airforce nursing??

frogman...

I do believe there was a thread on just this topic here only a day or two ago... re flight nursing, air evac, etc. If you go back a few days in your search, you should be able to locate it ! :)

I am currently an Active Duty Air Force nurse and I have to admit I am spoiled by military nursing. I came in straight out of nursing school and have only heard stories about civilian nursing from our contract and GS nurses. For the most part, our units are very well staffed, unless people are deployed. I have always been able to take the leave time that I request. I have found that many of the physicians I work with are highly competant. The facility I am at is the largest Air Force Medical center, it is a teaching facility. One of the drawbacks is that a lot of clinical experiences and procedures performed by nurses in the civilian world are reserved mainly for interns and med students. I feel I am missing out on some experiences that I will need if I should ever decide to work in civilian land. I am due for a new assignment now, as I have been at this base for 3 years. The typical assignment is usually 2 to 4 years at a base, depending on Air Force needs. Hope this answers some of your questions.

edited out inappropriate post not germane to original topic....

i currently work at a trauma level II center and the experience is awesome, i'd like to be stationed at Lackand, TX. i'm kind of a control freak though when it comes to my patients, i don't like med students doin stuff to my patients without me knowing, more of a trust issue, i'd rather do it myself at least knowing my abilities and limits... dunno, that's me i guess... actually as of recently i'm also thinking bout doing CRO (combat rescue officer) not sure though, i wish i could do both, but not sure if thats going to be possible..

Can you pick your first assignment after OTS and have it placed in your contract when you sign up? Do to certain circumstances, it would be in my favor to go to Eglin AFB for my first assignment. Anyone have an input. I have yet to ask a recruiter for fear of being led on by false hopes, if that makes sense? Also the Army, not Air Force will pay a $5,000.00 sign on bonus and pay up to $26,000.00 of your school loans whereas the Air Force will only let you pick a $10,000.00 bonus or $26,000.00 in Nursing school loan repayment. I hope that changes by the time I am ready to join!

The Air Force has some of the best and most competent doctors I've ever worked with! And, they generally treat you better than they're civilian counterparts! The AF has better nurse;patient ratios generally. I don't feel as though I'm missing anything by being an AF nurse! I've also been a flight nurse--awesom assignment! in japan.

MECO,

The Air force also gives $5,000 sign on bonuses--you usually have to be an experienced nurse first. However,they also have an awesome student loan repayment program. Not all recruiters are bad, or feed false info.

{Can you pick your first assignment after OTS and have it placed in your contract when you sign up? Do to certain circumstances, it would be in my favor to go to Eglin AFB for my first assignment. Anyone have an input. I have yet to ask a recruiter for fear of being led on by false hopes, if that makes sense? Also the Army, not Air Force will pay a $5,000.00 sign on bonus and pay up to $26,000.00 of your school loans whereas the Air Force will only let you pick a $10,000.00 bonus or $26,000.00 in Nursing school loan repayment. I hope that changes by the time I am ready to join!)

Meco,

You do have a say in your assignment selection. You have to remember that the USAF needs nurses. The Air Force wants to make and keep their people happy, so they will find you an assignment of choice, yet they must have openings there as well, like any civilian company, if they are fully staffed...look elsewhere. True about the 10K OR loan repayment. Unfortunate it is not both. Yet, think about this, you can get the 5K AND the loan repayment with the Army, but will you be happy in the Army? How intense do you want to get an how do you want to be treated? I have always heard that the Air Force has the best "quality of life"...now don't you deserve the best? I would go visit the local USAF Recruiter and let them know your fears, they will spell it out for you. By the way, you do not have to attend OTS, that is 16 weeks long. USAF nurses attend COT (Commissioned Officer Training) and it is 4 weeks. You attend with other nurses, docs, dentists, phars of all ages. The USAF is interested in putting your profession to use, not making you a war hero, so COT is just a course to teach you how to salute, what uniforms to wear, USAF History, leadership, customs and courtesies. It's not at all Basic Training. Get a hold of the local USAF Health Professions Recruiter and find the facts, you would be surprised how long the process takes. Just my two cents.

Also, check out these sites.

http://www.airforce.com/index_fr.htm -go to healthcare careers

and

http://ots.afoats.af.mil/23ts/index.html - COT site

Thanks for the reply. I have recently talked with a recruiter and he has answered all my questions. I would like to reaffirm his words with others who have been or are currently in the airforce. I have also found http://www.military.com to be very insightfull. They also have a discussion section. That has allowed me to talk directly to people in the service, especially the airforce. In fact yesterday I was conversing with a airforce personell who just got his BSN and now is going to COT. Thanks again, I love this great country of ours and would love to serve in this capacity.

PS My wife as a flight attendent and has been able to give some info. from the first officers and captains that have served in tha Airforce. :D

Interesting Article at http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123006896

Medical care at 15,000 feet

by Tech. Sgt. Bob Oldham

332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

2/3/2004 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- On the ground and in the air, airmen in this part of the world can rest assured that medical care is always close by.

If a person is injured, medical people on the ground stabilize and treat the patient. But if that person needs to be transported by air for specialized care, a team of medical professionals from the 379th Aeromedical Squadron are just a short flight away.

On any given day, they might haul patients from any airfield in the area to collection points, where they then might be airlifted to Europe or America, depending on the needs of the patient.

"It's very rewarding work," said 1st Lt. Matt Smith, a flight nurse and medical crew director. As the medical crew director, he oversees the patient treatment and acts as a liaison between the medical team on board and the aircrew flying the plane. The lieutenant is deployed here from the Minnesota Air National Guard.

He said some days can be quiet when the crew sits on alert waiting for something to happen. On Jan. 28, though, something did happen. A Turkish national in Afghanistan needed transport to Baghdad to receive specialized care.

Lieutenant Smith and his crew jumped into action, preparing a C-130 Hercules to airlift the patient to Baghdad. The Hercules is a versatile aircraft and can perform a variety of missions, including aeromedical evacuation.

The crew loaded equipment and supplies onto the plane, configured the litters and waited for a Minnesota Air National Guard C-130 carrying the patient to arrive from Afghanistan. As the Minnesota cargo plane taxied into position on the tarmac at an undisclosed location, the lieutenant's crew put the finishing touches on their C-130 deployed here from Pope Air Force Base, N.C.

Aircraft tail to aircraft tail, the patient transfer took place. The patient, who had a coma-producing concussion from a two-vehicle accident, was in guarded condition for his ride to Baghdad.

"From what I was told, I believe he was the only survivor in the vehicle he was riding in," the lieutenant said.

The patient's prognosis was unclear at this time, according to the nurse.

"Some people recover from these really well, others it takes a little more time," he said.

Watching over him every mile of the way on the second leg of his flight was Capt. (Dr.) Erik von Rosenvinge, a physician deployed here from Andrews AFB, Md., as part of a critical care air transport team. On the team with Dr. von Rosenvinge was Capt. Lionel Lyde, a nurse, and Senior Airman Deanna Rodriguez, a respiratory therapist.

The doctor said his role was to monitor the patient and treat any symptoms. In this case, the patient's brain had stopped making a chemical that affects the kidneys, a condition known as diabetes insipidus. As such, the patient was voiding around 2 liters of urine an hour, bringing on dehydration and low potassium.

To combat that, the doctor prescribed fluids to rehydrate the patient and lower his sodium levels, and he prescribed extra potassium to replace what was being lost.

"Most people urinate less than 100 milliliters an hour, and this guy is losing 2 liters an hour. That's a lot," he said.

About three hours later, the C-130 carrying the patient touched down in Baghdad. The medical crew, dressed in full battle gear, transferred the patient to a waiting Army helicopter, which immediately took off for a hospital in Baghdad where a neurosurgeon could have the patient's brain scanned and provide treatment.

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123006896

{Can you pick your first assignment after OTS and have it placed in your contract when you sign up? Do to certain circumstances, it would be in my favor to go to Eglin AFB for my first assignment. Anyone have an input. I have yet to ask a recruiter for fear of being led on by false hopes, if that makes sense? Also the Army, not Air Force will pay a $5,000.00 sign on bonus and pay up to $26,000.00 of your school loans whereas the Air Force will only let you pick a $10,000.00 bonus or $26,000.00 in Nursing school loan repayment. I hope that changes by the time I am ready to join!)

Meco,

You do have a say in your assignment selection. You have to remember that the USAF needs nurses. The Air Force wants to make and keep their people happy, so they will find you an assignment of choice, yet they must have openings there as well, like any civilian company, if they are fully staffed...look elsewhere. True about the 10K OR loan repayment. Unfortunate it is not both. Yet, think about this, you can get the 5K AND the loan repayment with the Army, but will you be happy in the Army? How intense do you want to get an how do you want to be treated? I have always heard that the Air Force has the best "quality of life"...now don't you deserve the best? I would go visit the local USAF Recruiter and let them know your fears, they will spell it out for you. By the way, you do not have to attend OTS, that is 16 weeks long. USAF nurses attend COT (Commissioned Officer Training) and it is 4 weeks. You attend with other nurses, docs, dentists, phars of all ages. The USAF is interested in putting your profession to use, not making you a war hero, so COT is just a course to teach you how to salute, what uniforms to wear, USAF History, leadership, customs and courtesies. It's not at all Basic Training. Get a hold of the local USAF Health Professions Recruiter and find the facts, you would be surprised how long the process takes. Just my two cents.

Also, check out these sites.

http://www.airforce.com/index_fr.htm -go to healthcare careers

and

http://ots.afoats.af.mil/23ts/index.html - COT site

rpbear,

please send me a contact number for a AF recruiter for nurses. I am prior service Army and interested in the cross over to the BLUE Side of the House. Tried the websites above, but hard to get good commo here in the "Sand Box."

Thanks ahead of time.

rpbear,

please send me a contact number for a AF recruiter for nurses. I am prior service Army and interested in the cross over to the BLUE Side of the House. Tried the websites above, but hard to get good commo here in the "Sand Box."

Thanks ahead of time.

ArmyANC, just curious... are you on active duty right now in the Army Nurse Corps deployed to Iraq?

I had an AF Nurse Recruiter contact in Austin, TX, but don't know how much that would help you if your in the Sand Box now.