I haven't posted much but I'm currently in the process of applying for the new graduate nursing boards for the Air Force. I graduate with my bachelors of nursing in May!! I thought it would be nice to connect and see if anyone else is applying for the new graduate board selection. My recruiter told me they meet and make decisions in July. If I get it, I'll be heading to COT in October!
Currently, the recruiter has me picking out bases that I would like to be selected at for NTP. I'm also awaiting a medical exam date. If anyone has any input on great places to start out my nursing career, let me know!
Camo-angel, I was told in early Jan that the Accession Bonus was no longer an option as of EOM Jan 2015. I'm not sure if that's the one to which you are referring.
My recruiter said since we leave in January our choice of bonus vs loan repayment will depend on what they approve for FY 2016 not what they decided for FY 2015 which we are still in until we leave for COT.
Military fiscal years start on Oct 1 and the budget should be out soon if not already. I would do some research into the bonuses. I tried a quick search on Google but didn't come up with anything. I don't know enough about the airforce to know exactly what to look for. If the airforce is like the marine corps there should be a document with a list of all of the enlistment aND reinlistment bonuses available to each job title.
Hey CPRose, so I was about to back out of the Air Force due to family issues. My sister will be living with me but must be close to home. I'm the oldest of an immigrant family. So they depend a lot on me. So when I told my recruiter, I can no longer do the Air Force due to my location issues. She told me that I can do "location lock" or something like that. She put in the paperwork that I can only be station at a certain spot close to home, and if I can't get my location then the selection boards won't choose me, is basically what my recruiter explained to me. So when I got selected.. I asked my recruiter, if it's for sure that I got my location, she said yes! Maybe you can ask your recruiter about that option. :) (apologies for the grammar and spelling error).
Also, my recruiter said I will be getting a bonus, since I have no loans.. And she said I will be leaving in January. Haven't signed any LOA or my assignment for location. So I'm not even sure if I got the location I was promised.
Just signed my LOA. COT 28 Mar and Travis AFB for permanent duty station. I haven't received NTP location yet. Anyone leaving in Mar or going to Travis
Your first base is guaranteed in writing, but if you read all of your forms you'll see that there is no mention of what happens after your first base. That is because you are at the mercy of the needs of the Air Force after that. There is no such thing as 'location lock.' There is an exceptional family member program, but that program has limits. You still have to have a 'family plan' in writing to explain who takes care of your dependents should you be deployed.
I'm extremely concerned that someone has misrepresented the military to you. You realize that the typical deployment window during times or war for a nurse in the Air Force is 6 months away and 12 months home (repeating). You could get orders for a manning assist mission 1000s of miles from your base with only a month of notice. There are routine out of state training trips that last 1-4 weeks.
Thanks! Makes a lot more sense now. I was questioning that in my mind also, but Just hoping things turn out for the best! I also don't mine deployment, after all I am serving. I just wanted my home station to be near home after deployment.. But I guess we will see what happens.. I tend to sign my life away and just go with the flow.. Sigh.. Lol!
Typically you PCS (permanent change of station) whenever you extend your service. So about every 4 years. Sometimes you can stay on the same station for your second term. This is probably getting more common because we are in peace time right now and funding is starting to get cut. When you PCS the military pays for all travel/moving expenses so it's expensive for them. However it's extremely rare for you to not be made to PCS after two times on the same station. Btw my knowledge is from being enlisted in the marine corps and may be a little different for officers in the air force.
JoJo222
33 Posts
Camo-angel, I was told in early Jan that the Accession Bonus was no longer an option as of EOM Jan 2015. I'm not sure if that's the one to which you are referring.