Air Force Nursing Questions

[Meco]

HOW FAST DO YOU MOVE UP IN RANK IN THE AIR FORCE. IF ,LETS SAY, YOU ARE A RECENT GRADUATE LIKE I WILL BE. CAN YOU PICK YOUR FIRST ASSIGNMENT? AND WHAT IS THE PATIENT TO NURSING RATIO USUALLY. CAN YOU RECEIVE ICU OR ER TRAINING AS A SECOND LT. OR DO YOU HAVE TO DO THE MED. SURG. STUFF FIRST? THANKS!!!

[Heatherb]

First, let me say, Air Force nursing is a lot of fun! You have many things you can do in the nursing field as well as experiencing alot of things civilian nurses don't have a chance to. The best thing you can do is talk to a health professions recruiter. As a new grad, you'll get comissioned as a 2nd lieutenant. If you haven't gone thru ROTC, you'll go to what is called comissioned officer training. It's like basic training. Generally, you'll spend time on a med-surg floor before going into any specialty, such as ICU. This is actually very valuable-it gives you a chance to get your feet wet and get all the newness of the job done. After at least one year you'll have opportunities to expand into some specialty. The AF offers lots of training opportunities so you can expand into NICU, ICU, OR, PACU, OB--anything. But, to do this, you really need to go to one of the medical centers (this gives you the best experience). As you talk to a health professions recruiter, you'll make a "wish list" of where you'd like to go. They will have info on where all the hospitals, med centers and clinics are. My best advice is do not go to a clinic during your first four years. You'll learn so much working the floor that you can't possibly learn in a clinic. As far as rank goes, you stay a 2nd LT for two years, then move to 1st LT for two, then you'll make captain. Generally, this is the longest wait for your next rank. You'll stay here about 5 years before meeting a promotion board for major. Once you meet the board and are selected, you'll wait one year to pin on major, then it's about 3years to Lieutenant colonel and 2-3 to colonel. I worked in the ICU at Travis AFB in california for four years, then became a flight nurse and went to Japan. I'm now in the reserves and going to be working at a clinic in an AF base. While at Travis, I went to Turkey twice, became part of a critical care air transport team and got my critical care certification. I loved every minute of it. Wouldn't change it for the world! Let me know if you've got anymore questions! Good luck!

[rnav]

I worked in the ICU at Travis AFB in california for four years, then became a flight nurse and went to Japan... As far as rank goes, you stay a 2nd LT for two years, then move to 1st LT for two, then you'll make captain... Let me know if you've got anymore questions!

Heatherb - I have some questions aboutTravis. Could you e-mail me?

Thanks!

[DawnEyes]

For a direct commission (ie: you did not do ROTC in college), you can have your first duty station and/or a specialty school written into your contract. Don't let the recruiter tell you differently!! If you know you want to go to ICU or ER, make sure the identifier school is listed in your contract [bold]before you sign it.[/bold] There are several nurses I work with who got both the school and the duty station they wanted upon entry. Sometimes recruiters will try to tell you they can't do it, but stick to your guns!!

After you join, they should either send you directly to the course or have you go to your duty station first before a school date is selected. But if the course is in your contract, they have to send you within a certain amount of time or it's a breach of contract.

Again, this option is available to you only if you didn't do ROTC. If you did, the military will dictate what duty station you get and where you will work.

Good luck!