Re: Questions about the Air Force Originally Posted by mobro 
i am currently in my first RN position and it's grueling- every day i leave i wonder why i ever went to nursing school- i hate it most of the time. but i know if i stick it out it will get better. so maybe i'll hate the air force too- sure i'm stuck for four years but honestly will it be THAT bad?
I can relate to how you are feeling. I quit a good paying job to return to nursing school. I spent a ton of money and got myself into a great deal of debt, which I'm sure I'll be paying until I retire! I took my first job and immediately started to regret my decision to become a nurse. I felt stupid every day and I left both mentally and physically exhausted. Fast forward to today and things are completely different. I really love my job and feel it was the best decision I could have made. While I am far from being an expert, I feel much more comfortable in my clinical decision making and I am a much more confident nurse. It took a lot of time but it will come.
It's funny because I read so many of the posts on this site about the decision to join the military...should I? shouldn't I?....and I think "that was me not so long ago". Now that I'm in the AF I think "what was the big deal? why was I so worried?" I don't mean to belittle anyone's feelings of doubt; joining the military is a HUGE decision mostly because you can't just up and quit. It's just that I don't personally see any difference in my (personal) life now than I did when I worked as a civilian. As for my work life, well that has greatly improved. The camaraderie is amazing. My patient load is slightly less but it feels like a lot less because I have so much help. I have received a ridiculous amount of training in my specialty as well as leadership training.
I work with many young nurses who say that when their commitment is complete that they are getting out. When I've asked, not one of them says they regret their time served. Most (and my most I mean the people I know, not to generalize everyone) get out because they are homesick or left behind boyfriends/girlfriends that they want to go home to. Each says they will be a better nurse because of their service. So in a long winded effort, I'm trying to say it won't be THAT bad.
I have spoken to 2 people I know that were/are nurses in the AF, and both say it's way better than being a civilian, as well as a 3rd person in the AF, not in nursing, that seems to be enjoying himself.
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