Interested in Airforce...questions

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I graduate nursing school in December. I talked to a healthcare recruiter today and he thinks my best choice is to try to get into the NTP. I originally planned to work for a year and try to join as an experienced nurse because I have a husband and two children (8 and 9). Has anyone gone through the NTP with a family? Separation for deployment is not an issue and should be expected in the military but my husband will not be quitting his job until I am stationed somewhere and the kids and him can join me, which makes separation for NTP kind of tricky. I think I am worried about this right now because I was originally planning on just being separated for COT and now the possibility of NTP has me questioning things. How long will we be separated for the NTP (If I was selected)? What are the most likely bases that I would do the NTP at? I have read many threads on here and have found loads on information but I still like I don't know enough to make a decision.

When I went through COT and NTP my family (husband and 2 kids) did just fine. I was in AZ and they were in SC. They came to the COT graduation and they drove back to SC as I continued on to AZ. So from Jan-Apr we were separated. It's upsetting for the first few days but the work load will mask the pain and anxiety. Going the new grad route is more difficult than FQ because there is only one board a year and can have up to 400 applicants competing for 30 or so slots. Do not let that deter you though because I made it the first go-round. NTP grads usually go to Travis, SAMMC, Langley, Keesler, and Elmendorf (I may be missing another). A girl that I was in NTP with got sent to Germany and I was lucky enough to get sent to England. Getting overseas is a rarity though as a new grad.

Thankyou! I think I just needed to hear that their are moms out there doing the NTP. What have you found to be the most beneficial about being a nurse in the airforce? Do your husband and kids like being a military family?

Well my husband is active duty as well, almost close to retirement so it's all he knows. My kids (10 and 11) love travelling and seeing new places. They are very resilient and look forward to PCSing and making new friends. Military kids are very strong and because you have 2 children, they will always have each other. There are many stay-at-home dads here in England but they seem to keep busy. You'd most likely end up stateside so your husband would have better working opportunities when you relocate unlike going overseas.

Our patient population is relatively healthy except when you are at larger hospitals that take care of vets and retirees. The pay, the benefits and the job security is nice but I really want to deploy and help my brothers and sisters out there. I haven't deployed yet as a nurse but I have when I was enlisted and it was a scary yet rewarding experience.

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