Air Force or Navy??

allnurses Guide · Sep 1, 2007

Hi there! I'm a relatively new RN/BSN (only 1.5 yrs experience) who is really looking into joining the military. I currently have at least one more year to complete at my current hospital due to recently converting from travel nurse status to full-time staff member. Thus I will have about 2.5yrs or so, depending how long the whole process takes, before I join. I was really looking into the Navy but was wondering how the Air Force compares? I've never really had much exposure to the Air Force - no recruiters and no one in my life w/ personal experience - so I really don't know too much about it. Can anyone offer their opinions - good, bad or indifferent? Also, what rank would I start out in either based on my year of experience? Thanks for any help/information you may be able to offer!

I think if you at some of older posts that you will find most of the answers you need, but let's see what I can answer.

For the 1st 6yrs of RN experience you get 1/2 credit e.g. 2yrs as an RN gets you 1yr credit towards rank, so unless you have atleast 4yrs experience as an RN then you will come in as a 2Lt.

Now as far as I understand it military contracts supercede all other others, so I don't believe their would be any problems if you came in before your contract w/ the hospital runs out.

Each brach of service is a little different, but they all offer the same pay/benefits more or less.

What I need to know before I can really give you any advice about one service or the other is your goals. Do you want to get your masters, go overseas, be deployed, fly, do critical care, be stationed at a large base etc.

Hope this helps,

Capt E, USAF, NC

DanznRN, RN · Sep 1, 2007

WTBCRNA answered some of your questions, but I have this to add. He is right about the contract thing. Do an Internet search for Soldiers and Sailors Act, it is the actual law that will get you out of your current contract. In short, if you come on active duty all you have to do is go to your current employer with the Act and they have to let you out without any penalty, I did this myself twice in the past. Also under the Act the have to hold your job for you for 5 years, read the act through and it's pretty clear. If you have NAvy specific question let me know, I did answer a lot of practical questions in another recent post. Hope this helps.

LCDR Dan

peddler · Sep 8, 2007

Completely different missions comes to mind when comparing the Navy and the Air Force. I don't know where Navy nurses deploy to, but imagine it's on a big ship with air conditioning, and all of the amenities of home. I do know where the Air Force deploys nurses and it's not surrounded by water....but it is by a famous historically significant river....oh...and HOT.

allnurses Guide · Sep 8, 2007

Completely different missions comes to mind when comparing the Navy and the Air Force. I don't know where Navy nurses deploy to, but imagine it's on a big ship with air conditioning, and all of the amenities of home. I do know where the Air Force deploys nurses and it's not surrounded by water....but it is by a famous historically significant river....oh...and HOT.

lol....but I have heard that Navy nurses do get deployed to Iraq also.

LCDR Dan could probably give the best information on where Navy nurses get deployed.

DanznRN, RN · Sep 8, 2007

Peddler-

Allow me to enlighten you. Contrary to your belief Navy nurses do not get deployed with the amenities of home nor do we just sit on a ship. If there's a Marine in the field, there's a Navy nurse there to take care of them. Where the Marines go we go, see the Marines don't have a medical component like the rest of the services, we (Navy) are that component. And the last time I checked, we are supplementing all the other services with nurses cause they don't have enough. So before you start spreading untruths, how about you come with me on a deployment and see how long it takes to get sand out of your shorts, I know I'm still trying and that was from years ago. Some people have NO clue.....

LCDR Dan

2nd FSSG STP (Shock/ Trauma Platoon)

Marines, Camp Lejeune

KAINETX · Sep 12, 2007

one of the big difference in Navy Vs. AF is that in the AF if you join with 12 months experience in a speciality area of nursing you can be designated that type of nurse. in the navy when you first join you 99 percent of the time you are going to Med/Surg or OB and you will have not choice in the matter. as well the AF has the best quality of life of all branch of the military service.

Prior server Vet Both AF/Navy

Bananers · Sep 12, 2007

Completely different missions comes to mind when comparing the Navy and the Air Force. I don't know where Navy nurses deploy to, but imagine it's on a big ship with air conditioning, and all of the amenities of home. I do know where the Air Force deploys nurses and it's not surrounded by water....but it is by a famous historically significant river....oh...and HOT.

I'm in the Navy...(not a Nurse)....and while we have it better than somebody deployed, we don't have all of the amenities of home. The areas where I work can get upwards to 130F depending on the season and location of the ship...also, on an aircraft carrier, our medical department has one nurse....

DanznRN, RN · Sep 14, 2007

Let's not forget that on the carriers, that's one nurse for 6,000 people...sounds like home to me.

LCDR Dan

navynurse06 · Oct 25, 2007

Just to add on about Navy Nurse's deployments.....I just came off of the ship. However, it was no walk in the park. Even though we were stationed on the ship, we did have to get off the ship to do MEDCAPS. It's hot too in the middle of the PI or NAM in the middle of the summer. We had nurses,doctors, and corpsman that conducted missions that entailed them staying out in country in PI and micronesia for wks on end. In the PI we had two members who got malria! So just b/c you are attached to a ship when you are delpoyed doesn't mean that you stay on the ship the whole time! Please don't spread info if you haven't been there or have experience with Navy deployments, etc. Think before you type mistruths!

And how many times do Navy nurses have to post on here that we aren't only deployed on ships? Come on people....like LCDR Dan said we deploy with the Marines, and we are also sending members to Air Force and Army hospitals in the sandbox! Sorry for the venting!

ENS PM