interviewing with NP and Chief Nurse (air force)

As for the NP interview I think that is reserved mainly for the NPs coming in. I am waiting on my interviews and know I will definitely be doing the face to face and NP interviews as I'm a FNP.

The board will not make decisions until Nov 11th since that is the ultimate deadline. If any corrections need to be done that is the cutoff. I would not anticipate an answer until the beginning of December. It looks like the July board didn't hear until the beginning of Sept.

If ever in doubt as to how you will make out pay wise vs the civilian sector write it all out. The base pay, plus meal allowance, plus housing allowance, plus medical/dental benefits, plus free of state tax. Like I said I'm a NP now and will be very comparable entering the AF. Actually, if I go overseas I will do better since there shouldn't be any federal tax.

You will pay federal tax on your pay overseas because you are an employee of the federal government that is not tax-exempt. You will also pay state income tax if your state of residence requires it. The military is never tax-free on your base pay, only on allowances.

I spent three years in Saudi Arabia, was deployed twice, and was once extended TDY to Germany. You will always be taxed overseas. Contractors aren't up to the first eighty thousand dollars, and private citizens working overseas aren't up to the first eighty grand, but the military always is.

Is constructive credit automatically applied or do you have to apply for it. I heard you are awared 1/2 year for each year of experience of work, 2 years of credit for nursing degree. but when is it actually applied.

AdammRN: You had your interview at Scott! Please tell me more, as this is where I will do my interview, hopefully soon!!!

Carolinapooh: I know you have probably left for COT, but I was wondering if Lackland was you first choice or what? I really, REALLY want to be stationed at Lackland, this is my first choice! Just wondering of what my chances are of getting it.
How is COT? How did you go about getting your uniforms?
How much time of prior service and RN experience did you have that counted toward your rank/pay? Was it all active duty prior service?

I just finished my application, now I need to do my physical and get all my letters of reference from my instructors. Then I'll have my interview with the CON, but instead of going to Scott, he is going to fly to Chicago (hopefully) so we can do all the interviews at once. I'll be going to the board in January. Hopefully I can get approved by Feb 5th and have an expedited trip to COT in March. Otherwise, I'll be in the May COT. I think I'm gonna shoot for Travis, CA for my first base.

My recruiter told me he has 100% acceptance and every one of his recruits has gotten their first base choice everytime. I'm pretty pumped.

danegerous: Was wondering who your recruiter was, since you are obviously around Chicago?

It was SSgt Daniel Harvoth. He covers the north-midwest, so if you're from around me, he would be yours, too. And he's good.

Yup, that would be him. It was SSgt Kristine Oliver before him. I started talking to SSgt Oliver in March 2008. He took over for her in May/June this year, so I have been talking to him for quite a while. He has recently passed my file onto the recruiter in Michigan. He said that they help each other out all the time since they are so close geographically. So I am talking to him and the guys in MI.

Well the colonel I interviewed with was Ed Farley. This base is downsizing to become just a clinic I think, so we can't put it on our 'dream list' and you will see a lot of stuff boarded up when you go there.

He is a very nice man and he didn't ask me any weird questions like I have heard in previous interviews. It was odd in the beginning because of the way things were phrased, it sounded like he didn't know I was an RN, even though he had my application and questionnaire answers in front of him (ripe with nursing stuff). He explained a lot of things about the AF to me but most of it I already knew because of reading these forums. He asked me why I chose nursing, and why the Air Force. Of course I answered every question honestly. I told him about a couple of people I had talked to that were AD and prior AF, as well as that I have been reading this forum about AF nursing. It was really just a real general discussion about myself and what I was looking for in terms of my career. He asked me about my future plans, and I told him I was considereing ANP/FNP or CRNA or both, and he said those are great but also mentioned pursuit of leadership/management (he is a chief nurse after all). He made sure I knew about deployment and having to carry a weapon when deployed to hostile environments.

He asked me the core mission statement, as well as the three values. If you know them it does impresses! If you have questions to ask, he was very happy to answer.