No AF Reserve on Mandatory Deployment?

Drill is going to be something you need to find out about sooner rather than later. I am a flight nurse, the closest AES (squadron) is in Fayetteville, NC (Pope AFB) and that is where I'm stationed. I have friends that I work with (in the same hospital as civilians) that drive 3 hours further away for drill to Charleston, SC because that's where their AES is. If I were to get a CCAT position (critical care air transport), then I would have to travel to the base I was stationed in (Dobbins in Atlanta is the closest). So that's what you need to find out, is the closest base that you can even possibly work at.

The hospital DOES have to let you go to drill and any deployment. That being said, you have to make sure you get dates and paperwork to them ASAP when you know something is going on. Technically, they can't fire you, but they just have to give you a job doing the same thing. Example: You work nights/weekends on a med/tele floor...you get deployed for 6 months (just and example), they need a nurse, so they hire one. When you get back, they have a job for you as an RN still, but now it's on a neuro floor, day shift. That type of thing. So, they didn't fire you, but they don't have to hold a spot for you in the same unit on the same shift. Most will, but they don't have to. AF Reserves are often deployed for shorter time periods than some women take off for maternity leave, so it really shouldn't be hard to keep the same postion on the same unit.

They HAVE to let you go to drill. There is no option for them. They do NOT have to keep you in the same position, same unit, etc. You could be told that they want you to work a Mon-Tue after drill weekends, or Thur before your weekend and Monday after...who knows. But they can't not allow you to be gone for drill.

They can make working there suck for you so you want to leave, though. I have not met people like that, but they are around.

By rghbsn saying the hospital HAS to let you, they're saying that there is a Federal law that protects you and forbids them from saying you can't go, or that they'll fire you if you do.

In the rules it also states they have to give you off time for rest and travel to your reserve center. Which means if you have to report for drill at 0730 Sat. a.m. and the reserve center is across the street they can not make you work the 7p-7a shift Friday night with you getting off Sat. a.m. Also they can not make you return to work Sunday eve at 7p after you get off drill on Sunday afternoon.

Also, they can not make you use benefit time for the time that you miss for military duty. If you miss any shifts for reserve duty they also do not have to pay you for that time unless there is a union contract that states that or if they give you x number of hours of military leave.

Very true and some places have made it that way, others have bent over backwards for the reservist. The biggest thing is to work with them by letting them know as far in advance as possible about your military activities and the time that you need off. Sometimes all it takes is a little education for the employers to know what they can and can't not do. If you have any problems get ahold of the ESGR at esgr.com who are there to support you and educate the employers on yours & your employers rights.