Air Force Nursing Duty Stations

[aferg002, BSN, EMT-P]

Hello, 

I like to say thank you for everyone who helped me on here to where Im at now. I've talked to my healthcare recruiter, got my job AFSC 46N3J Emergency/trauma nurse, and I just passed MEPS. I now have interviews and just getting ready before Jan 15 2021. 

One of the things I need to do now is to compile a list of duty stations I would like to go to. My main goals in any duty station is to get training and to be deployed. I am focused to do all l can to be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. (im a 32m, single, no kids)

So far I have" 

CONUS (US)

1. Nellis (I heard the air force cross trains at the University Medical Center hospital that focuses in trauma, since it was the only hospital handing all the victims in the Vegas shooting)

2. JB Sam Huston (because its the medical focus in the military for army, navy, Air Force) 

3. Travis AFB (its the largest inpatient hospital in the nation)

4. Wright Patterson 

5. Eglin

6. Keesler

ABROAD 

1. Osan Korea (besucase they are always in a constant state of tension and conflict)

2. Ramstein (largest NATO base, and receives casualties from Iraq/Afghanistan)

3. Lakenheath RAF England 

4. yokota Japan 

5. Masawa Japan 

What do you guys think? I have no idea about any of these bases, so im just going to each base website and reading up what units are out there and what they are about. But any help, experience, or advice is greatly appreciated. 

Thank you

[jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA]

Many, if not most, military hospitals these days have training agreements with civilian hospitals nearby; these agreements vary in terms of time/scope...but generally allow active duty to work/train at those hospitals for at least a few weeks a year. Just from my own duty stations, Travis has an agreement with UC Davis, Luke in Phoenix has Honor Health, and Elmendorf (JBER) has an agreement with Alaska Native Medical Center.  That's a pretty common thing these days, because military hospitals need to supplement their low acuity in order to train their people.   These civilian locations are not the bulk of your day to day life though...just a side show.  You'll be working in tiny base hospitals >90% of the time.  

San Antonio Military Med Center (Fort Sam Houston) is the only place where ER trauma nursing occurs in the military outside of a deployed location. All of the other places on your list are small community hospitals with less than 100 beds (most less than 50 beds).  That's kinda the downside of military nursing...ER nurses generally work in glorified urgent cares until they need to deploy.  You have to accept that reality if you want to join.

Pick based on the location you want.  Don't try to read the military acuity tea leaves...there isn't much of a difference no matter where you go.

[aferg002, BSN, EMT-P]

Good to know. Thank you for that. I had no idea. I guess I just had an over idealist view of things. Would you think Sam Huston would be a great duty station to start out at for their ER trauma nursing? Or does it really not matter? Because as you mentioned, the actual civilian medical center training is only going to be a few weeks instead of being there for a long time. And thank you for mentioning to me to pick for the location rather than the acuity of it all. 

[jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA]

San Antonio Military Medical Center at Joint Base San Antonio (which is I think what you mean) is an actual ACS level 1 trauma center that takes civilian patients.  That's a good choice for acuity.

[aferg002, BSN, EMT-P]

Yes, San Antonio, thank you, JB SAMMC, from what is on the list they gave me. One of my mentors mentioned that its a really good place. Im actually in CA, and went to Travis before, I heard it has a great CCAT program there. I was also interested in Ground Surgical Team units too, but I heard Ground Surgical Teams and CCAT is further along in your career. Have you heard anything medically about Nellis? Or is it just like another base? 

[jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA]

Nellis is currently a small community hospital with about 50 beds and the ER there is basically an urgent care.  There is a plan to expand it and give it actual trauma capabilities, but I suspect that any plan to do that will take years.  

There are CCATT and GST slots at just about all bases with ER nurses.  Everyone trains at the same central location via several multi-week TDYs.  I'm not really sure how CCATT or GST at Travis is any different than anywhere else.

[jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA]

CCATT and GST are deployment UTCs (teams you're on when you deploy).  With a few exceptions, that's a part-time gig you do in addition to your patient care and other military responsibilities.

[aferg002, BSN, EMT-P]

Ah I see. Noted. From their website and Youtube, it looked like a pretty new and nice base, but, I can see how the medical side can be lacking, and take years to improve and update. Thank you for that info and update about it. If you were to do it again, what would you suggest? 

How does one apply to get into a CCATT or GST unit? Is there a way one can prepare to get into a slot? And I see, I guess it doesn't matter which base you go to for those slots, as long as they have ED nurses there. 

[aferg002, BSN, EMT-P]

Thank you for the information about CCATT and GST. I tried looking up information about them, and I see a lot more of CCATT than GST. When I asked my recruiter, he never heard of GST, but of SOSTs. 

[jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA]

Do San Antonio if acuity is your goal.  Otherwise, pick an area of the country you like.  

For GST and CCATT, do a good job and express your interest to your supervisors.  That's really all you can do.

[jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA]

SOST is special operations surgical team.  It's something you would do on your second assignment. You have to be an O-3, pass a slightly harder PT test with 90%+, and you need to apply for a try-out in Florida.   You should be able to Google them...they do a lot of advertising.  SOST is a full-time job and not like GST or CCATT.

GST...used to be called m-FAST... is basically the people that set up a small field hospital.  You get extra training commiserate with being in a more remote environment. Typical nurses deploy to established bases with more secure facilities.  The problem is that if those smaller field hospitals aren't needed, you'll often just work alongside the normal nurses in the established facilities.

[aferg002, BSN, EMT-P]

Thank you for the SOST information. I looked them up on Youtube and their website, but your insights were much more helpful. That is something definitely to consider if I think about another assignment. 

And I see about the GST or m-FAST. If those units are not needed, could you work in other field hospitals at non Air Force bases? 

In your experience, are there opportunities to be deployed to a joint base hospital in the Middle East? How can one apply or try to get that slot to go?