Recruiter Clarification regarding "specialties"

Specialties Government

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I have been toying with the idea of going active for too long and I think I am at the point of getting serious. I am prior Air Force married to active duty Air Force. I have changed jobs too much and have usually worked float pool. I have worked almost all areas ED, Mother baby, Mental Health etc. but I have never worked the units. The recruiter said he could only recruit me to the specialty that I have been working in for the last 6 months and since I technically have no specialty he said he could only give me med-surg. Does anyone have any insight into this? What kind of nurses work the clinics? Are they med-surg or are they a "clinic nurse"? I have nothing against med-surg but it would not be my first choice. Also does anyone know if you do go med-surg what is the minimum time you have to stay med-surg before you change to a different specialty??

Thanks for your help,

Pam

I just found out from a different recruiter that it can be 6-12 months exp but it does not have to be the most recent. sooo if this is so, it is a good thing.

When a recruiter tells you take this "job" and you can transfer later. Is that really as easy as it sounds or is it more recruiter BS?

Specializes in 66H.

i dont know about air force but in the army, once you have been in for about a year, you can request to go to a specialty school. you can normally get a school around the 1.5-2 yr mark (or tdy en route to next duty station so closer to 3). at least this is my experience.

IMHO... ya wanna know how to tell if a recruiter is lying? His (her) lips are moving! :lol2:

Actually, this is not always the case and I can't speak for the AF (I got out in 84). What I can tell you is that the recruiter (Army) talked my daughter into considering the Army (AF was closed and she was walking towards the Navy office when intercepted...). DD wanted a medical field since she had designs on nursing in her future. He showed her what she would be able to do. I met her a MEPS (its great to live in the same city as the MEPS!) and the "career counselor" showed her what was available for her to sign up for. She was devastated....there was nothing medical there!

I simply told her that since she hadn't signed anything yet she could walk away. She decided to take my advice. Interesting that the career counselor suddenly found some openings in the medical field! She then signed up as a combat medic.

Now here is the jist of it: the needs of the service outweighs your needs or wants. If they need med-surg, I would not put it past a recruiter to tell this is all you can have. May be true. Maybe not. Honestly, only the recruiter knows.

Specializes in 66H.

enlisted and officer side dont always work the same way. for an enlisted soldier, unless its in your contract dont expect to get it. i know for army, i have never met a nurse (officer side) who did not have the opportunity to go to a specialty course. maybe not right away, but within like 3 years so i guess it depends on your idea of what a long time is. most nurses come in as a med/surg nurse. if you have experience you can come in with an identifier, but then you will not be sent to the course. Even if you dont go to a course you can still have the identifier granted. for example if you work the er for x amount of time then you can put in for that identifier. just bc you are a med/surg nurse does not mean that you can not work in other areas. I am a med/surg nurse, came in as a brand new grad and have worked 1.5 yrs on l&d.

once again i dont know if this information would apply to you if you're wanting to go into the airforce. i do know that recruiters dont know it all. they cant. they tell you what they think is the answer and yesterday it could have been the right answer but today the wrong one. if you want more information, then push them to get it. there is always a boss and just go over their head.

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