'm stationed on a ship. I did read that they teach you to make your clofhes into a flotation device somehow tho so maybe I could get by. Just I probably would not pass a swimming test at this time. I know people who can swim tho or I could probably watch youtube videos and learn or something right? But for now, I'm going to see if I can get into the air force before I try for the navy since I've been working toward this for months now. Thank you so much for your help!

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Specializes in Labor & delivery; High Risk OB; Reseach.

Mullins- Is your recruiter stationed in Wright Pat? Sounds like mine!

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Specializes in Adult Critical Care.

I am a qualified alternate and i have been told that you almost definitely won't hear anything until September 2013 and won't leave until January 2014. COT for the march selects is in August. If you are alternate 1 or 2 in your specialty you do have a small chance that a select gets injured but that's the only way you would go sooner. At this point the selects have made their decisions and you won't be getting their spots unless they physically can't do it.

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Specializes in Adult Critical Care.

http://www.au.af.mil/au/holmcenter/O...ssDates9wk.pdf

http://www.au.af.mil/au/holmcenter/O..._Reporting.asp

The above websites might interest those of you who want more info. They are official USAF COT websites.

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Please note that the Air University site will have no information regarding alternate status or anything specific of that nature; it will have general information only.

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Wow, I have one of those recruiters as well. I can't get anything out of him! I have turned in my application information and apparently I am awaiting approval from the surgeon general before I can be cleared to get a physical. I wish it weren't so difficult to get in with the AF, but I sure hope I do.

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For those applying for NTP, the board is set to meet July 30th, the original date was July 15th. The recruiters are supposed to receive notice on who got selected around Aug 17th. At least that is what my recruiter said. We have a pretty good rapport being that I am prior service and I told him from the beginning not to jerk me around (in a nice way).

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Hello everyone,

I have been following this thread for a while. I am 27 year old male a crit care nurse from Arizona applying of an FQ spot. I just received notice from my recruiter that I was selected from the Feb 19 boards for ICU, I will be leaving for COT in August and will be stationed at Travis AFB. I hope everyone here receives word soon. I do not know about apps getting sent back but I will be happy to help any way I can.

I was supposed to leave yesterday for July 2 COT but it got moved to August. Anyway, I will be stationed at Travis AFB as well so I guess see you this August and at Travis? :) (Hopefully nothing changes again..)

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Have you graduated yet? I am applying for NTP as well

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SN2013, not sure if that was directed towards me but if it is...yes I just graduated in May and passed my boards last week :) I do have a job lined up just in case I am not accepted just because of the overwhelming amount of applicants for NTP.

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