Air Force Nursing: New Grad or 1+ yrs. Exp.

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Hi,

Would love some information from new grads that entered into the air force or nurses who have entered into the air force with some experience and let me know the pros and cons. I know that some of this depends on the individual but I would like to hear different peoples points of views. I will be graduating next May and am supposed to be meeting with a recruiter (don't worry she's not an enlisted recruiter) about the pros and cons about going into both. However, I would like to hear from the nurses themselves before I have this meeting before I meet with her. Biggest questions from new grads entering the military. Did you feel like you gained a lot of experience of training after your initial experience out of school. I tend to hear a lot of negative comments about the overall clinical experience and what the patients are like in the military world. Is it a wiser choice to gain my first year of clinical experience in the civilian world? On the other hand, if I decide to go back into the military, I am hoping to make the choice sooner than later. I would feel like I am just holding back on something that I am really interested in doing. I do however want to make the best choice as far as my initial clinical experience and I have always heard that you gain your most experience during your first year of nursing. Any ideas, experiences, feelings, or advise would be well excepted. I apologize upfront for any spelling errors. I think that most of you get the gist of what I'm asking. Late night worker and still going:). All in all, pros vs. cons of going in the air force (or military nursing in general) as a new grad or with experience. Should I hold out one more year and gain my experience at the current hospital that I work at or do people feel they have gained a well rounded experience as a new grad going straight into the military and their training there.

Specializes in PICU.

if you're going to come in directly to an ICU, make an extra effort to learn as much about ICU nursing before you get your orders. i only say that b/c the orientation i went through at a civilian hospital was well planned and very specific for 6 months. the af orientation i went through was almost useless. it lasted 6 weeks and at the time our unit was very slow. thankfully, i had the civilian experience to draw from. the quality of your af orientation will inevitably be limited by turnover on the unit (for deployments, pcs, and everything else).

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Yes I was an ICU tech in the Air Force about 10 years ago. I saw the orientation that the nurses had then and it was not good. I have 2 years as a ED RN and I am in really good ICU orientation now. The recruiter wanted me to come in as a ED nurse but I told her my goal and I only want to join as a ICU nurse. My recruiter also told me that the new reqs for nurse to come in with the 46N3"e" identifier is that the nurse has 2 of 3 items the items are:

1. critical care course which include management of hemodynamic patient

2. atleast 6 months of full time ICU work

3. CCRN

If this information is incorrect please let me know ASAP. I have the first two and will have my CCRN before I officially join. For a long time I considered the Army CRNA program. It is the the only direct entry program for the military. I have over 14 years with the Air Force. It is what I know. I have 7 years active as a medic and 7 as a reserves/air national guard member in which I am in the nurse core. I have already request my 368 and my package will soon be submitted. Thank again for all the information that you guys provided. This website and your guys are such a great resource for people like me.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
Yes I was an ICU tech in the Air Force about 10 years ago. I saw the orientation that the nurses had then and it was not good. I have 2 years as a ED RN and I am in really good ICU orientation now. The recruiter wanted me to come in as a ED nurse but I told her my goal and I only want to join as a ICU nurse. My recruiter also told me that the new reqs for nurse to come in with the 46N3"e" identifier is that the nurse has 2 of 3 items the items are:

1. critical care course which include management of hemodynamic patient

2. atleast 6 months of full time ICU work

3. CCRN

If this information is incorrect please let me know ASAP. I have the first two and will have my CCRN before I officially join. For a long time I considered the Army CRNA program. It is the the only direct entry program for the military. I have over 14 years with the Air Force. It is what I know. I have 7 years active as a medic and 7 as a reserves/air national guard member in which I am in the nurse core. I have already request my 368 and my package will soon be submitted. Thank again for all the information that you guys provided. This website and your guys are such a great resource for people like me.

I hadn't heard that, but it is entirely possible sinc eI am currently not assigned to an AF base I am out of the loop on a lot of these things. Although, before you committ I would make sure that you see the policy first hand.

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here is the full reg

1.4.1. critical care nurse (46n3e) critical care nurses holding a bachelor’s or master’s degree in nursing from a school accredited by the nln or ccn (while the nurse was attending). a licensed rn with an associates degree in nursing from an accredited school may apply if they are within 12 months of completing an accredited bsn/ban program. note: prior-service officer applicants who have been deferred or passed over for promotion are ineligible to apply.

1.4.1.1. critical care nurses must have a minimum of ***6 months full-time critical care nursing. experience waivers will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by afpc/dpamn.

1.4.1.2. to submit an experience etp, complete the appropriate etp workflow in afriss and submit the application to afrs/rsocm with a detailed cv. cv needs to include type/number of patients seen daily, size of unit, supervisory responsibility, example of nursing skills, competencies typically seen in an intensive care unit, etc.

1.4.1.3 successful completion of american heart association advanced cardiac life support (acls) provider and completion of at least two of the following programs/courses (must include course content approved for continuing education contact hours by an accredited agency):

  • anatomy and physiology/pathology
  • physical assessment, including neurological
  • dysrhythmia recognition/treatment
  • basic/advanced ekg interpretation
  • cardiac monitoring
  • heart/lung sounds
  • emergency/cardiac drugs
  • arterial blood gas interpretation/therapy
  • ventilatory therapy
  • hemodynamic monitoring
  • central line management
  • thrombolytic therapy
  • pacemaker management
  • systematic approach to treatment to include nutrition, skin integrity, body function, psychosocial
  • essentials of critical care orientation (ecco)

‘or’

master of science in nursing degree with an adult critical care major or critical care track (cardiovascular, respiratory, intensive/coronary care, trauma)

‘or’

certification as a critical care registered nurse by a nationally recognized agency, such as the american association of critical care nurses.

thanks again for all of your help wtbcrna. i hope in a few years i am in the same place as you are. take care.

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I'm currently in nursing school and I'm also a prior service O3 (space/missiles). I talked to a recruiter last week and he said I could remain an O3 and keep my time in service when I complete my BSN and enter the NTP. Preferably, I would gladly take a reduction in rank (as long as I could keep my TIS) when I enter as a new nurse. When you walk into your gaining unit with the nursing badge and captain bars, I imagine the expectations would be quite different than that of an O1.

How does the workload compare to civilian nursing? What are the extracurriculars like (additional duties, volunteer expectations, club elbow rubbing expectations)? Should I work as a civilian nurse for a few years or enter the NTP?

Thanks for your help. These posts have been very informative.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
I'm currently in nursing school and I'm also a prior service O3 (space/missiles). I talked to a recruiter last week and he said I could remain an O3 and keep my time in service when I complete my BSN and enter the NTP. Preferably, I would gladly take a reduction in rank (as long as I could keep my TIS) when I enter as a new nurse. When you walk into your gaining unit with the nursing badge and captain bars, I imagine the expectations would be quite different than that of an O1.

How does the workload compare to civilian nursing? What are the extracurriculars like (additional duties, volunteer expectations, club elbow rubbing expectations)? Should I work as a civilian nurse for a few years or enter the NTP?

Thanks for your help. These posts have been very informative.

It was my understanding that you lost your previous rank, but kept your TIS.

Workload: The workload is usually lighter on the AF side mainly d/t the medical techs helping out, and the patient load is usually less than on most civilian units.

Additional Duties: Tend to commensorate with rank, but overall they tend to be pretty light overally. Volunteering is encouraged, but not necessary. I haven't done the O-club thing since I first joined over 7yrs ago. All I can tell you is the medical side is whole different beast, and for the most part you are expected to be a worker bee above all other things.

It is totally up to you and your overall goals if you should enter as a new nurse and go through NTP or come in as experienced nurse and go to a speciality unit.

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Is there any way in creation I could get a Base of Preference if I signed up for Active Duty..any chance in hell? any......:lghmky:

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OK I've tried to search through the majority of these threads, so forgive me if I ask a redundant question. Good info from the nurses who came in with a specialty but I'll need some advice from the NTP folks. My biggest concern is the propensity to transfer out of Med/Surg to a different area (say ICU) after a couple of years as new BSN. I've considered working in the civilian life for a year or two and then coming in, but I'll be 35 when I graduate and would like to get that retirement clock ticking (I've got 4+ years prior service). How easy is it to move from Med/Surg to ER or ICU after a couple of years?

Once again, these forums are great. Thanks for your help.

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