Frustrated and REALLY need to VENT right now!!!

[fitRNpic]

Ok, so...... This journey all started in March 2008. At the time I was overweight for AF standards and had to work my ass off to lose what I needed and then some. Then, after I had maintained for a few months, I called my recruiter and told her the good news and that i was ready to go and get everything moving. She informed me that she was going back to her old job and that this other person was taking over for her and to call him. She said that she would fill him in on me and give him whatever she had. This was March 2009!! Finally get in touch with this new recruiter in May. He is not very good at returning calls!! He finally sends me the application packet and some other information in late June-July. Never gave me a date or anything of when everything needed to be done. So, I got all of that done along with making copies of all of my prior service paperwork, Licenses, Certifications, and ordered transcripts. Sent everything to him in September. Finally went to MEPS in October for physical and security clearance. Then he says that he needed reference forms in order to do interview. OK. So, I track down who I needed to do these reference forms. Then, was told that all of my packet was being passed off to another recruiter in another state!!!! I talked to and met with this new recruiter within a few weeks. Got him everything he needed within a week with hopes of making the December cut off. Originally, I had wanted to make the Oct/Nov dates, but the last recruiter dropped the ball!! Plus, one of my transcripts had gotten lost, so I had to re-order it!!!

My hopes were to go to COT in January, the last recruiter screwed up my chances for that!! Now, wanting COT no later than March and am told my chances are very slim even for March but he would try. Also, trying to commission as a NICU specialist, so I had to do a few particular CEU's and renew/re-certify my NRP. DONE!!

So, everything is done except for interview and submit my packet. I get a call this morning saying that the AIR FORCE has filled all of their slots for NICU nurses for the YEAR!!! There were only 5!! How the hell do these slots get filled so fast if the AF fiscal year just started in OCTOBER! Now I am told that if I want to Commission NICU, I have to wait til next OCTOBER!! ***!!!!! Or, I can commission as a regular clinical nurse. Sorry, but I do not do Adult Med/Surg. I have been down that route and absolutely hated it! When asked about Nursery, he said that they do not separate Nursery from L&D and Postpartum. Though I do love and would love to do OB, I don't have any actual clinical experience in the area so can not get commissioned to that area.

I am so frustrated with all of this. :angryfire I don't know what to do anymore. I've tried getting jobs in area hospitals in NICU, Nursery, Peds, PICU, and OB without any luck at all (and I have gone as far as getting licensed in another state and applying to hospitals that are at least 2 hours away from my home!) I really can not wait another year!! Where I live, the unemployment rate is outrageous and people are still losing their jobs. My husband doesn't even know what is going to happen with his job! Applying to thousands of positions and then am told I do not have enough experience for them (they all want at least 3-5 years experience!) My current job is great but the pay sucks, I am not guaranteed my hours, no benefits (health insurance, dental, vision, vacation, or sick time!!), and I don't get paid to travel, no shift differential, and am only paid half my base pay to orient to new cases/clients!!! Being prior service, I had always wanted to join the Air Force, but it took forever to get my husband to understand! Now I am being told that I have to wait even though everything is done!!! Complete BS and Unfair!!

Sorry, I really had to vent.

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

I think with the AF you have a greater choice of places to go than in the Navy (which was the number one reason I went to the Air Force). I think the bases are a bit nicer, but not always, and I believe the AF is more family oriented than the Navy is, but I think that given the differences in the mission the AF can afford to be more than the Navy can.

I truly have no desire to live on base. Company grade officer houses can be quite small unless they're the newer ones (here at Lackland it IS woeful) so I have no desire to hand over my housing allowance right now when I'm in a place where I can rent something much nicer for LESS than my allowance. From my experience, though, yes - housing on AF bases does tend to be a bit nicer, but that's not consistent across the board.

Facilities on AF bases are infinitely nicer - but the AF is smaller than the Navy, and thus has more money to spend on "luxuries", if you will.

And I realize you can be on a ship for a year. It's why I'm not in the Navy.

[aglages]

Thanks everyone for all the insight. I hope you all get your dream assignments, in the branches and locations that you want. Have a safe and Happy Holiday. :loveya:

[sailornurse]

0-4 in 4 years!!!! Try more like 7-10 years which mean's re-upping. I went in as Ensign 0-1, then after 2 years 0-2 (LTJG).

Typically it takes then another 2 years for 0-3 (LT) & another 2 for LCDR 0-4. If you are stationed at Bethesda, you are also assigned (attached) to the Hospital ship- Comfort & if at Balboa/San Diego then it is the Mercy.

Since 1993, women can & have been assigned to combatant ships, with the exception of submarines, due to the tight berthing(sleeping) areas.

As to being deployed in your first tour of duty, well that depends on what is happening in the world..

As you know, Comfort is on it's way to Haiti.

During Persian Gulf War, I had been at Bethesda 14 months, when Desert Shield occurred. Most of us at Bethesda were deployed.

My best friend from that "Persian Excursion"is on her 4th hospital ship ship tour on her way to Haiti. She has been a reservist for 17 years plus her first 3 years active duty.

Her 2nd trip on Comfort was during the Haitian refugee crisis when she was sent to Gitmo.

3rd trip was on Mercy humanitarian mission to Indonesia a few years ago.

She is scheduled to be promoted to Captain (0-6) next month.

Serving on the hospital ship is the experience of a lifetime for a nurse. I learned mass casualty/disaster nursing, chemical & biological warfare, crosstrain to other units, learned basic firefighting.

I did not know that you could go into the AR with a specialty such as NICU, seems limited. It was not that way in the Navy but that was 20 years ago. The Navy pretty much puts you where they need/want to and trains you in that area.

Good luck,

[aglages]

Thank you Sailornurse for the insight about the Navy nurse ship assignments. This helps. Do you know how long the deployments on the Mercy & Comfort are? How about combat ships? Does every ship have nurses (with the exception of subs)?

[sailornurse]

The Navy has IDC (independendent duty corpsman) highly experienced corpsman that may be the ONLY medical person on a ship, no nurse, no physician. Just the IDC as the lead. These IDC's have probably had the FMF (fleet Marine force) training meaning trained in field medicine to acompany US Marines in the field. IDC's are highly respected.

Navy corpsmen do many of the allied health that in the civilian world would be performed by CNA's & other personnel.

Cardio Pulmonary techs replace resp therapists, corspman work in physical therapy,labs, and do so many other jobs I can not list them all..

As for how long you might be on a ship, I will have to leave that to any nurse that has actually served on a "gray hull" ship.

My experience was on the Comfort during Gulf War (keep in mind that Comfort was also depolyed during the start of this current Iraq war) so while it is currently on humanitarian mission and this is what keeps everyone's skills sharp, the mission of the ship is caring for the casualties of war.

[aglages]

Thank you Sailornurse! I've not been able to find any nurses that actually served a tour on a "gray hull" ship. Supposedly it happens but evidently not too often and I'm unclear as to the circumstances (experience, rank ect) that would exist before assigning a Navy nurse to this duty.

How long was your tour on the Comfort?

[sailornurse]

I was on Comfort for 6 months, 17 days & yes everybody counted. You see, we had been told we would be there for a minimum of one year. I think part of that is reality and part of it is psychological preparation. Also, you should know that during Gulf War, the military implemented "Stop-Loss". This means that if you have requested (notice you must ask to get out), and say your target "separation date" occurs during the time of deployment, they do not have to honor your request to get out, they can keep you as long as needed. This happened during Gulf War.

Another thing many people do not understand is that when you sign up ( whether officer or enlisted) you are obligated to serve some years as "inactive reserves". For example: I was a "3 by 4" 3 years active duty plus 4 years inactive duty. I did not drill, I was not in the reserves that drill every other weekend, but during those 4 years the Navy could legally recall me to active duty. This is something most recruiters do not explain. After my 4 years were up, I thought "I'm in the clear."" WRONG AGAIN!! I actually got a letter asking for my current address, nearest contact/relative etc. I still had to request to be released from the Navy and that is when I got my formal "Honorable Discharge" document!!!

So be sure you know what you are getting into.

PM if you have more questions.

[jeckrn, BSN, RN]

the navy has idc (independendent duty corpsman) highly experienced corpsman that may be the only medical person on a ship, no nurse, no physician. just the idc as the lead. these idc's have probably had the fmf (fleet marine force) this training is for a "combat medic"training meaning trained in field medicine to acompany us marines in the field. idc's are highly respected. idc's recieve advance training that make them equavient to a pa or np without the degree. thier school is focused on medical training without the extra classes needed for a degree. ie math, english etc.

navy corpsmen do many of the allied health that in the civilian world would be performed by cna's & other personnel.

cardio pulmonary techs replace resp therapists, corspman work in physical therapy,labs, and do so many other jobs i can not list them all..

as for how long you might be on a ship, i will have to leave that to any nurse that has actually served on a "gray hull" ship. from what i understand most nurses on "gray ships" are in the lt commander range (o-4) and have critical care background. the billets (slots) are highly compative and hard to come by and only on the larger ships.

my experience was on the comfort during gulf war (keep in mind that comfort was also depolyed during the start of this current iraq war) so while it is currently on humanitarian mission and this is what keeps everyone's skills sharp, the mission of the ship is caring for the casualties of war.

xxxxx

[sailornurse]

xxxxxIDC's recieve advance training that make them equavient to a PA or NP without the degree. Thier school is focused on medical training without the extra classes needed for a degree. ie math, english etc.

I am not sure they are the equivalent, I was in from 89-92 & we had PA's that were warrant officers. They did away with this warrant officer rank to the one PA that went to OIS with me and his rank was changed to Ensign. I am a FNP so I do not know that the training is equivalent, however I say again, they are highly skilled/ trained. I yes I know tht FMF mean combat or field medicine which most IDC's would have gone thru first, or they did when I was in the Navy.

I does make sense that to serve on a gray hull, a nurse should have a critical care/trauma background, though when I was stationed at Naval Hospital Bethesda, there were Ensigns & Ltjg's\Lt's in the ICU's. Just depends on the shortage/needs of the Navy.