do you get to choose your specialty

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Does anyone know if one is joining the Nursing Corp, Air Force in particular, do you get to choose your specialty? For example if you already have experience as a civilian RN do they automatically put you where you have already been working? Or do you get to change if you want to? I know they give credit for experience but what about if you are now in a new career field do you still get the credit? If anyone knows the answer it would be appreciated. Thanks. Pam

Specializes in Med/Surg, Case Manag, Surgery.

What is the usual criteria for selecting a specialty. I work in the OR. I do not have certification but have worked in the area for 4 years. Do you get them to say in writing this is your specialty area even though there may be times you need to help out in other areas? I do not scrub and would like to learn this. Can you request training to get this?

Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
hmmm, this sounds like single people aren't allowed to have [multiple] pets NOR live on base???

(ps where do you find the info on the number of pets you're allowed on any given base?)

Hello,

Single officers are apparently encouraged to live off base, (Officers with family have a much better chance of on base housing).

I found out that on base Fort Lewis has a two pet limit through doing a military search and a FT Lewis search.

Gen-but I don't know yet

PatMBA,

Good question to which I do not have the answer but am curious too. I am a float nurse and I would love to go OB but was told with out a certification I had to be med-surg for at least one year. I would think yours would be different because you stay in one unit. I wonder if it comes down to the recruiter at the time you go in?? I do not know.

Pam

Hi Nurse Pam, in the military one must get used to being told what to do, when to do it, and how to do....you get my drift, right? Just finished my very LONG military contract and no I was NOT permitted to work in the area of interest to me and when asked, "Why?" I was told, "Needs of the military come first." Hope that helps.

Rn Happy,

Where did you work? Have you ever worked as a civilian nurse? I am sorry your experience was not a good one. I have worked in civilian hospitals that had mandatory overtime and mandatory committees that one must attend and do. What were some of your experiences that you had where they told you what, how and when to do something?

Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
Hi Nurse Pam, in the military one must get used to being told what to do, when to do it, and how to do....you get my drift, right? Just finished my very LONG military contract and no I was NOT permitted to work in the area of interest to me and when asked, "Why?" I was told, "Needs of the military come first." Hope that helps.

Hell RN Happy,

This is what I anticipate too. What I am pretty sure of is that as a new grad that I will be sent to Medical/surgical for about a year.

Even when it comes to listing base preferences, I read and have heard that your list is a possibility but, as you write, theneeds of the military come first. If there is no need at the bases listed on my wish list then, I don't go there.

Gen

Hi again Nurse Pam,

Happy Friday! First of all, my recruiter never told me that after working my tooshie off, 12hr night shift, that my "nurse manager" (they will give this title to a monkey in the zoo b/c that's where I felt like I have been the past 6 LONG years as a military nurse)....anyhow.....I was told, "it is a privilege for you to get to go home, not a right." I was told that I'm on call 24/7, 365 days of the year. The nurse managers (sr officers) were more concerned about the length of my hair being below my uniform collar than about patients almost dying due to negligent medical/nursing care........I could go on and on....Military healthcare is a badly broken system which I believe will never change due to the nature of the business. I'm just grateful I NEVER have to deal w/ morons like that again......as a WONDERFUL civillian nurse if I EVER feel that my license is at risk I will just put in my 2 week notice, but in the military you "sign the dotten line" and regardless of how dangerous one is the "system" will force u to fulfill the contract obligations. On a more positive note, I successfully managed to get honorably separated with my RN license safe and sound, but trust me it was NOT easy........

Thanks for listening.......

Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
Hi again Nurse Pam,

Happy Friday! First of all, my recruiter never told me that after working my tooshie off, 12hr night shift, that my "nurse manager" (they will give this title to a monkey in the zoo b/c that's where I felt like I have been the past 6 LONG years as a military nurse)....anyhow.....I was told, "it is a privilege for you to get to go home, not a right." I was told that I'm on call 24/7, 365 days of the year. The nurse managers (sr officers) were more concerned about the length of my hair being below my uniform collar than about patients almost dying due to negligent medical/nursing care....

Thanks for listening.......

Hello,

Wow, I am in reverse, after having been in civilian hospitals for off an on 18 years I am looking forward to military nursing, (although in civilian hospitals I was not a nurse I don't sit for NCLEX for another year).

Glad for you that you are on to the next phase of your career!

I am curious though, were you at only one hospital or did you find them equally atrocious across all centers where you worked?

Do you know how many double shifts and turnarounds happen? I am really used to having gotten stuck with a 16 hour shift or else being told that I have to be back in 8 hours, (or seriously needed back, either way) and I wasn't anticipating encountering that same shortage in the Army. Thank you for the head's up that it will not be much different from civilian hospitals.

Gen

Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.
Hi Nurse Pam, in the military one must get used to being told what to do, when to do it, and how to do....you get my drift, right? Just finished my very LONG military contract and no I was NOT permitted to work in the area of interest to me and when asked, "Why?" I was told, "Needs of the military come first." Hope that helps.

I have been in the military for over 11 years [combined active duty, reserves, and inactive reserves in USMC & Army Nurse Corps] and I cannot share your same sentiment towards the Army Nurse Corps.

I was in the ANC reserves, then volunteered for active duty, 3 yr committment, with guarantee of critical care nursing course & upon completion the critical care nurse skill identifier... all guarantees have been honored by the ANC! So, I'm very happy with my decision to serve my country as an active duty critical care Soldier RN.

Specializes in ER,ICU and Progressive Care Unit,Peds.

i can only speak from the navy point of view, but new grads don't only go to med/surg areas. i'm on the peds ward nmcsd; i have a friend in

post partum, and one in mental health. and usually you don't get to go into

specialty areas (picu, l/d, er, icu) until after you had 1 yr of

experience. however, if you have prior work in those areas that is taken into consideration. but the needs of the navy come 1st. i love being in the navy and don't regret joining. (even though i never wanted to be a peds nurse) you bloom where you are planted!

Does anyone know if one is joining the Nursing Corp, Air Force in particular, do you get to choose your specialty? For example if you already have experience as a civilian RN do they automatically put you where you have already been working? Or do you get to change if you want to? I know they give credit for experience but what about if you are now in a new career field do you still get the credit? If anyone knows the answer it would be appreciated. Thanks. Pam

I'm an ADAF nurse and will offer a bit of my experience. I was a direct commission (i.e. not ROTC) so during my recruitment process I was able to choose 1 of 2 tracks (med/surg or OB). That DID NOT mean that I was going directly to med/surg or OB - just basic interest. Generally AF nurses who work in OB stay there for quite a bit so if a person wants anything besides OB he/she needs to pick med/surg.

Anyway...we have new nurses in all areas of our hospital but generally majority start on med/surg (this has varied depending on our chief nurse's preference). The main thing that I had to get a handle on was the "needs of the AF". I really, REALLY HATED hearing that early on (I've only been at this a couple yrs...) but it's basically mgt's way of explaining certain decisions. I've submitted to it much more in the last year and my career is taking some great turns but you get out of it what you put it :) My husband has been ADAF for 14yrs so I've seen a different side of it w/him (non-medical) and didn't really know what I was in for. Regardless I wouldn't trade my experience for anything. Part of military life is making sacrifices and some of them seem to make no sense and frustrate me to no end BUT it's been good for me. I still maintain certain long-term nursing plans and hope to fulfill them in the AF...if need be I would separate to fulfill my goals and come back AD afterward.

As far as credit for civilian time...for the most part that (at least from what I've seen) applies to rank and sometimes placement within a hospital/clinic. So much of what happens in my hospital is based on the chief nurse and his/her philosophy.

Specializes in ER, Trauma, US Navy.

Gotta throw in my .02cents. My experience in the Navy has been good, then again I made it what it is. I know the needs of the Navy come first, knew that before I came in, so I set out to ensure I got what I wanted. While I was in school I worked as a Nursing Assistant in whatever place I could get my hands into. Only place I didn't do a bunch of time was OB. Therefore, when I got to my first duty station and they asked me what background I had, I laid out what I had done. The CAPT looked at me and said, "sin e you have a ton of experience, where do you want to go?" I made my pick and have been there ever since. Even in the military you have to market yourself for what you can do. It doesn't have to be what are you going to do for the Navy, but what is the Navy going to do for you? Somewhere in the middle is where the needs of the military come into play.

LCDR Dan

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