YAY! I made it - I graduated from COT yesterday and am now on my way to my first duty station, Lackland AFB/Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio, TX!
I was going to post a nice "column", if you would, on my experience, and I still might - but feel free to post any questions you have here and I'll answer what I can.
It's not so bad (but remember, I'm prior enlisted), but I won't say it's easy. Compared to BOT (the regular officer's training that lasts 13 weeks) and compared to what the Army does to get the same direct commission, it's a cakewalk - but it's not "knife and fork" school, so don't let your recruiter fool you. Some of the civilians experienced a bit of culture shock - but trust me when I say it was nothing like BMT.
Specializes in ED. ICU, PICU, infection prevention, aeromedical e.
ok... so several people heard today. I'm glued to my phone. Still no news. I would be happy with may. I know mobro that you quit your job, so that seems like a really long time to you. But you're going!! :) Did you want Keesler?
keesler was on the list. i only have to move once which is good. the disappointment of going in may is indescribable though. i don't even know what to do with myself for four and half more months. maybe by some miracle it'll get moved to march...except i got the acceptance letter today i need to sign accepting may cot...who knows.
Specializes in ED. ICU, PICU, infection prevention, aeromedical e.
mobro, go check out the possibility of working at the hospital you trained at. Maybe they are busy and in need of help. I'm so sorry about the wait. everyone is posting this morning and last night that they got their calls. I'm feeling tortured. No calls. And I don't want to call my recruiter since i figure he'd have called if he had something to tell me. HUGE SIGH.
Midinphx...call. Nothing wrong with calling. Eventually your recruiter will be done with his/her recruiting mission and then they'll have a break from the phone. Until then...go ahead and call.
Mobro, sign everything you need to sign and make sure they know that you can leave on a moments notice to go to 10-03 (March) if/when someone gets hurt, backs out, whatever. You still have a chance to go early, you're just being guaranteed a spot in May.
Specializes in ED. ICU, PICU, infection prevention, aeromedical e.
I did call. Nothing. No news.
Since the start of this process in June, I had expected to go in January. This is a hard day with seeing people finally get told their future. And my future is still cloudy. I know it's all going to workout and I'm very happy for all you who get to go now. So keep us posted and share your adventures and spare us some important tidbits. I'll catch up to you eventually. :)
i made it very clear to my recruiter that i could leave in a split second. i told him if i could still go in january i would. we'll see what happens, i guess. had he not told me "january, january, january" from the get go and then followed it with "definitely march, march, march" and finished with "oh i meant may" maybe i wouldn't be so frustrated. ugh.
working at the hospital i trained at isn't even a possibility. but they did let me out of the contract without paying the ridiculous amount of money i would have owed if i wasn't leaving for military duty, so that's good at least.
Specializes in ED. ICU, PICU, infection prevention, aeromedical e.
I know what you mean about the month thing! When I first started, my recruiter asked if I wanted to aim for October,09. But i said no. I had already committed to walking the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3 day in November and didn't feel I should ditch on that. I guess I should have, since maybe aiming for October, I may have heard by now! lol. There just was never a mention about a "maybe January". It was always definately January. This has been a hard week... when we should have been prepping to leave,and aren't. And now so many getting definate answers. At least it has cemented in my mind that this is so what I want and I am not even considering a different future.
Congrats! I just found out I was accepted into the Air Force myself. I will also be stationed at Wilford Hall in the NICU and going to COT in March! I was wondering if you could give me some in sight on everything there and what to expect? If you could pm me that would be great. I don't think I have posted enough to pm you.
i got the call from my recruiter this morning too. i will go in May COT instead of March...then NTP in Scottsdale and stationed at Travis! i'm happy i got my first choice of AD base.
anybody else going or has gone to Scottsdale for NTP? my recruiter told me it's a new major hospital. i'm excited to be there.
I haven't been on for a while because I've been out of the country, but I wanted to leave the door open for y'all to pick my brain about COT and NTP (I'm NTP'ing in Scottsdale but that doesn't mean I couldn't answer more general questions about NTP elsewhere :)) I know CarolinaPooh also posted some great info in a thread back in early to mid November after she graduated from COT. Her instructions about a sock bun are saving me from chopping my hair off!
Anyway, I leave for COT on Monday, but when I get back, I'm all yours :) Congrats to everyone who has found out they're in. I know it's disappointing to have to wait until May, but I've had seven or eight months of waiting and now wish I had another month or so, lol! I guess all I'm saying is try to look at it as an opportunity. Use some of that bonus you're going to get and take a fun vacation while you're totally free to do so! I know, I know, it still sucks...
I'll be back on in 5 weeks! See all you 10-02 people very soon!
midinphx, BSN
855 Posts
ok... so several people heard today. I'm glued to my phone. Still no news. I would be happy with may. I know mobro that you quit your job, so that seems like a really long time to you. But you're going!! :) Did you want Keesler?