Air Force Nurse/Age/Demand

nurse2033, MSN, RN · Jun 2, 2015

How many years of nursing do you have? This would be more of a factor than your age, I think. I would apply ASAP and see what happens. Good luck.

roscoenurse · Jun 2, 2015

Five years LPN/ Five years RN. I'm going to give it a shot. Thanks.

Camo-angel · Jun 3, 2015

Well, right now the Air Force has plenty of nurses. It's still taking nurses in certain specialties but it can now afford to be very picky because it doesn't need a lot of us. With experience you would apply in the FQ category (fully qualified instead of the new nurses with less than 6 months experience). I don't know exact numbers for how many FQ nurses are being taken, nor am I certain what specialties they take. I know they have categories for ER, ICU, clinical, maybe OB, maybe NICU? I'm applying as a new nurse for the NTP (nurse transition program) and to give you an idea of just how picky and competitive it is, last year over 300 people applied for the NTP and they took a grand total of 40. They are looking for the best of the best. I'm not trying to discourage you, simply inform you so you know to really focus and kick butt if you decide to chase this dream!

It's about the same for the other branches, if not worse as far as demand for nurses. Good luck!!

Editorial Team / Moderator · Jun 3, 2015

Hello, I'm sure this is anything but a new topic. I see where the USAF age cut off for nurses is 48. I am a 47 yo, BSN, RN, with 4 years prior active duty Army enlisted. Yes I am interested in returning as a commisioned nurse in the USAF. I have contacted a health care recruiter. My question is: Does anybody have a pulse on the current demand for active duty nurses in the USAF/ other services? I know it fluctuates. Any insight is appreciated. Thanks.

All branches are drawing down, but it seems like the Air Force takes more nurses right now. Good luck!! You'd get that O-1E pay with your prior service.

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Jun 3, 2015

Since you have 4 years of prior service this would make your cut off age as 52 since it can be added to the age limit. With that being said and how competitive it is right now your age could be a factor even with your experience. If there are 2 nurse's with about the same qualifications one is 30 and the other is in their 40's more than likely they will choose the younger one just because the nature of military nursing.

lindarn · Jun 3, 2015

You would probably not be able to get the retirement. You need 20 years to be able to retire.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN, (ret)

Somewhere in the PACNW

tacomaster · Jun 6, 2015

I know you were in the Army as an RN Pixie. Is it possible to submit a packet for two different branches at the same time? have you heard of anyone doing that? I completed my first step and got an OR job (what the Navy and AF needed but surprisingly not the Army) and am now working on getting back in military standards. I was enlisted in the Army for four years.

jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA · Jun 7, 2015

I'll tell you that you definitely don't want to ask your local healthcare recruiter that question. They won't go through all the work to submit a package for you if they think there's any chance that you won't accept an offer from them. Maybe look up a recruiter in another region and call/email them with that question.

tacomaster · Jun 8, 2015

I would never ask my recruiter that question. I am just curious because I read all these posts about people applying year after year and getting rejected for the branch that they want. I'm not overly picky. I served in the Army but worked with all the branches. Air Force gets better housing, better duty stations. Navy seems to promote their nurses quicker over the Army and Air Force.

nurse2033, MSN, RN · Jun 9, 2015

If you consider the Reserve and Guard you will increase the number of jobs available for you. Good luck.

lindarn · Jun 9, 2015

I actually did the same thing. I wanted to join the Naval Reserve, went through the entire application process. In the time that I was waiting for my Navy Commission to come through, I met a nurse who worked in another unit in the hospital, and she was an AF Reserve Flight nurse.

She told me all about being a Flight Nurse, you got to travel all over the world, get to wear a Flight Suit, and get awarded Wings, to wear, etc.

I applied to the AF Reserves to be a Flight Nurse, and waited to see what would happen with my Navy Commission. I punted the problem into the future, and waited.

Well, my Navy Commission came through the same time that my AF Commission came through. In the end, I decided to go with the AF, because, at the time, the age limit to commission was 38, and I was already 32.If I decided that I did not like the Navy, I would be too old to join the AF to be a Flight Nurse.

Calling the recruiter in San Diego, and turning down the Navy Commission was the hardest phone call that I have ever made.

It was for the best, because I met my husband when I was in Flight School, we got married 6 months later. We would have never met if I had gone in the Navy.

It was such a fluke that I met the AF nurse where I worked. She had just come to work there, 6 months earlier. We actually met at the Graduation for CSULB, where we were both going to school for our BSN. We met while we were waiting on line to march in for graduation.

There are other things that happened, but I know that a higher power manipulated my life, and my husband's life, to get us at Brooks AFB in TX, for that week.

The Navy recruiter I assume recovered from losing a high quality recruit, (I was an experienced ICU nurse at the time). She probably lost a bonus because of me.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN (ret)

Somewhere in the PACNW