FY 2018 Air Force NTP

Zachbing85 · Dec 26, 2017

So do they have NTP boards and selections multiple times each year? Reading posts people have made about being accepted from different months has me confused. I have ten years active duty AF, going on my 4th year in the Reserves. Got out to finish nursing school with my wife. We graduated this month and will take the NCLEX and start our jobs Feb 5. How much experience did you need on the floor to apply for a position not under the NTP? I would love to go the NTP route but my GPA was just under the 3.5 and I do not believe they offer waivers. On the other hand my wife has a stellar GPA, School President, VP, community chair, Haiti mission member, NSNA President and so much more. We plan to reach out to a recruiter in the DC area, then apply to the NTP program. Depending on her results I may attempt to apply for a AD position down the line or just commission in the reserves and follow her around. Any help, guidance or pointers would be appreciated. Cheers Zach

jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA · Dec 29, 2017

For the Air Force, you need 1 year of full-time experience to bypass NTP and apply as a fully qualified nurse.

If there is a specific specialty you want (such as ICU, ER, etc.), I would make sure you get at least a year of experience in that area first (and get certified in it: CCRN, CEN). That way you don't have to do med-surg, which is what the vast majority of new AF nurses do.

aworldofhappy · Dec 29, 2017

@jfratian How difficult is it for a new AF nurse to go into ICU or ER if I go into medsurg first? Do you know anything about that?

jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA · Dec 30, 2017

I did that exact thing. I was a med-surg nurse for 2 years at a civilian hospital. I then had to work for 2 more years as a med-surg nurse and 1 year as a PACU nurse in the AF before applying to the 1 year critical care fellowship to become an ICU nurse. The fellowship was great training, but it is a long route to go.

Essentially, you would have to wait to apply for the fellowship until you served 2 years at your first base. I would say the vast majority of people who apply get accepted.

It's certainly doable, but it takes extra time. If your ultimate goal is CRNA or acute care NP/CNS, you should really come in with the ICU or ER experience first.

allnurses Guide · Dec 31, 2017

Yep, just about everybody gets a thumbs up from the chief nurse. It generally has no impact on the decision to take you, unless of course it goes really badly.

Getting the recommendation from a CN is like going up for promotion (Major and up). You either get the equivalent ranking of Do not promote/do not recommend, promote/recommend, or definitely promote/highly recommend. A do not recommend will more than likely mean denial of coming in the AF. A recommend you are considered average candidate. A highly recommend can often overcome othe deficiencies like waivers for gpa, medical waivers etc.

Don't ever discount the CN they will be deciding where you work for the rest of your career in the AF.

allnurses Guide · Dec 31, 2017

It's always something like:
-why do you want to join the AF?
-are you okay shooting a gun?
-what is your family plan if you get deployed?
-do you want to make the AF a 20+ year career?
-what are you short term and long term career goals?

The CN actually has a set of questions they are supposed to ask. You will also do annual career counseling with your CN once in the AF.

allnurses Guide · Dec 31, 2017

In the AF, mental health RNs are largely used for inpatient mental health care. There are 3 bases for them. Those are Travis (Sacramento), JBER (Anchorage), and SAMMC (San Antonio).
Outpatient mental health clinics are largely staffed by providers (such as psych NPs) and technicians.
As a mental health RN, your chances of getting Korea or Japan are pretty much nil. The only way to get those locations would be if you get used as something other than a mental health RN (such as med-surg or general outpatient clinic nursing).

Travis is in Fairfield California not Sacramento, which is a little over an hour away.

allnurses Guide · Dec 31, 2017

Does any one have an idea of what a competitive candidate looks like? I understand that you would need at least a 3.7 GPA but what are some other aspects that are sought after in Air Force NTP applicants? I would assume that prior military experience would be an advantage.

Almost 50% of AF nurses are prior enlisted.

allnurses Guide · Dec 31, 2017

Really? Weird! The Navy and AF are very different - if I were you, I would want to attend COT! Congrats on your acceptance.

The AF doesn't require you to attend COT, if you attended any other uniformed officer training including USPHS.

allnurses Guide · Dec 31, 2017

The USAF is short on nurses right now so it's actually an excellent time to apply and get accepted.

marcieD. · Jan 11, 2018

I'm havjng a hard time getting my recruiter to respond to me. Last I heard from his was 12/15 when he said he was reviewing my resume and he would be back with me next week. Should I keep bugging him until he answers me? Look for a different recruiter?

jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA · Jan 11, 2018

I would counter that there is a big difference between manning statistics, which chronically show that AF manning is short and what the current recruiting mission actually is. Just because there are authorized slots for people doesn't mean that they are adequately funded. Many people applying right now are not being accepted.

I think that it is more useful to trend the AF manning stats over time than to look at static numbers for any one year.

My personal opinion on those unit manning documents is that they are artificially inflated so that higher-ups can say 'see, we are doing more with less.' I have yet to be assigned to a unit that wasn't under-manned to some degree. From what I can tell stateside (CONUS) AF medical groups are told that 80% is considered adequate manning.