Air Force Nursing Corps

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Hello,

I'm Sergeant Josh Hopper and I work with the Air Force Nursing Corps for Ohio and Indiana. If any of you have ever had any questions feel free to post them. One question I get alot is about our MSN scholarships. We pay 100% of school for you to become an CRNA, Mid Wife, or most Practitioners. You continue to recieve your full time pay check while going to school. If you have more questions about this or any other Air Force Nurse Corps Questions feel free to ask.

Thanks,

Josh

Hello,

I know this post is over 1 year old but I thought I would try. I am an RN-BSN with 12 years of experience in the civilian sector. I will be going back to school this fall to pursue my MSN (FNP), afterwhich, I will immediately transition into the DNP program. I am very interested in joining the military but would like to speak to someone. I have tried on multiple attempts to contact a recruiter and even have called the 800#. I'm looking for options for both AD and reserves. Currently working on at an AF base, so I was wondering if each base has healthcare recruiters? Any information you can provide would be helpful. Thanks:)

Hi - I'm currently an Air Force captain and thought I'd do what I can to answer your questions.

Health care recruiters are assigned by region and are VERY hard to get hold of; you have to be persistent in your efforts. Even when I came back on four years ago, my recruiter was covering parts of three states (yes, three!) and was even going into a fourth. You just have to be persistent.

Call a local ENLISTED recruiter and ask them for a healthcare recruiter's number, but don't let them pull you into enlisting - that's not what you want. If the local recruiter is worth their salt they'll help you out. Just make it clear you want to commission and not enlist if they try to suck you in...they're good salesmen but don't let them do it. :)

The Reserves recruit separately and you'd have to find a Reservist recruiter for details. Do the same thing with the Reservist recruiter I recommended for the regular AF recruiter.

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what position can you work until you get your degree

You'd be enlisted and you'd be wherever they needed you. Don't enlist if you want to be an RN/are working on your degree currently. You need to talk to a health professions recruiter.

Let me do some digging next week - I know an enlisted recruiter and I wonder if he'd help me get numbers for different regions. Give me some time and I'll see if I can't help you folks out.

Don't worry - I won't forget!

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Hello sergeant hopper,

If I enter the airforce after becoming a NP will the airforce repay my loans and how much will they repay, and how long will I have to serve?

This is actually Captain Carolina :) but I'll see if I can help. I don't know what they're paying for masters, but I do know they were, at one time not too long ago, were offering $20K up front and up to $40K in loan repayment for BSN RNs. This was in exchange for six years' service. You could also take just the $20K for three years or just the loan repayment for four years.

I'm not sure if the same was being offered to everyone but I can't imagine why not.

I believe you all may be recruited a bit differently from us. You need to contact a health care recruiter - see my post to bra-mi21 above. Be persistent and don't let the 'Air Force Recruiters' in your local mall draw you into an enlistment - that's not what you want.

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TSgt Hopper,

I'm glad you posted here because I have a couple questions for you. First, a little background. I am an active duty Master Sergeant and a Registered Nurse. I'm 40 years old and I've been in the AF for 20 years and 7 months and I've had my RN for 2 years and 6 months. I have my BSN and I applied for the Direct Enlisted Commissioning program for the Nurse Corps. I just found out earlier this week that I was selected and will be commissioned as a nurse. So, right now I'm just waiting for a COT class date.

My questions are:

1. What rank will I be once I leave for COT? I can't seem to find a good, direct answer from any of the AFIs that I've researched.

2. Will I have to attend the NTP since I'm already and experienced nurse or will I go directly to a follow on location?

3. What is the likelihood of of getting my number 1 selection for my follow on?

I appreciate your time and look foward to your answers.

Erocknels

IF you're still around, here's some information for you - and you probably already know the answers!

You will be an E7 until you're released from active duty and you'll be sworn RIGHT BACK IN the next day as a 2Lt. Whether you go to NTP or not is at the discretion of the Air Force, but it seems like all the NECP grads do go to NTP. The likelihood of your first choice for your first assignment is, as it's always been, at the discretion of the USAF, BUT you'll find that commissioned RNs are not treated like the enlisted side of the house NOR are they treated like the line side of the officer corps. My guess is you'll get either your first or your second choice; I've yet to meet anyone who didn't.

(I'm a prior SSgt who's now an NC Capt.)

Unsolicited advice: KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR MILITARY RECORD. THey have a huge tendency to screw things up. Also, by reg, NO ENLISTED INFORMATION IS TO APPEAR IN YOUR OFFICER RECORD. It took me three years to clear that up with AFPC. The only things permitted to be there are your TDY record and your awards/decs. Be sure your education information is correct. For three years I was an RN with no college degree and my last rank they had on there was A1C, but I was a commissioned officer. Lovely.

The right hand has even less idea what the left hand is doing when you're a prior, so keep an eye on all your stuff.

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Captain Carolina,

I am an Air Force ROTC cadet that is scheduled to graduate with my BSN in December, but will not commission until May 2014. Because of my age I had to get an age waiver, which disqualified me from receiving a scholarship. My question to you is, can I still receive the sign on bonus, or loan repayment once I commission? Based on the paperwork that I have read, I should qualify, but my ROTC detachment is not sure on how this works. It has been a while since a nursing cadet has commissioned from this detachment.

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I don't know the answer to that - but you're right in pursuing the details yourself. In four years I've met two ROTC RNs, and both have said that they really had to be on the ball most of the time because no one knew much about nurses (ROTC is where they get a very, very, VERY tiny proportion of the NC, which is why they know little to nothing - most RNs still come in direct commission).

What you want your cadre to do is call AFIT in Dayton and ask for the Nurse Corps Accessions office. If AFIT doesn't know (and it may take some digging), then you/the cadre need to call AFPC and ask for the Direct Accessions office.

If - and I do mean IF - I get some time tonight at work, I'll dig around AFPC's site and see if I can find some numbers for you, and I'll PM them to you - but please be patient. I know it's hard. :)

I do know that none of my bonus paperwork was squared away until I got to my first assignment - and that took me staying on top of folks. Direct accessions are, for some reason, constantly lost in the shuffle.

They are STILL offering the loan repayment to current RNs, even with the budget dance going on. This tells me that it's cheaper for them to retain than it is to recruit (that's always been a fiscal fact) and they're finally figuring this out. So at the very least there are repayment opportunities while on active duty that show no sign of going away. For some reason people do their commitment and separate - a lot - and the fact that they're still shelling out money in hopes of attracting qualified applicants tells me they're starting to look at dwindling numbers and they don't like it.

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Capt. Carolina,

Thanks so much for the information. I look forward to hearing from you.

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Hello, I an a BSN graduate this year and am considering joining the Air Force as a nurse. I am planning on taking my boards soon. I have a few questions that I am looking for answers too.

One, my significant other is currently an officer in the USAF and has been released to go to additional schooling for the next 3 years. If I join now would we get separated, other then the for the officer training school?

Two, Can I join the USAF if I have Lupus, which is a chronic disease? I am currently in remission.

Three, If I signed to join would my service time be 4 years if I do not do additional education.

Four, Are the entrance programs different if I sign up for loan repayment versus just signing up to join the USAF?

Fifth, If I am planning to start a family within the time of my service what would the impact be on my career and service time? Do you provide maternity leave and could I get deployed with an infant?

Thank you for providing accurate answers to all of the questions you are asked. I appreciate your time.

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Lupus is completely disqualifying, remission or not. I'm sorry; the military won't take you with lupus. It is a preexisting medical condition that precludes you from worldwide assignment and deployment and the military views it as a medical liability. I am sorry, because you sound very interested.

I'll answer your questions, though, because they may help someone else:

1. Where you're sent after COT is determined by the USAF. If someone has a spouse that's on an AFIT slot, I wouldn't count on being where they are unless they're near an Air Force base.

2. I've already answered this.

3. Initial service commitments for direct commissions are three years with no bonus or loan repayment, four years with a bonus, and six years if both are accepted. As far as I know, these are still standing.

4. No - everyone comes in the same way; what one accept affects the length of the initial commitment.

5. Getting pregnant has no effect. Women get a maximum of eight weeks maternity leave if approved by your commander (six weeks is standard but one can ask for two additional). And yes, a woman could be separated from her infant: the deployment deferral is only six months post delivery. It used to be one year if you were breastfeeding, but they did away with that (disgraceful). If a woman requires extensive bed rest or convalescent leave as determined and ordered by a military physician, it counts as time served: there is no sick leave in the military, and she earns leave while on the bed rest.

A cool point is the active duty dad can get two weeks paternity leave after the birth, mission permitting.

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Capt. Carolina/Sgt. Hopper

I'm now a BSN, RN and just recently finished my interview with CN. My question is how competitive is it to get in? How many spots are there for new grads? My recruiter said that boards will convene on the month of July and I should know by August if I'm in or not and the earliest I can leave for COT is January of next year. I have a 3.7 GPA, good physical fit no medical condition, resume is good, nothing too impressive really, recommendation letters are great, all my paperwork are all in order, I did good on my interview. I just want to know what are the chances of me actually getting in...

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Hello,

Will the HPSP cover Generalist Entry Master's (GEM) programs such as this program at Rush University in Chicago? Not only that program at Rush, but programs of that type?

Also, can someone apply for the HPSP or NCP and be accepted when they do not have their acceptance yet? In particular, when a school is waiting for you to finish your prerequisites?

Thanks!

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Specializes in ICU, ER, OR.

Just finished application for OR nurse, CNI done, MEPS on Friday. Anyone know how many slots are for OR?

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