Active Duty CRNA v Guard , HPSP, and Autonomy

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Hello,

My husband is currently a flight nurse in the Air National Guard. He is a Captain and has been in for almost 11 years. He is now 1 year into CRNA school (3 year DNP program) and has researched his opportunities for jobs after graduation. He is not planning to get out of the military until he retires, but is trying to make a decision about active duty versus staying in the guard after graduation. Currently he is trying to balance school and still attend drill weekends, which is becoming increasingly difficult and I'm sure will be harder in the thick of clinicals over the next 2 years.

Here are our options for after graduation:

1. Take a civilian CRNA job and stay in the Air National Guard (probably just as a flight nurse, which will be a big pay cut on the weekends). This option will require considerable loans and will require balancing drill and school over the next 2 years.

2. Go active duty and get the HPSP scholarship for the next 2 years. This would require two years of active duty after graduation, but would mean no loans and no drill while in school. Currently he is going to drill one weekend a month while in CRNA school, but with the HPSP option, he would have no military requirements until after he graduates. (We already know he qualifies for the HPSP).

Making the decision to go active duty versus stay in the guard is very challenging. The biggest question we have is:

If he goes active duty, we are aware that active duty CRNA's are very autonomous. Being a one year SRNA, this makes him very nervous. Any active duty CRNA's, do you wish you would have been LESS autonomous upon graduation? My husband is very hard working but doesn't want to graduate and feel lost or unsupported as a new CRNA. He's in a very good program, but I'm concerned that it may not prepare him for that level of autonomy, as it is preparing students for civilian CRNA jobs. We also were informed the case load for active duty AF CRNA's is very high, which makes him nervous as well. Did anyone feel prepared after graduating from a civilian CRNA school to be an active duty CRNA??

I'm a nurse and educator and we have 2 little kids. My job is flexible and I would be okay with the 6 month active duty deployments. I'm actually pushing him to do active duty, not only for the money from the HPSP, but I've always wanted to be active duty. I feel like he's on a deployment right now since he's so busy with school, so it would mean 2 more years of sacrifice from a family perspective, but it also means I could quit my 2 current jobs I'm working to put him through school and we would come out of CRNA school with no loans at all.

Anyone who can help, we really appreciate it!

Janelle, MSN, RN, CEN