Airforce nursing critical shortage specialties?

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Hello,

Does anyone know what nursing specialities the US Airforce really needs?

I plan on going for my RN/BSN (accelerated program) and am thinking about joining the Airforce after graduation. This is a second career and I will be 40 years old upon graduation. However, it is my understanding that the airforce accepts nurses up to 47 years of age. If I know what specialties the Airforce really needs, I can focus on gaining experience in these areas.

Many thanks for your thoughts. Stephanie:)

Meco,

You mentioned you worked at the hospital for 2.5 years already. Was this as a student or CNA? Just curious, thanks,

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Specializes in CVICU/CCU/ICU.

It's kinda a long story. I was in a ADN program and hated it! It was while I was in that program that I got a job as a "Health care tech" at Baptist and when I heard about this accelerated program I transfered, what a great change! Not all nursing schools are a like and I recommend to anyone who is in a program that is poorly run to try other schools, it made all the difference for me. I am now an Intern and they pay me $15.63/hr with weekend diff. and shift diff. I can work as much as 40 hours a week but who has the time. I hope that answers your question.

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Specializes in CVICU/CCU/ICU.

Are you really from Hawaii?

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It's kinda a long story. I was in a ADN program and hated it! It was while I was in that program that I got a job as a "Health care tech" at Baptist and when I heard about this accelerated program I transfered, what a great change! Not all nursing schools are a like and I recommend to anyone who is in a program that is poorly run to try other schools, it made all the difference for me. I am now an Intern and they pay me $15.63/hr with weekend diff. and shift diff. I can work as much as 40 hours a week but who has the time. I hope that answers your question.

Meco,

Yes, thanks. I'm trying to figure out what to do too. I was on the wait list for a local ADN program so I was planning on applying this fall to two accelerated BSN program (already have my BA and masters). The two accelerated programs are both out-of-state, though both have a great reputation. Now the ADN program told me they can take me this fall. Since it is so close and much less expensive, I'm going to start here. I'm in the process of completing the CNA course at this school so I have a chance to see the instructors, equipment etc. It's definately 'low rent' in that the budget must be very minimal. The videos are from the 1950s and the equipment looks a bit iffy. However, the instructors seem pretty good and most comments about the program are generally good.

So I'm back to debating about the accelerated programs. I may apply anyway and see if I get accepted and then decide. By that time I'll have started Nursing 1 & II and see how it goes. If it is awful, then I'll have another route to go too. Steph

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Specializes in CVICU/CCU/ICU.

[The web site to the accelerated BSN school I attend is http://www.uu.edu.

It is a great program. They are extremely student friendly!!!

The name of the school is Union University and it is located in Jackson Tennessee. Ask to talk with Mrs. Kirk, she is the dean.

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I'm not from Hawaii, but I've lived here for a little over 3 years. My husband is stationed here, I'm just along for the ride. :)

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Relax and don't worry about a specialty. The military simply needs warm bodies. From what I've seen, the Air Force takes nurses with a pulse as their primary specialty. I worked in the civ world and work in mil world. One relates 0.00% to the other.

Clinical mil nurses log 10 or 20 hours a week (holidays/weekends/sunny days/etc are all holidays)...and all of that is on a phone telling pt's they can't get an appointment. You'll get a couple of hours for lunch and might actually touch a patient (as long as he needs nothing more than Tylenol) once or twice a day for a handshake.

If you really want to get a grasp on tough to acquire specialties....you need to stay a civilian and see really acute patients. Mil patients abuse the free healthcare and present with slacker syndrome most of the time. If you can get a certification in giving article 15's to dirtbag slackers looking for profiles and quarters.......you'd be guaranteed a slot as an Air Force RN. If you want to see really sick acute care folks....you are barking up the wrong tree. Our ER waiting room fills with dirtbags 100:1 over folks that really need help.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Shinerchia - just curious - what do you base your perceptions on? As a USN vet and military wife for over 24 years - I have not had these negative experiences. The military care I have received (and my children too for that matter) has always been caring, compassionate and professional. Perhaps you could enlighten us as to your basis for this?

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what do you base your perceptions on? ?

like anyone else, i form opinions from personal experience. i don't watch the system from the outside; i work inside it every day. that doesn't necessarily give my opinion more weight than anyone else's; it simply makes my views based on real world facts from inside the system.

as a usn vet and military wife for over 24 years - i have not had these negative experiences. ?

we all appreciate your service; both in the navy and as a military spouse. since you mentioned your usn time, i assume you were providing healthcare to the ed population which we serve. from my experience with the navy, it seems that their system is quite different from other services. consider yourself lucky that you never had to use your ed as sick call for malingering quarters seeking troops that eat up resources. strangely, i find that the corpsmen on ships see right through false presentations on the ship and tend to send many more folks back to work with a slap on the wrist and a stern talking to. maybe all of the ships in my area are just tough on troops. i can't comment on the care there since i've never been in the navy.

the military care i have received (and my children too for that matter) has always been caring, compassionate and professional. ?

i'm pleased that you think we provide good care. since everyone is a licensed professional (sans techs), i would be appalled to find that pt's received anything less. i hope that you will complain if you experience anything less than professional quality care. we provide pt feedback forms and expect to have you recognize quality when you see it as well and poor performers. please fill one out every time you visit so we can continually improve.

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we all appreciate your service; both in the navy and as a military spouse. since you mentioned your usn time, i assume you were providing healthcare to the ed population which we serve. from my experience with the navy, it seems that their system is quite different from other services. consider yourself lucky that you never had to use your ed as sick call for malingering quarters seeking troops that eat up resources. strangely, i find that the corpsmen on ships see right through false presentations on the ship and tend to send many more folks back to work with a slap on the wrist and a stern talking to. maybe all of the ships in my area are just tough on troops. i can't comment on the care there since i've never been in the navy.

so true. i loved being on the ship and just spending a couple seconds talking to the "patients" to prove they were healthy and saving the time to write a nursing note. at the hospitals, i always had the nurses and hospital regulations making us see anyone who filled out a sheet in the er. (example: mom- "i think my kid is sick. she won't drink that much. oh, i might as well check in my other kids too since they've been around her all day." true story which happened several times!)

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Relax and don't worry about a specialty. The military simply needs warm bodies. From what I've seen, the Air Force takes nurses with a pulse as their primary specialty. I worked in the civ world and work in mil world. One relates 0.00% to the other.

Clinical mil nurses log 10 or 20 hours a week (holidays/weekends/sunny days/etc are all holidays)...and all of that is on a phone telling pt's they can't get an appointment. You'll get a couple of hours for lunch and might actually touch a patient (as long as he needs nothing more than Tylenol) once or twice a day for a handshake.

If you really want to get a grasp on tough to acquire specialties....you need to stay a civilian and see really acute patients. Mil patients abuse the free healthcare and present with slacker syndrome most of the time. If you can get a certification in giving article 15's to dirtbag slackers looking for profiles and quarters.......you'd be guaranteed a slot as an Air Force RN. If you want to see really sick acute care folks....you are barking up the wrong tree. Our ER waiting room fills with dirtbags 100:1 over folks that really need help.

I am considering joining the military after nursing school, and this is something I am concerned about. That is, stagnating professional development and absence of any continuation of my skill as a nurse. If I join and decide to get out, will I be way behind civilian nurses in skill and ability? I realize there are some great prospects in the civilian world, but I would love to nurse and serve as an officer in the military. Could you or anyone expand on the differences in the services and also compared to civilian nursing. I have more questions in the Thread "Information thread for student nurses interested in entering service". Please check it out and add some info. -THANKS!!
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I do know the Navy has DUINS programs for nurses (full pay for two years to get your masters which is also paid for) in all sorts of fields. I've met several nurse anesthetists who used this program and went to Georgetown. While it won't be 'real world' scenarios, it sure is a great incentive to learn a specialty.

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