air force nursing questions

[jeanette21]

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

[amfc]

yes, it is possible to get a waiver for asthma and no it is unlikely that you would based on the fact you require daily use of your inhaler plus allergy shots. Also, no civilian doctor can give you a waiver. Waivers have to go through each branches surgeon generals office. None of us on here can give you definite answer it would be best to talk with a recruiter

And I would, but we don't have any on campus and I've sent for information via internet but they haven't replied. Plus, through reading this forum, the recruiters themselves don't seem to know, lol. But thanks for the information, since it's always better than nothing.

[Spencer2002]

another thing to consider is how your asthma would affect you if you were deployed to a place with few resources and you did have access to your medicine? you have to consider worst case scenario and if your health would help or hinder the mission?

[amfc]

another thing to consider is how your asthma would affect you if you were deployed to a place with few resources and you did have access to your medicine? you have to consider worst case scenario and if your health would help or hinder the mission?

hey, thanks for your input. my asthma wouldn't hinder the mission, but i just thought i'd ask because i keep hearing different things - they would consider me, or they'd completely dismiss me with no second thought.

[athena55, BSN, RN]

if you are documented as receiving treatment for asthma then in reality you would be a no go unless you are granted a waiver.

if you have not had an "acute" asthma attack for 5 years or greater, or you are not taking any kind of mdi or po meds, you would be eligible to receive a waiver

check out dd form 2807-1

also check out army reg 40-501 which, as i understand it, pertains to all branches of the armed forces:

2–23. lungs, chest wall, pleura, and mediastinum

a. current abnormal elevation of the diaphragm, either side, is disqualifying. any nonspecific abnormal findings on

radiological and other examination of body structure, such as lung field (793.1), or other thoracic or abdominal organ

(793.2), is disqualifying.

b. current abscess of the lung or mediastinum (513) is disqualifying.

c. current or history of acute infectious processes of the lung, including but not limited to viral pneumonia (480),

pneumococcal pneumonia (481), bacterial pneumonia (482), pneumonia other specified (483), pneumonia infectious

disease classified elsewhere (484), bronchopneumonia organism unspecified (485), pneumonia organism unspecified

(486), are disqualifying until cured.

d. asthma (493), including reactive airway disease, exercise-induced bronchospasm or asthmatic bronchitis, reliably

diagnosed and symptomatic after the 13th birthday, is disqualifying. reliable diagnostic criteria may include any of the

following elements: substantiated history of cough, wheeze, chest tightness, and/or dyspnea that persists or recurs over

a prolonged period of time, generally more than 12 months.

e. current bronchitis (490), acute or chronic, symptoms over 3 months occurring at least twice a year (491), is

disqualifying.

f. current or history of bronchiectasis (494) is disqualifying.

g. current or history of bronchopleural fistula (510) unless resolved with no sequelae is disqualifying.

h. current or history of bullous or generalized pulmonary emphysema (492) is disqualifying.

i. current chest wall malformation (754), including, but not limited to pectus excavatum (754.81), or pectus carinatum (754.82), if these conditions interfere with vigorous physical exertion, is disqualifying.

j. history of empyema (510) is disqualifying.

k.current pulmonary fibrosis (515) from any cause producing respiratory symptoms is disqualifying.

l. current foreign body in lung, trachea, or bronchus (934) is disqualifying.

m. history of lobectomy (p32.4) is disqualifying.

n. current or history of pleurisy with effusion (511.9) within the previous 2 years is disqualifying.

o. current or history of pneumothorax (512) occurring during the year preceding examination, if due to trauma or

surgery or occurring during the 3 years preceding examination from spontaneous origin, is disqualifying recurrent

spontaneous pneumothorax (512) is disqualifying.

p. history of open or laparoscopic thoracic or chest wall (including breasts) surgery during the preceding 6 months

(p54) is disqualifying.

[Spencer2002]

During my interview with Chief of Nursing I was strongly encouraged to think about Peds. NP school and to get prepared to take my GRE......Is this typical of a Chief Nurse interview. I'm not even sure I'm in yet? I'm thinking this is a good sign. It has been a week since my interview. I emailed my recruiter but not response yet?

[roxxy3773, RN, APRN]

I know it has been quite a few months since the last post, but I was reading this today and wondering how Spencer made out with the process? Also, with your experience, did you enter the AF at a higher rank, or come in as a 2LT?

[Aaron86]

As i was signing papers with my recruiter he told me that I would need a minimum 6 months of continuous full time work experience as an RN to even get an increase in base pay and be able to skip some of the more intensive training and go stright to the first duty station.

I'm not sure how many years experience someone would need to go in at a higher rank.

[midinphx, BSN]

I'm 14 years experience, have my CCRN advance certification, and a master's degree. That will buy me a captain rank.

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

As i was signing papers with my recruiter he told me that I would need a minimum 6 months of continuous full time work experience as an RN to even get an increase in base pay and be able to skip some of the more intensive training and go stright to the first duty station.

I'm not sure how many years experience someone would need to go in at a higher rank.

Six months experience doesn't buy you an increase in base pay. One year's experience keeps you from going to NTP, but it doesn't increase your pay at all. I have nineteen months experience so they gave me nine months time in grade (which didn't increase my pay either); the only reason I make more money is because I have eight years total active federal military service credited for pay purposes, and four years credited towards retirement. One year's experience might give you six months TIG (and probably does, since they credit TIG with one half your experience), but TIG doesn't make your pay go up until you have greater than two years in, and by that time you'll be a first LT.