Air Force FY2016

Specialties Government

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Hi! This will be my second time applying as a NICU RN for the Air Force. I'm applying to the September boards. It would be great to hear from anyone applying to these boards as well! I posted a different thread a while back about this same thing, but it got no responses. Figured i would try again!

:)

What type of nursing did you do while in Air Force? Can you elaborate on your glory days? :) I love to hear from veterans

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I was commissioned right out of college in the early 90's. Did the Med/Surg NTP. Got deployed to Cuba (Guantanamo Bay) to take care of Haitian and Cuban migrants in 1994. Great experience working w/ a Joint Task Force. Also got to experience a field hospital in action.

After that, went to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey. Loved it! In addition to getting tax free and hazardous duty pay, we had a lot of four day weekends to travel. Got to go all over the beautiful country of Turkey and took 3 trips to Europe as well. Clinically, it was great because it was a true multi-service unit. Took care of all age groups and even did some labor and delivery and post-partum. Got tons of education: ABLS (Advanced Burn Life Support), TNCC, PALS, NRC and ACLS training while there. Had a few M*A*S*H type situations where we had trauma pts. that had to be stabalized but we had no ICU, no blood bank. We all pitched in and did a great job for those two patients. Had to get O neg. volunteers to donate blood and gave the patients whole blood transfusions.

Next assignment was ICU at Andrews AFB. Pretty quiet ICU but got good experience transporting patients to Bethesda and Walter Reed on a regular basis (mostly via ground but one or two by helicopter). Did some staffing relief at Walter Reed. A much more intense ICU experience. Was on the medical team that had to be on standby when Air Force One landed. Once we had to hang out w/ all of our mobility gear in the Aerovac staging area b/c there was a terrorist threat on the president during one of his State of the Union addresses.

While at Incirlik, I met my A.D. husband and we got married while I was at Andrews and he was at Bolling AFB. I later separated b/c we wished to have a family and the A.F. was not cooperating w/ giving us a joint assignment.

I've been lucky to work in the past as a civilian contract nurse at Wliford Hall. Like being in the Air Force w/o all the mandatory stuff.

I say those were my "glory days" b/c compared to civilian life, it was when I learned the most (all my assignments except Incirlik were teaching hospitals), had the most opportunities, had the most challenging patients and worked with the best damn group of people I ever have worked with since. Not to mention the world travel, ha, ha!

There certainly are annoyances that come w/ being property of the U.S. Government. I won't deny that. Also, I know things have changed since I separated in 1997. However, the quality of the people you come into contact with (co-workers,

patients, neighbors) does not come close to what I've experienced in the civilian sector. Perhaps I've just had bad luck w/ the civilian hospitals I've worked at though.

Sorry for the thread-jack.

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I was commissioned right out of college in the early 90's. Did the Med/Surg NTP. Got deployed to Cuba (Guantanamo Bay) to take care of Haitian and Cuban migrants in 1994. Great experience working w/ a Joint Task Force. Also got to experience a field hospital in action.

After that, went to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey. Loved it! In addition to getting tax free and hazardous duty pay, we had a lot of four day weekends to travel. Got to go all over the beautiful country of Turkey and took 3 trips to Europe as well. Clinically, it was great because it was a true multi-service unit. Took care of all age groups and even did some labor and delivery and post-partum. Got tons of education: ABLS (Advanced Burn Life Support), TNCC, PALS, NRC and ACLS training while there. Had a few M*A*S*H type situations where we had trauma pts. that had to be stabalized but we had no ICU, no blood bank. We all pitched in and did a great job for those two patients. Had to get O neg. volunteers to donate blood and gave the patients whole blood transfusions.

Next assignment was ICU at Andrews AFB. Pretty quiet ICU but got good experience transporting patients to Bethesda and Walter Reed on a regular basis (mostly via ground but one or two by helicopter). Did some staffing relief at Walter Reed. A much more intense ICU experience. Was on the medical team that had to be on standby when Air Force One landed. Once we had to hang out w/ all of our mobility gear in the Aerovac staging area b/c there was a terrorist threat on the president during one of his State of the Union addresses.

While at Incirlik, I met my A.D. husband and we got married while I was at Andrews and he was at Bolling AFB. I later separated b/c we wished to have a family and the A.F. was not cooperating w/ giving us a joint assignment.

I've been lucky to work in the past as a civilian contract nurse at Wliford Hall. Like being in the Air Force w/o all the mandatory stuff.

I say those were my "glory days" b/c compared to civilian life, it was when I learned the most (all my assignments except Incirlik were teaching hospitals), had the most opportunities, had the most challenging patients and worked with the best damn group of people I ever have worked with since. Not to mention the world travel, ha, ha!

There certainly are annoyances that come w/ being property of the U.S. Government. I won't deny that. Also, I know things have changed since I separated in 1997. However, the quality of the people you come into contact with (co-workers,

patients, neighbors) does not come close to what I've experienced in the civilian sector. Perhaps I've just had bad luck w/ the civilian hospitals I've worked at though.

Sorry for the thread-jack.

Certainly not a thread-jack. As a select, I am greatly appreciative of your post and I can't tell you how many times I smiled reading it.

I hope I can go overseas quickly, I should've asked my recruiter if there's anything I/he can do in order to make it known that I desire to go overseas.

P.S. Those do seem like "glory days"...if I had half a career of yours, I would be thoroughly satisfied.

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Yes thank you for sharing and thank you for your service. I hope to have a venture similar to yours your story is amazing.

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Congrats to all who were selected. I was selected as well and was hoping to find out at what point I can apply for a military ID card for myself and my family. That way I can purchase my uniforms and all that I need for COT.

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I hope I can go overseas quickly, I should've asked my recruiter if there's anything I/he can do in order to make it known that I desire to go overseas.

I'm not sure. I got to Turkey b/c at the time it was (and probably still is) considered a remote assignment. At that time, if you volunteered for a remote assignment, you generally got it b/c they didn't have enough volunteers to fill all the slots. I was burnt out after three years working Med-Surg/Onc. at Keesler and wanted out of there. Anywhere overseas was ok w/ me. I just wanted an adventure. (Young, w/ no commitments.) Volunteered for Korea and Turkey. Got the better deal w/ Turkey though some may disagree :-) The day I flew in, I knew nothing about the country except what I read in a guide book. Was so, so pleasantly surprised!

I imagine that once you meet your minimum time at your first assignment rules, you will be eligible for a remote. Your recruiter should know.

Good luck to you :-)!

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Does anyone know if rank is based on years or experience or both? I am hoping to understand how those are assigned.

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Specializes in NICU.

THey take your years of experience and half it. And they count that towards your rank.

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After 3 years of applying, I FINALLY got selected as a Pediatric Nurse Practioner! Super excited to find out when me COT is amd where I'll be stationed.

Congrats to all of you selected already and good luck to the others :)

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Thank my cell phone and rushed typing in between seeing patients for the MIS-spellings. P.S. Am I the only one DYING to find out more information?!

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Specializes in NICU.

You're not the only one! I want to know so bad! I keep checking my email and have my phone on me at all times lol it's so hard not to text my recruiter every day to see if he knows anything new! Ugh!

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Specializes in Med-Surg/Oncology.

My recruiter told me today that everything is still not completely finalized in the computer but I am tentatively in for San Antonio with a COT date of May 23. It isn't set in stone, of course very little in the Air Force ever is until it happens, but this is something to aim at. I hope you all find out soon. Also, interesting side note, my recruiter said this board had a 57% acceptance rate for FQ Med Surg applicants, with 30 being accepted. I know the suspense can drive you crazy but I wish everyone the best of luck and look forward to seeing many of you at COT in May.

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