AF Reserves - How much time in the beginning?

Miss Mab · Oct 7, 2008

Well, it's a little tricky to answer your question because it would greatly depend on what squadron and AFSC you were coming in with. Are you going AES, ASTS, the regular Med Group?They're all going to have a different initial training scenario--so different in fact that while one RN will be spending (hold on, I gotta go count with my fingers and toes again) a total of about 19 weeks away from home and unit before coming back to finally get qualified to do the job you signed up for, another experienced RN heading to the hospital group and the MDS for example may not require any additional training than what we'd expect at any new facility orientation (policies and procedures, unit protocols, etc). That's not to say there won't be a dung-load of inprocessing paperwork and general acclimation to the AF stuff but no, you won't be having to go away for months at a time before you can actually 'get to work'.

Think about it this way, there are myriad roles for RN's in the AF and beside all of us attending COT--which is really 5 weeks BTW because they're not counting weekends in that total--my school orders ended up being written for 36 days---but after that singular shared training everyone's experience will be different depending on what they signed up to do. Sorry it's not clearer than that. Or that I'm not crystal clear on anyone else's path but my own.

But just from what I've gathered thus far, I really don't think the reserve side does much 'new Nurse' training because don't they not generally take new grads with no experience? I don't know, maybe they do get sent to a med surg course somewhere but I haven't heard of it if that's the case. The enlisted med techs definitely go off on a pretty structured medical training course but it seems to me somehow that most of the reserve nurses(can only speak to AF as it's what I know)come in with some level of applicable specialty experience already. Truthfully, I'm also thinking that this may be simply because the AFR commissioning process is soooooo protracted that by the time any of us swears in then of course we're bound to have at least a year-18 months experience already?

Who knows....Sorry to not have a clearer answer but honestly, there just isn't a one size fits each new AFR nurse training plan. Maybe there should be? I'm not far enough along to really make that judgement for myself. Also, though my unit is made up of mostly nurses and med techs, we are actually not considered part of the medical command but instead under the Operations Group so maybe that's also why I haven't seen any structured Reserve Nurse Corps training program if there even is such a thing.

OH! Last thing. I was struck by the wording of your post when you said about how much time "in the beginning" of the service. I get what you're saying of course, the get up to speed initial training, etc. I just want to make sure that folks know that, and again I can only speak positively as to my nurse AFSC(flight), but people need to be clear that while, yes, you'll need 19 some odd weeks of out of town training when you first come aboard before you are officially qualified and 'good to go', it would be HIGHLY unusual for those many weeks and months to flow straight through in a seemless and linear fashion. It just don't work that way. It's a bit of a catch-22 I think. As a reservist, I do want to minimize the inconvenience I am dropping onto my civilian employer and so on the one hand it might be great if we could just say yep I joined, I'll be gone for 5 months straight but then I'll be back and we can get into some semblance of a normal routime honoring both commitments and life will adjust. Unfortunately, it's more of a start/stop/stall process. You may do any number of months of UTA weekends at home before you even head out to begin step one which is the 5 weeks of COT. Then perhaps back to the 'real world' for 4 to 6 or 8 weeks, then off to SERE for 3, then back home for again maybe a month, or maybe just two weeks before you're leaving for the next 5 week school. There's no one at fault w/this scenario either. It just is and I'm sure each member has what can only be an unique to them experience. It's simply common threads.

I hope no one is misinterpreting what I am saying as a big cheesy vent 'cause it's really not. Selfishly, the drawn out way has actually been a good match for my personal situation right now(grad school and ultra patient fiance) but I do get worried for newer accessions who may hear the recruiter lay out the training plan(i.e., 18 weeks and you're qualified) and then imagine a straight line from here to there and pretend it's a singular mini deployment if you will 'cause really, what's 5 months when this is something we certainly WANT to do. You should just be aware that family/employers/friends/etc. sometimes don't embrace what can be the long back and forth of getting up to speed--especially when it starts heading toward(and over) the year mark! :)

Boy, that really was a serious babble...I'm now wondering if your poor question was even answered! LOL...

Good luck to you and keep calling that recruiter 'till you get the info and answers that you need. BTW, I never felt misled in any way by either of the recruiters I dealt with. I know we've heard some horror stories on here lately but I got everything I required to be confident in my decision and, well, that's all I have to say about that.

Good luck to you,

LT Mab