One year later... (AF nursing)

Specialties Government

Published

  • Specializes in mental health, military nursing.

Greetings, all!

Haven't been on here in ages, but I thought I'd offer the advice and experience I wish I had before I commissioned into the USAF last year. I'm a mental health nurse with almost five years of experience, commissioned Dec 2011, stationed at Travis AFB (home of the largest Air Force hospital, David Grant Medical Center).

If anyone has any questions, ask away! Or PM me!

ATLRN0828

166 Posts

Specializes in Hematology/Oncology.

Hi aura_of_laura!

So you commissioned in Dec 2011; have you been to COT or you have already been in the AF for one year? What advice would you give to someone who is applying to the AFNC? My packet has already been submitted and I should hear word around the end of February. How has your first year in the USAF been so far? What do you like or not like about it? How do you like Travis AFB (I think that was one of the bases I listed on my sheet)?

Thank you for sharing. If you rather PM me you can.

ATLRN0828

aura_of_laura

321 Posts

Specializes in mental health, military nursing.

Hi, ATLRN!

I went to COT last January, so I've been working at my base since last February. Travis AFB is great! It's close to San Francisco, the beach, Napa, the redwoods, the mountains - really, everything. And the weather is ALWAYS beautiful. My biggest recommendation is to find someone in your specialty (and preferably at the same base) and pick their brain before you sign on the dotted line - recruiters don't know anything, and even the Chief Nurse interview will give you a lot of pie-in-the-sky nonsense - it's been a long time since the Chief Nurse has worked on a floor.

Things that I didn't expect when I joined:

1. The hospitals are small- like, community hospital small. I work for the "flagship" hospital of the AF, and we just got a cardiac surgery unit last year. It's a very small work environment, which a lot of people like. I like the fast-paced hustle and bustle of a big teaching hospital.

2. Most of our patients are VA and retired, with some Active Duty mixed in. I thought that I'd get great exposure to cutting edge mental health care, with lots of active duty with post-combat issues, like TBI and PTSD - 85% of my patients are homeless Vietnam vets there for placement. Also, we work with VA and contract nurses, and they make double what we do.

3. There isn't much camaraderie among officers. The enlisted side is tight-knit, and people tend to make friends for life. Maybe it's because most officers come in in the middle of their careers, and already have families and such, and we're such a small part of the AF, but you REALLY have to try to get to know people.

4. Many people fret about deployment before they commission - once they get in, they look forward to deployment as a break from the politics and drama of everyday military nursing.

5. Due to the cost of moving people around, there is much less PCSing than the old days. All hospital personnel at my base have to stay four years before they can be PCS'd - and, oh, look, that's another 2 year commitment! Same goes for going to school, or changing specialties - it's tough to get it approved. It's nothing for a nurse to spend 8-10 years at one base. For my specialty, I can only go two places - that was a shocker!

On the positive side, it's a good job, and your AF coworkers will probably be awesome. Benefits are pretty good, but you earn them.

Best of luck to you :-)

ATLRN0828

166 Posts

Specializes in Hematology/Oncology.

Thank you so much for you reply!

I applied for med/surg since I currently work in hem-onc and have no ICU or ER experience. I'm not sure if I like the fact of staying at one base for extended periods of time. One reason I'd like to join is for the benefit of travelling and experience different cultures. So if/when you PCS, that's another 2 year commitment? I was not told that! That is also suprising to hear about the camaraderie among the officers. But maybe not , since recruiters (and CNOs) probably really want you to join so they paint a good picture. I was told at my CNO interview that I have experience on my side and though they do not like to send someone overseas as their first base that it could happen since I have 4+ years experience as a nurse.

Is it difficult to get the OK to go to school? How are the shifts? Do you get a lot of off time? Are your days off consumed by additional military duties?

allnurses Guide

wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA

5,125 Posts

Specializes in Anesthesia.

Aura,

You need to know a lot of your experiences are unique to your base and your specialty. There are only a few hospitals in the military that deal with a large number of injured soldiers/Airmen/Marines etc. VA and contract nurses make a lot more than you do right now, but for midlevel officers that is hardly the case of course being in California nursing salaries are a lot higher than the national average anyways.

What you are seeing with "camaraderie" among officers is unique to Travis. Travis has a bad reputation from the nurses that I know in several of the areas there. I personally still have officer and enlisted friends from every base I have been to.

In psych nursing you may spend 8-10 years at one base, but it is rare for other nurses to spend longer than 4-5yrs at one base. The PCS cycles haven't changed that much for nurses. We used to PCS every 3-4 yrs and now it is approximately every 4.5 yrs for stateside and 3 yrs for most overseas slots. I am on my 4th PCS in 10 yrs time, and I have been at my current base for 2 yrs. The longest I have stayed at any one base has been 3.5 yrs so far. The more rank and more time you have in the more say so you usually have in making career decisions in the military.

One of the fun things about PCSng or deploying after you have been in awhile is seeing people you haven't seen in a long time. It is always kinda of funny running into people from other places that look familiar, but you cannot seem to place where there are from, so you sit there and you go through your PCS/stations with each other until you find the connection. I have met people I haven't seen in 8+ yrs half way around the world. I also met someone I graduated high school with and hadn't seen in over 20 yrs during a deployment in the middle of the desert.

Getting used to the military is big adjustment, and it will take a couple of years at least.

The most useful advice I can give you is this: "The best thing about commanders is that they change every two years".

aura_of_laura

321 Posts

Specializes in mental health, military nursing.

They told me the same thing about going overseas, that I'd almost certainly get to because of my experience (my whole dream sheet was in Europe) - not until I got out of COT did I find out that mental health TECHs can go overseas, but mental health nurses can only go to CA and TX. The nice thing is that you get to find out your first station before you commission, so if you get sent to Minot, ND, you can alway back out :-)

It is difficult to get the AF to pay you to go to school as your assignment (AFIT), but you can always go in your spare time. That's what I'm doing. They do offer tuition assistance, but it comes with added commitment, but there's a lot of nuance with it.

Most units work 12 hour shifts, "Panama schedule" (3 on, 2 off, 2on, 3 off), but depending on your unit you may do a lot of on-call time, too - you're pretty much on call 24/7 as a military nurse, but some specialties do a lot more overtime (like ICU). We also come in for a lot of extra duties (usually an extra 10 hours a week). Pay is set by rank, and we don't get paid for overtime, meetings, holidays, etc. I notice this the most when I'm working nights and have to be in for 3 different meetings on my day off! If you work in a clinic, you work M-F, 9 hour days. Unless you specialize before commissioning (which I don't know if they have an oncology specialty), you don't usually get to pick what your specialty is, or where you get stationed. For instance, my husband was a CC/tele nurse as a civilian, and now works in a clinic answering phones all day.

RN4Life2

45 Posts

Specializes in Psych.

I am in the process of waiting to see if I am accepted, I'll find out end of this month. I am currently a MH nurse and I am going for my cert in the next several months. I am prier enlisted and was looking forward to the camaraderie but is sounds its not as tight as I remember it, anyhow that can change. Also, I was given a list of basses that our field "MH" can go to and it included Germany and Japan. I am somewhat shocked to learn that only ca and tx are the bases choices. It does make some since considering that I just heard that they "AF" are routing nurses to ca and tx.

One of my worries is working nights, I am not a night person but can tolerate for several months. Is there a rotation for nights or once your on nights that's it? Another concern, as you mentioned, are deployments. How often do MH nurses deploy?

As with the PCS's, I don't mind being at a base for an extended time as long as I get Travis, but I was wanting to take advantage of AFIT. The CN that I interviewed with said before I even sat-down that I would be a contender. Ether way I'm going to get my MSN. What kind of programs do they have for edu? Then I have some basic questions like, is Travis paper or electronic, nurses do groups, is there room for advancement within the squadron as a MH nurse, what is the Pt. to nurse ratio, what is the average stay of the Pt's?

I have looked up the unit and see it is fairly new and small. I'm used to 16 beds on one unit and we have two adult units. When I am NUS I have 6 units, not all the same size.

I would love to PM you but I need 15 post to do so. Please feel free to PM me.

NursePamela

330 Posts

Thanks for making this post. So, I gather the only two stateside bases for MH are TX and Travis?? I have a "handout" that says; Wright Patterson, Ohio - Maryland/DC - Colorado - and Keesler, Miss. I am guessing that is now old info and with all the "consolidation" it is down to two??

As far as camaraderie is concerned, I have noticed, there is no norm. It just is the right people at the right time. I will also say, I believe a true overseas assignment has more than a stateside assignment because your co-workers are your family.

allnurses Guide

wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA

5,125 Posts

Specializes in Anesthesia.

Elmendorf is supposed to open an inpatient mental health ward in the near future. I don't know the exact date though.

NursePamela

330 Posts

I have heard that about Elmendorf - very exciting! What happened to DC? Surely, they need MH there???

RN4Life2

45 Posts

Specializes in Psych.

I have also heard about Elmendorf opening up. Does anyone know if Japan and Germany is open for oversea assignments?

Yammar

77 Posts

Before I left for COT I asked everyone who knew anything what to expect. The answer I got the most was that you get out of it what you put into it. Go in with a positive attitude and make it work for you.

I think the same thing applies to AF life in general. sure there are politics and a bit of BS here and there, but find any work environment where that does not take place. Overall, the people who show up for work in the mil want to be there and are committed to what they do. Contract nurses, GS nurses and those VA nurses are a huge PIA at times, but its what we got and we make it work.

As far as no camaraderie among officers....yea that must be a Travis thing as both officers/enlisted I have worked with all interact in and out of work like family. I think it takes more than just a year to make an informed opinion about what mil life is like. I have been told you don't aquire a true appreciation/understanding until you get to your second duty assignment...

+ Add a Comment