Air Force Nursing Corps (Prior Service)

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My name is Nick, and I am a prior service Marine. I am currently in an Accelerated BSN program, I graduate in August 2017. I still want to serve in the military but my MOS as an Anti-Tank Missileman, 0352, does not coordinate with my nursing degree. I also have an Associate of Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Supervision. I know there is other threads on this topic but most seem to be out dated and not money pertain to prior service.

I have been in contact with a recruiter and he has been very helpful. I just want to here more it from a person who has actually been in my position. I do not plan on doing the Nursing Transition program I want to see the civilian side of healthcare before active duty military. I feel its easiest to just list a few of my questions rather than type in other information.

1. Ive heard that most first duty stations are not overseas, is this still true? Would my prior service give me a little more pull to try and get to Europe or elsewhere?

2. Being prior service infantry I have thought of trying out Special Forces, is this an opportunity or option personally seen by any one?

3. What is a daily week like for a nurse?

4. What are opportunities for educational repay as well as future education and bonuses? Read that will only get one as it cancels out others.

That is all i have for now thanks everyone!

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Specializes in Adult Critical Care.

Prior enlisted service doesn't have anything to do with assignment selection. The reason overseas assignments are not given to new nurses very much is because most nursing jobs in the Air Force are stateside. The AF does send new grad nurses to England and Germany. If you come in with a couple years of experience, then you could go anywhere. Most overseas bases are very small outpatient clinics that wouldn't benefit you much clinically.

Special forces don't really use nurses. They use PAs and enlisted medics. There are limited roles for ICU, OR, and ER nurses to be in austere environments supporting special forces units. However, you're not going to be a special forces squad medic going out on missions as a nurse.

The vast majority of nurses work in stateside hospitals as bedside nurses, much like any civilian nurse. You work a variety of shifts depending on your area.

Loan repayment and sign-on bonuses may exist for when you join still, but I don't know for sure. The incentive special pay (ISP) is only for experienced, board certified nurses in a high need specialty (right now most things other than outpatient clinic work). That can be up to 20K per year, but you can't do it if you took the loan repayment or sign-on bonus.

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Specializes in Cardiology.

JF did you say OR nurses are needed in the AF? I only ask because I work on stepdown now but I may make the switch to OR later this year.

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Specializes in Adult Critical Care.

Yes, OR is consistently the highest need specialty in the AF.

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Specializes in Cardiology.

Do you know why they have such a high turnover?

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Specializes in Adult Critical Care.

They don't have a high turnover, it's just that there were never very many of them to begin with. If you look at the civilian sector, OR nursing is usually one of the highest in demand. Also, a large, disproportionate number of them are prior enlisted; it's a calm environment with good hours where people near retirement tend to coalesce. As a result, a large number of them only work 8-12 years and then retire (having 8-12 years of prior enlisted time on average).

OR is one of the few areas of nursing where almost everyone is very happy with their jobs. It's just nursing students in general don't spend much time there in clinicals and therefore don't have the drive to work OR after graduation.

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Specializes in Cardiology.

Ah I see. Well then, I guess I should take advantage. Im coming up on 2 years on a cardiac stepdown and Im ready to move on from bedside. I thought about flight nursing in the AFR but I dunno maybe I should shoot for OR since I am looking to move to the OR in the next few months.

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i have not looked extensively in to other branches. As i stated earlier i still want to serve but I also want to attend further schooling as well as some loan repayment would be looked for. I went to the Air Force as my grandfather served in it and the recruiter I spoke with was the most hopeful. Im reading more about the Navy having a decent program and offer quite a few incentives. Does any one have input on the differences amongst the branches (and benefit options) as all I have is my grunt knowledge in the USMC to go off...

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Specializes in Adult Critical Care.

The differences are fairly minor for the vast majority of nurses, who work in a hospital on a base. Oftentimes you'll see nurses from several branches working together on the same floor.

Some special roles only exist in certain branches, and that drives some people to one branch over the others. For example, the vast majority of flight nursing slots are AF. All of the ship slots are Navy. The Army has a brigade nurse role that is pretty neat, in that you do everything your unit does: i.e. the macho GI joe stuff.

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