FY 2014 Air Force Nursing

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I have been following the thread for FY 2013 Air Force nursing and realize that many of the clinical nurses, including myself, were made alternates for FY 2014. The only information I have received from my recruiter is that I will find out sometime in April or May if I am selected or not. Has anyone received more detailed information about the upcoming boards? What is the likelihood of selection for us alternates?

I am also interested to hear from anyone currently serving as a clinical nurse in the Air Force who can describe the day-to-day life and current news regarding the nursing specialty. I am 28 years old, have been an acute care RN at a level I facility since 2008, served seven years in the Army National Guard, and am a family man with two children. My wife, also an RN, and I are excited that I am an "alternate" for FY 2014 because it seems likely I will be selected. We have anxieties about active duty because I have never served on active duty.

Yammar

77 Posts

Day to day life as a nurse in the AF is not too different than that of a civilian nurse. There are some differences. As an AF nurse you will be tasked with all sorts of additional duties that can eat up a lot of your time. Most of us try to attend to these duties when it gets a bit slow but as you move up a little you find you spending many of your off days at work attending meetings, tracking down individuals or catching up on paperwork. It becomes a part of your routine and is a small price to pay for the opportunity to serve.

You will be introduced to terms like, "face time", "hi viz" and "voluntold". You can either gripe and complain or step up to the plate. In the end you need all these special duties and experiences to build better bullets for your OPRs and present well to the boards. It is structured to be somewhat competitive and you need to be seen as an asset to get the right people within the organization behind you.

In the end if you are motivated and maintain a good attitude the opportunities are there. You also move away from the bedside more and more, but you still need to keep your skills fresh.

There is training and training and more training and at times it seems overwhelming. But, even the absolute worse day as an AF nurse is still a billion times better than working as a civilian nurse.

SG219

37 Posts

Yammar,

Thank you for your post. From my time serving as a guardsmen in the Army I am familiar with the term "voluntold". Your comment, "even the absolute worst day as an AF nurse is still a billion times better than working as a civilian nurse" is encouraging! The recruitment process is taking a long time and I'm sure all of my peers who are "alternates" for FY 2014 can understand. During this long wait period I have been offered positions in the Progressive Care Unit and SICU but waiting to find out about the Air Force has given me second thoughts about accepting one of these positions. Since us "alternates" are not guaranteed a position, I am considering accepting one of these critical care area positions and continuing on as I would if I was not selected. I wonder if an Air Force nurse who has 6-12 months of critical care experience will be offered a critical care position in the Air Force sooner than one who has only medical/surgical experience?

SG219

37 Posts

Yammar,

Are you currently nursing in the Air Force? What kind of nursing? How long have you been an Air Force nurse and where have you been stationed?

carlily0513

40 Posts

Specializes in kjhflkjshdflkjsd.

I guess I am confused. I am an alternate for crit care and have never heard anything about not being selected as an alternate.?.?.. I have talked at length with my recruiter, never once did she mention not getting in as an alternate, on the contrary she said this is an acceptance, it's just really a wait. Not sure if there is a difference because I am FQ and not NTP or med/surg. Super confuses now :-/

SG219

37 Posts

Carlily0513,

The best I could get out of my recruiter is that she would, "put money in Vegas on it" in regards to me getting selected for FY 2014 becaue I am now an alternate. I am sure that my recuriter does not want to tell any potentials they are 100% guranteed a spot until they are actually selected because nothing is ever 100% in the military until finalized. I am planning on making major adjustments such as selling my home as soon as I am actually selected so this waiting process is like pulling teeth.

carlily0513

40 Posts

Specializes in kjhflkjshdflkjsd.

Sg219,

Roger that. Did your recruiter say anything about when more info might be released for us alternates??? Good to know of others in my position. Are going in as med/surg FQ or NTP?? Thanks for getting back to the thread :-)

Subbed

GraceRn11

44 Posts

Specializes in Medical Surgical.

Hey Carlily,

From what I understand when they release the new numbers for FY 2014 by the end of this month/early May then the recruiters will have a better idea. Like y'all I am anxious to finally get the good to go so I can sale this house and prepare for my adventure!

Travelcrazy

56 Posts

I have been following the thread for FY 2013 Air Force nursing and realize that many of the clinical nurses, including myself, were made alternates for FY 2014. The only information I have received from my recruiter is that I will find out sometime in April or May if I am selected or not. Has anyone received more detailed information about the upcoming boards? What is the likelihood of selection for us alternates?

I am also interested to hear from anyone currently serving as a clinical nurse in the Air Force who can describe the day-to-day life and current news regarding the nursing specialty. I am 28 years old, have been an acute care RN at a level I facility since 2008, served seven years in the Army National Guard, and am a family man with two children. My wife, also an RN, and I are excited that I am an "alternate" for FY 2014 because it seems likely I will be selected. We have anxieties about active duty because I have never served on active duty.

SG... I am a clinical nurse in the AF. I had 7 years of civilian nursing experience prior to joining (med/surg, tele, outpatient surgery). I predominantly worked 3 12's most of my career so the AF was a big adjustment for me. Since I had so many years of experience I got selected to work in a clinic. Monday-Friday usually 9-10 hour days. The job itself is easy-I spend most of the day on the phone placing referrals and triaging patients. It's a very different world from civilian nursing. In addition to that, as an AF officer you are given additional duties....you are responsible for your troops, you write eprs and oprs (performance reports), are expected to educate your enlisted medics/civilians, and are sometimes given additional jobs that make it challenging to get everything done (im also my groups infection control officer) With all that being said, A F life is great. The opportunities as a nurse are endless. I've only been in 2 years this month but I've already done many things that I've never had the opportunity to do in civilian life. If I could change anything it would be that I would have come in sooner.

SG219

37 Posts

Travelcrazy,

Thank you for replying! Mosts posts that I have read from Air Force nurses mention the additional duties but still everyone seems very happy serving as AF nurses. Do you find that you find plenty of free for self and family? There ia a huge list of AF clinics compared to actual medical facilities. My recruiter told me that I will likely go to a large medical facility for my first assignment. What were your goals when you joined? Did you choose to move into a clinic setting or was it purely a matter of need at the time? I am signing on as a clinical nurse but in the mean time will be getting some great experience in the Progressive Care Unit (considered critical care) at my facility. I wonder what the opportunities to move into different areas are once signing on. I will serve where I am needed but eventually would like to work in an ICU, have flight training, or be selected for advanced training. More than anything I am going insane waiting to hear that I am selected, where we will be moving, and get the ball rolling on the whole deal!

Travelcrazy

56 Posts

I feel your frustration. It was 18 months for me from the time I contacted a recruiter to the time I went to cot. Worth the wait, though. I didn't request a clinic. I actually requested large medical centers (either overseas or states), but ended up at a clinic as that was what was needed at the time. The benefit to a clinic is that your choices for bases are immense. I have plenty of free time for family. You're off every weekend, holidays, and down days at most clinics. It's actually allowed me the opportunity to learn more of the military ways as nurses end up in many of the leadership roles. It's good because you'll need to learn all that stuff eventually.

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