becoming an Air Force RN? :o)

Specialties Government

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]Hi, I am a RN with 3 years experience in oncology, med/surg tele, pccu, cardiac step down. I currently have my ADN and will have my BSN in June 2012. I am looking into joining the air force as a CO. I am a ex army wife my husband got out in 2002, and i miss the military life and always wanted to join but I was the mom (3 kids) and wife.. now its his turn while im still young (im27 ) lol .. I have been "stalking" this page for the last few days and have gotten some very helpful info but am still confused (mostly because i dont no the acronyms :) ) I have a meeting to talk with a recruiter tomorrow and made a list of questions and i thought i would also post them here and see what you all think and if its the same. Thanks for all your help!!

]1. what are the sign on incentives (money to pay back loans, sign on bonus, dif. bonus for dif jobs)

]2. do i have a choice or preference in duty station?

]3. what bases are in need of nurses (which is the best bases for a nurse)

]4. what rank will i come in as

]5. how often will i or can i get promoted

]6. how long are the terms

]7. how often will we relocate

]8. how often do nurses get deployed

]9. ho soon can i go back to school (want my crna or NP)

]10. much much tuition assistance is there for school

]11. do i get a choice in my specialty

]12. how long is training/school

]13. does my experience matter or my certs (chemo acls)

]14. how long is the process ( "enlisting" training to being stationed)

]THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP!!! :nurse

Specializes in Mother Baby, and NICU.

Ray RN87

The formula for when I joined the AF in 2009 was your experience as a BSN prepared RN divided by 2, so I had 4.5 years experience as an RN, so I came in as an 1st Lt-O2 (somebody correct if I'm wrong on this, but you become a 1st Lt after 24 months, and a Capt after 4 years). I made Capt-O3 after 2 years of being in, which was really nice.

I like the Air Force, but I'll be honest and say that is not like what I thought it would be. I have never been deployed, but from what I have heard the deployments are currently running at 6 months, which my best friend is a Navy Nurse and she is currently deployed to the Roll 3 hospital in Kandahar for 8 months, so I don't want to say the AF has it good or anything, because things can change at anytime (nice run on sentence).

Specializes in U.S. Army Reserve 1LT 66S - ICU.

Wow that's awesome, you must be an excellent nurse - congrats on moving up in the ranks so fast! How is family life with Air Force? Do you live on base or off base, and what would you recommend for someone who is married with 2 children?

Thanks again, I appreciate your feedback and input. It is very nice and reassuring to receive advice from someone with your experience!

Specializes in Mother Baby, and NICU.

It doesn't matter how good of a nurse you are to get promoted (you can't horrible and get promoted), but 01 through 03 are automatic, so it just goes by the date you passed your NCLEX. I'm married and have 2 kids, and the whole on base vs. off base housing is just going to depend on what base you are stationed, although the AF does have the nicest housing (in my opinion). Do you know where you are getting stationed, if you don't what are your preferences?

Hello BabyRN05,

Hope all is well. Thanks for your post . I am a potential and have been an RN for quite some time. I would like to get more info from you and your experience. I was trying to PM you but for some reason It won't let me. Thank you so much. Maybe you can PM me because I am not sure it won't let me do that with you right now.

Can you email me please @[email protected]. I have some questions about the air force as well!

hello , was wandering if anyone out there could tell me which nurses are selected the most when it comes to the air force selection board , im lpn and i grad with my bsn next spring and I have work med surg , and i do wound care for long term , however i dont care where i work med surg is fine i jus want to be selected for any nursing postion

Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
hello , was wandering if anyone out there could tell me which nurses are selected the most when it comes to the air force selection board , im lpn and i grad with my bsn next spring and I have work med surg , and i do wound care for long term , however i dont care where i work med surg is fine i jus want to be selected for any nursing postion

Even with your LPN experience you'll be considered a new grad RN, so med/surg is where you'll go first unless you get some experience (at least 6 months) before you are selected.

Specializes in Adult Critical Care.

The numbers of nurses selected vary greatly from year to year. The ideal, most competitive candidate would probably be an OR, ER, or ICU nurse with 2+ years of experience and a certification in that specialty. You're only competing against other people with similar qualifications. Experienced nurses compete against each other for a spot in their specialty. New grads (such as yourself, with the LPN experience) compete against each other separately.

As the numbers of nurses the AF needs chances all the time, you'll have to ask a recruiter what numbers they are taking and what your chances are.

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