Meeting with AF and Navy Recruiters

nurse2033, MSN, RN · Jun 1, 2012

Make sure to present yourself very professionally. They will be evaluating you to see if you are officer potential. Suit, tie or female equivalent, good haircut and professional. Have a list of questions about nursing in the military. It doesn't really matter what they are, but if you have no questions you will look stupid. If you not seeing a health care recruiter (you should look for one) they won't be able to answer nursing questions. They will be able to answer military questions, and have those too. They will ask about prior arrests, drug use and things like that. Just tell the truth and be forthright and open. Having done drugs is not an automatic disqualifyer but lying about it is. Same with arrests, depending on what it was for. Convictions might be more of an issue but just lay it out. They will find out sooner or later anyway. Have a good answer for why you want to serve. They wil be most interested in why they should take you over another candidate. Give them a good reason. Good luck!

chelauren · Jun 1, 2012

Thank you nurse2033! Good answers & thanks for reminding me to have an answer ready for the most obvious question of "Why do you want to do this?" :)

JustADream · Jun 1, 2012

Thanks for the great topic Chelauren. Also, thanks for the fantastic response Nurse2033! One other item that I was told recently was to address them properly by rank and name. You can google it if they have it abbreviated on their card or e-mail signature. Best of luck!

chelauren · Jun 1, 2012

All I know is that when I called him he answered by "Chief." Should I just call him by that? He sounded intimidating on the phone. O.O

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Jun 1, 2012

Yes you can call him Chief _____ (last name) when you meet him. It is always good to use their rank when speaking with them, it is a sign of respect. Good questions to ask are.

-how long will the process take from start to you reporting to training, also for how long each step takes to include when the accession boards meet.

-How long and where is the initial training.

-What is and how long is the training after you finish your initial training if you are a new grad.

-Where are you most likely to end up stationed for your first tour.

-Promotion rates and timeframe upto O-3.

-Benefits, ie health, dental, housing etc.

-Educational benefits for student loans for your BSN & what is available for obtaining your masters degree. Also ask how long is the typical time frame that someone gets it. You might be able to apply in a year but in practice you need 3 years.

-Typical time on station

-Typical assignment for a new nurse/officer.

chelauren · Jun 1, 2012

Thank you jeckrn! Those are great questions.

One more general question for you all: would you recommend doing Active over Reserves or vice versa? I have some friends who seem to think going reserves could give you the "best of both worlds" per se, for the scenario of getting to be a civilian nurse while simultaneously serving the country- all within the comfort of US borders near your home. I'm leaning Active Duty but I thought I'd throw it out there to get some feedback from people who know the real deal!

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Jun 2, 2012

It all depends on what you want. Just because you are in the reserves does not mean you will not leave the states and vice veorifice not all active duty nurses leave the states. I serve with some O-6's who never deployed to the Iraq or Afghanistan. Right now I am on active duty after spending 6 years in the Army Reserves. I have also done active & reserves as an enlisted member in the Navy.

JustADream · Jun 2, 2012

Wow, great questions posted- thank you! About the reserves and deployment, I was just reading an article from 2010 last night and it said, "The Air Force has sent 4,060 active duty, guard and reserve nurses to Afghanistan and Iraq for 30 days or more. From the Navy, 1,193 nurses have been deployed to Iraq since 2003, 403 have deployed to Afghanistan since 2002, and 114 nurses have been deployed as part of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan since 2007."

Source: War on the Mind, Part 1: Nurses Deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan struggle with PTSD | National Nursing News

Best of luck with whatever you decide!

chelauren · Jun 2, 2012

Thank you JustADream! I'm almost 100% positive I"ll be going Active Duty. Everyone is telling me to go Air Force but I feel like the Navy is right for me. I'm hoping I'll be a little more sure after my meetings with the recruiters!

dmpearce · Sep 6, 2012

How did you get in touch with the Navy recruiter? Filling out the web form only got me a call from the 800 number and a vague promise someone would "be in touch". Same with AF. So far Army is the only ones in touch.

chelauren · Sep 6, 2012

I called the number for my local recruitment branch towards the end of the day and they pawned me off on some other guy after I told them I was interested in coming in with my BSN as a nurse. That guy brought a medical officer recruiter to our initial meeting and I've been working with him ever since.