air force nursing questions

Specialties Government

Published

hi everyone,

this is my first ever post, i've been browsing the site looking for answers to strange, specific questions i have about joining the air force, and still have some unanswered.

i'm 21, in a bsn program, graduating may 2010. i have met with my recruiter, am going to meps april 17, going to missouri to meet the head nursing officer woman in may, and find out if i get selected in october/november (if any of this sounds odd to anyone, please let me know). ok, here goes:

1. i am planning on getting married immediately after graduating in may 2010, officer training school would be in august, and then 10 weeks of new grad training at hopefully whatever base i'll be stationed at. i was told currently the sign on bonus is $30,000, but that it might go down a little because of the economy. at what point would i receive the bonus?

2. i'm a little bit baby hungry, and concerned about deployment. i know its definitely a possibility/probability if i sign for the 4 years, and my recruiter told me every 18 months i could go for 4-6 months. this confuses me a little...out of every 18 months i could be gone for any six? or 18 months goes by and then i'm eligible for deployment? also, if i decide to have a baby after i've been in for a few months, could i be sent immediately after my 6 weeks maternity?

3. i'm also a little confused about the day to day life of an air force nurse. i've been told that officers are generally the first to arrive and last to leave, which doesn't bother me, i'm just wondering how many hours you work a week, if there are the 12 hour shifts, etc.

wow this post was long, i'm sorry. thanks in advance to anyone with information for me.

-jeanette

Thanks for the info wtbcrna.

I guess I can't be too picky about what area I work in, I wouldn't get any better options in a civilian hospital at the moment.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

wtbcrna,

i think i might be confused about the process once you're selected, just wanted to clarify with you. my recruiter told me that after passing the nclex, i would go to cot in alabama for 4 weeks, and then do my actual orientation at (hopefully) the base i would be stationed for 10 weeks. what is ntp?

thanks in advance.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

hi jeanette21,

i see you just posted. i finally got my meps date and nursing interview :) do you know how long it will take to get a letter of acceptance after meps and interviews.....if everything goes good?

what you have posted is correct, cot (4 weeks) and ntp (10 weeks). your ntp should be your first station if they have the training you’re going into. not all bases have every type of ntp training. are you going cot in june or aug 09?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

hi spencer!

if everything goes good, my recruiter told me the boards meet in october, and you should know if you're in a couple weeks before thanksgiving, and i think that's just your recruiter calling you, i'm not sure when you get the official letter.

i'm doing my nursing interview on the 14th and 15th, i'm so nervous! IF all goes well and they take me, i assume i would go to COT in august 2010, since i graduate in may, and i think it takes a few weeks to get your nclex results back and sent in to the AF.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I think we are on different tracks??? My recruiter told me I would be going to COT in Aug of this year 2009 and could be working by Sept. I don't do NTP because I have been working for six years and have my BSN. I would clarify your time line with the recruiter. Where are trying to be stationed?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

ohhh i see, you're a year ahead of me. i'm confused though, because i know he told me the board meets in october, and then again in january. i wonder if there is another meeting i don't know about? lol i love how all of our recruiters tell us different things, you would thing they would all be on the same page.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I think the recruiters are playing a “card game”. They don’t tell us everything, until we have everything they need. School finished, NCLEX passed, MEPS qualified and background checks are good. Then they will confirm dates. Good luck with school and the NCLEX!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in L&D, mother/baby, antepartum.
wtbcrna,

i think i might be confused about the process once you're selected, just wanted to clarify with you. my recruiter told me that after passing the nclex, i would go to cot in alabama for 4 weeks, and then do my actual orientation at (hopefully) the base i would be stationed for 10 weeks. what is ntp?

thanks in advance.

You've got it right. NTP (Nurse Training Program) is the 10 week training for new RNs. Just know that it's nice to complete NTP at the base where you'll be stationed, but it may not happen that way. Expect that you might go to COT, then to NTP, then report to your permanent station.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

So I spoke with my recruiter for a bit. He basically told me that, Their new grad program is supposed to be started in the Junior year , as a new grad with less than 6 months work experience..... I'm basically screwed.

They have the testing and stuff in October and December, but supposedly they don't do actual selection for officer candidates until January...

So I guess I had better get my application in to WalMart before the High Schools all get out!

Fat lotta good my BSN will do me when every position I look for requires 1-2 years of experience as a pre-req and the military will keep me in Limbo untill 2010.

Its a really scary place to be in. For the last 8 years, since I decicded to go into nursing, people have been telling me that people will be banging down my door as soon as I graduate. Even last year hospital staff were asking if I was going to work with them when I graduate...

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hi Aaron86,

I don't know what region of the country you're in but I can tell you that most every home health, nursing home and rehab center is looking for new grads. This will be a good test for being as nurse. You will be understaffed, underpaid and over worked! Trail by FIRE! If you can make it through that you can work anywere.

Have you ever thought about the other branches of the military?

I was looking at our local army and air national guard, but they didn't have any openings and that is when it was suggested to go active duty Air Force.

Take a deep breath, and network with the people you are going to school with they may have leads on job openings.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I will say I'm being a bit doom and gloom, but it sounds like most of my classmates are having similar issues in finding a job. It seems like the only ones set to go are the ones that entered into scholarships for mandatory work commitments or were already working as a tech and were very close to their unit managers.

I'm sure there are jobs available for new grads in the northern Virginia area, I'm just not having much luck finding them. I had always thought of the Air Force as my plan B in case I didn't find a job I wanted close to home and was a bit dissapointed when I realized I would still have to wait for over 6 months either way.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

hello everyone, i've been trying to dig up forums about the air force nurse corps program and so far this thread is the closest thing i could find that might answer my questions, if it's not too much of an intrusion to anyone, i was wondering if it was ok if i posted my questions here. i honestly didn't know where else to ask.

i'm a bsn graduate and just recently passed the nclex exam, and i have no idea where to start. i really am interested in joining the air force but wanted to gather everything i could before speaking with a recruiter. i am aware of the requirements that they posted in the website but other requirements like do i have to have 20/20 vision? is there a deadline for the year to sign up?

help!! i really don't know where to start with this. any help would be very much appreciated.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment