Positives on Air Force Nursing

myrose · Jul 20, 2008

I have some of the same questions regarding the Air Force. I am a little worried that no one has replied to your question.

JDCitizen · Jul 20, 2008

Hmmm I will try not from experience but what I have been told and have read to this point. Only way for sure is to speak with an Air Force Health professions recruiter.

Air Force:

1) Bonus and/or school loan (seems to be some variance with training so I won't give amounts)

2) Shorter tours (Iv read been told 4 months)

3) Better housing options and more family oriented..

4) COT (officer training 1 month, i.e. you go in as an officer)..

5) Continuing education (seems they like you better trained / educated).

Yes I know I been told is not the same as been there but looks like reposes have been slim to this thread.

If I get cleared by the SG: I will go in a captain with enough credit to be two years out from major.

I think some of the hoops one has to go through is worse with the Air Force but each branch seems to have it's idiosyncrasies.

I have an acquaintance (friend) who has recently entered the Air Force maybe she will post something soon (hint, hint) :clown:

The Little Greek · Jul 21, 2008

For all you AF nurses and those who know about it, shed some light on me please!!! what are the positives about the air force? how are the deployments, hospitals, whatever you want to tell me! Thanks:)

I think JD may have been referring to me in that last post :coollook:

I am newly commissioned and fresh out of COT so my experience is limited but I will say that I really like what I've experienced thus far. The training is amazing and I've gotten more attention in that department than I ever did in civilian. I will also say that I have been well taken care of on a personal level...my supervisors are always asking if everything is going well at home, do I have housing, am I getting paid correctly, etc.

Deployments are changing but I can't speak to them very intelligently at this point. Right now there is so much to learn that my understanding of deployments is a little foggy. If I'm correct, I believe they have changed from 4 months to 179 days. You may wonder why 179 days--good question. There is something magic about 180 (can't remember if it's special pay but it's something special) so if they keep you under 180 they don't have to dish out that "something special".

So far the hospital I'm stationed at is no different than any civilian hospital I've worked out EXCEPT that everyone is much nice and much more helpful. The civilian contractors are even nice. Hospitals have good and bad just like civilian so to me it's not much different....now ask me in a year and that may change.

Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions. Like I said, I'm new to this but I'll do my best. There are other AF nurses on this board with MUCH more exp than I so hopefully they can offer more. Also, try searching some old threads. When I was researching on this board I spent hours reading the posts and learned a ton.

ND_RN · Jul 21, 2008

Hello...I am also looking heavily into the AF reserve. I am 35 years old (and not getting any younger, so I have decided it's now or never)..

Now, I have been a nurse for over 12 years, with experience in ER, ICU/CCU, Recovery Room, LTC and psych. I am from ND and would have to drive to MNPLS, MN to the nearest medical unit.

This is for the reserves, it's probably different for active AF. In the reserve, for this unit, I would be qualified (hopefully for sure, after an interview in a few weeks) for the flight nursing, which is a high need area. I would have a sign on bonus of $45,000 dollars. I would have to commit to "drilling" one weekend a month (plus a little more, due to a lot of training and upkeep on certificates, etc.) for at least 3 years of active drilling and another 5 of active if I choose or IRR.

PLUS, I believe flight time at least every 60 days. So the committment is more for a flight nurse in the reserve, than for say a clinic reserve nurse. I believe the reserve flight nurses fly more than the active duty ones.

I was told with this unit...all have been volunteer deployments at this point. These have been lasting anywhere from 3-4 months.

The training for flight nursing is 5-6 months of active duty initially, and then you move into your reserve role. The training includes flight school in Texas, and then Officer training school, survival school and then time to be equipped and fitted with your unit and the plane you will be flying with.

If anyone can tell me how the officer school is, the flight school is and the survival school is I would greatly appreciate that. Since I really have no idea what to expect there. I've heard process to get to that point is anywhere from 4 months to 9 months. I would also like to know if there are any books that one can get ahead of time to review and read before flight school, since I have a few months to do some reading before the ball even gets rolling with this.

My dad was AF and my grandfather Navy, and other grandfather, plus uncles army. They all say the AF treated ("pampered") their people a little better. I would agree after talking to different Vets. I currently am a manager at the ND Veteran's home, so I only think it would be fitting and quite an honor to bring the younger generation of vet's home and take care of the older ones at the end of life.

I hope I didn't bore you too much. Please forward me or drop me an email, if you hear any other information on AF, as I too noticed that there is not a lot of information on AF nursing.

Have a good day! Rebecca

JDCitizen · Jul 22, 2008

I think JD may have been referring to me in that last post
I am newly commissioned and fresh out of COT so my experience is limited but I will say that I really like what I've experienced thus far. The training is amazing and I've gotten more attention in that department than I ever did in civilian. I will also say that I have been well taken care of on a personal level...my supervisors are always asking if everything is going well at home, do I have housing, am I getting paid correctly, etc.
Deployments are changing but I can't speak to them very intelligently at this point. Right now there is so much to learn that my understanding of deployments is a little foggy. If I'm correct, I believe they have changed from 4 months to 179 days. You may wonder why 179 days--good question. There is something magic about 180 (can't remember if it's special pay but it's something special) so if they keep you under 180 they don't have to dish out that "something special".
So far the hospital I'm stationed at is no different than any civilian hospital I've worked out EXCEPT that everyone is much nice and much more helpful. The civilian contractors are even nice. Hospitals have good and bad just like civilian so to me it's not much different....now ask me in a year and that may change.
Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions. Like I said, I'm new to this but I'll do my best. There are other AF nurses on this board with MUCH more exp than I so hopefully they can offer more. Also, try searching some old threads. When I was researching on this board I spent hours reading the posts and learned a ton.

You guessed right :yeah:

whip65 · Jul 23, 2008

N.D._RN,

Hi! I have just started looking into AF Reserve or Air Guard flight nursing. I am just getting out of an enlistment in the Army Guard and have just gotten my BSN and passed boards. I am from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and am curious about which unit you are looking at 934th Reserves or 109th Air Guard and about how much flying would be involved. It would be great to hear more details if you have any!!! Thanks!

midwesternboy · Jul 23, 2008

Hello,

for those of you who have worked both civilian and military,

1. how is the nurse to pt. ratio?

2. Do you have techs in the military that help? I know their are corpsmen/women, health care technicians, etc, but do they function as aides, LPNs, etc?

I currently work in a civilian hospital that is phasing out the aides and making all the nurses work in pairs as "team nurses." However, they haven't decreases our pt loads, so now we have the same number of pt's and more work.

Any insight into the military working environment would be very helpful.

Thanks

-recent BSN

JDCitizen · Jul 23, 2008

Hello,
for those of you who have worked both civilian and military,
1. how is the nurse to pt. ratio?
2. Do you have techs in the military that help? I know their are corpsmen/women, health care technicians, etc, but do they function as aides, LPNs, etc?
I currently work in a civilian hospital that is phasing out the aides and making all the nurses work in pairs as "team nurses." However, they haven't decreases our pt loads, so now we have the same number of pt's and more work.
Any insight into the military working environment would be very helpful.
Thanks
By the way I loved my aides... Still talk with aids when I make rounds...
-recent BSN

Way down here in yea old Georgia when I first got out of school the hospital went with the concept of team nursing. It looks good on paper and sounds good wow two nurses per patient.

Well there is all the patient care issues: Hygiene, medications, IVs, etc etc.. add to that all the procedures that go on during the day. At the same time the hospital required the nurse, not the tech, to go down with a patient for brief procedures leaving one nurse to handle both loads)… Some nurses are not team players, some nurses are slower/faster than others, some have their own peculiar way of doing things and some nurses unfortunately are slack… All these factors helped screw up the team nurse theory.

Ended up basic and advanced care was shortchanged. Multiple nurses left within a few months.. I got to see some very animated arguments between nurses. Patient / family complaints skyrocketed. Needless to say team nursing went out the door. I think it took them over three years to recover with staffing count / mix.

Not saying it cant work… But that’s my story.

JDCitizen · Jul 23, 2008

Way down here in yea old Georgia when I first got out of school the hospital went with the concept of team nursing. It looks good on paper and sounds good wow two nurses per patient.
Well there is all the patient care issues: Hygiene, medications, IVs, etc etc.. add to that all the procedures that go on during the day. At the same time the hospital required the nurse, not the tech, to go down with a patient for brief procedures leaving one nurse to handle both loads)... Some nurses are not team players, some nurses are slower/faster than others, some have their own peculiar way of doing things and some nurses unfortunately are slack... All these factors helped screw up the team nurse theory.
Ended up basic and advanced care was shortchanged. Multiple nurses left within a few months.. I got to see some very animated arguments between nurses. Patient / family complaints skyrocketed. Needless to say team nursing went out the door. I think it took them over three years to recover with staffing count / mix.
Not saying it cant work... But that's my story.

By the way aids should be a well respected part of the healthcare team... They are the ones that usually know the nitty-gritty about the patients and families because they usually spend more time with them....

I have worked to nurses and doctors that worked there way up the chain from being an aid. I can't say they are all the nicest people but I have yet to see better patent care...