interviewing with NP and Chief Nurse (air force)

[mt_nurse]

I'm in the process of applying for the Air Force as a new BSN/RN grad, and I'm anxious about the interviews (as well as MEPS and COT). From what I have read and heard, the NP is a phone interview and the chief nurse is in-person. How are the interviews like? What kind of questions do they ask? Are they the same kind of questions that are asked at civilian hospitals? Is it more or less intense? Please tell me any pointers as to what kind of questions I should focus on thinking about so that I don't fumble during the interview. Any pointers will be great!

I thank you all in advance. I love allnurses.com. It helps relieve at least half of my anxiety that's been fast approaching as I try to find my place in the nursing field.

:redbeathe soL

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

There are no benefit deductions in the military - except for things you choose, like your life insurance (and you'll never get $400K in coverage as cheap as you will in the AF), your GI Bill (which is a temporary deduction - I think it's still $100/mo for a year but someone may have more current information), and any other voluntary retirement contributions (called the Thrift Savings Plan, or TSP) or charitable contributions (through the Combined Federal Campaign, the CFC).

Your health insurance is FREE as long as you're active duty (there is a deductible for outside- the-military-system health care, but it's stupidly, stupidly low), you will draw a housing allowance (BAH) based on your duty location and your dependents (for San Antonio, which is where I'm headed in a month, it's $1249/month) unless you live on base - in which case you don't draw the allowance but everything except your phone and cable (and some bases have basic cable included) is free. You will also draw $223/month for what is called Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) (ie, groceries) - but this is only intended for the military member (even though two hundred a month is a good chunk and a good start for the grocery bill).

ALL of these pays - your housing and your BAS - are NONTAXABLE allowances, so it's as though you're getting twenty-five percent more money than you're actually getting.

So yes, essentially your take home pay goes to you - which as of 01 January will be $2745 for an O1 without prior service and this is subject to tax. (But think of the military in terms of your ENTIRE pay - which would actually be $2968 PLUS whatever your housing allowance is - if it were San Antonio, for example, your gross pay would be $3947 - and then they break down your taxes out of that). Remember - you will only pay your personal bills from your pay (car, clothes, etc) - your housing will be paid and you will have a big contribution to your groceries.

You don't have to spend the whole housing allowance on rent or mortgage - if you find what you want for say $900 a month (which is what it's looking like in San Antonio for us), you pocket the difference - our housing allowance will come very close to paying EVERYTHING for us, including utilities.

And there are other bennies as well - I just signed all our insurances over to USAA and our car insurance dropped by a whopping $500 every six months (yes, it dropped by that much!), I've gotten both of us an additional $250K each in life insurance with a guaranteed rate for the next thirty years for $56/month - for both of us - and I've set up a USAA checking account, which is completely free with free checks for life. You can join USAA as soon as you're accepted to COT.

It bothers me when I read on this board how people say "I'm taking a pay cut to go into the military" just because their base pay might go down. What they're failing to realize is they won't be paying rent and all that other stuff out of that pay, and that any tax-free allowances are actually worth about 30% more. If they're taking a pay cut, I want to work where they're working!

So here's the short answer - no, stuff doesn't get deducted unless you choose it, and actually, a whole lot of stuff gets added!

I'm prior service Air Force and am leaving for COT in ONE WEEK (!!!).

[DrCOVID, DNP]

Damnit! I wish I were in your shoes! I am stuck in limbo right now and bored out of my skull waiting on this mystic board to make up their mind on whether they want to control my life or not!

I never had a NP interview either. I can't remember if I was told if I would or wouldn't have one, it's been to freakin long!

[kato10]

As for the NP interview I think that is reserved mainly for the NPs coming in. I am waiting on my interviews and know I will definitely be doing the face to face and NP interviews as I'm a FNP.

The board will not make decisions until Nov 11th since that is the ultimate deadline. If any corrections need to be done that is the cutoff. I would not anticipate an answer until the beginning of December. It looks like the July board didn't hear until the beginning of Sept.

If ever in doubt as to how you will make out pay wise vs the civilian sector write it all out. The base pay, plus meal allowance, plus housing allowance, plus medical/dental benefits, plus free of state tax. Like I said I'm a NP now and will be very comparable entering the AF. Actually, if I go overseas I will do better since there shouldn't be any federal tax.

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

As for the NP interview I think that is reserved mainly for the NPs coming in. I am waiting on my interviews and know I will definitely be doing the face to face and NP interviews as I'm a FNP.

The board will not make decisions until Nov 11th since that is the ultimate deadline. If any corrections need to be done that is the cutoff. I would not anticipate an answer until the beginning of December. It looks like the July board didn't hear until the beginning of Sept.

If ever in doubt as to how you will make out pay wise vs the civilian sector write it all out. The base pay, plus meal allowance, plus housing allowance, plus medical/dental benefits, plus free of state tax. Like I said I'm a NP now and will be very comparable entering the AF. Actually, if I go overseas I will do better since there shouldn't be any federal tax.

You will pay federal tax on your pay overseas because you are an employee of the federal government that is not tax-exempt. You will also pay state income tax if your state of residence requires it. The military is never tax-free on your base pay, only on allowances.

I spent three years in Saudi Arabia, was deployed twice, and was once extended TDY to Germany. You will always be taxed overseas. Contractors aren't up to the first eighty thousand dollars, and private citizens working overseas aren't up to the first eighty grand, but the military always is.

[renu47]

Is constructive credit automatically applied or do you have to apply for it. I heard you are awared 1/2 year for each year of experience of work, 2 years of credit for nursing degree. but when is it actually applied.

[fitRNpic]

AdammRN: You had your interview at Scott! Please tell me more, as this is where I will do my interview, hopefully soon!!!

[fitRNpic]

Carolinapooh: I know you have probably left for COT, but I was wondering if Lackland was you first choice or what? I really, REALLY want to be stationed at Lackland, this is my first choice! Just wondering of what my chances are of getting it.

How is COT? How did you go about getting your uniforms?

How much time of prior service and RN experience did you have that counted toward your rank/pay? Was it all active duty prior service?

[danegerous, BSN, RN]

I just finished my application, now I need to do my physical and get all my letters of reference from my instructors. Then I'll have my interview with the CON, but instead of going to Scott, he is going to fly to Chicago (hopefully) so we can do all the interviews at once. I'll be going to the board in January. Hopefully I can get approved by Feb 5th and have an expedited trip to COT in March. Otherwise, I'll be in the May COT. I think I'm gonna shoot for Travis, CA for my first base.

My recruiter told me he has 100% acceptance and every one of his recruits has gotten their first base choice everytime. I'm pretty pumped.

[fitRNpic]

danegerous: Was wondering who your recruiter was, since you are obviously around Chicago?

[danegerous, BSN, RN]

It was SSgt Daniel Harvoth. He covers the north-midwest, so if you're from around me, he would be yours, too. And he's good.

[fitRNpic]

Yup, that would be him. It was SSgt Kristine Oliver before him. I started talking to SSgt Oliver in March 2008. He took over for her in May/June this year, so I have been talking to him for quite a while. He has recently passed my file onto the recruiter in Michigan. He said that they help each other out all the time since they are so close geographically. So I am talking to him and the guys in MI.

[DrCOVID, DNP]

AdammRN: You had your interview at Scott! Please tell me more, as this is where I will do my interview, hopefully soon!!!

Well the colonel I interviewed with was Ed Farley. This base is downsizing to become just a clinic I think, so we can't put it on our 'dream list' and you will see a lot of stuff boarded up when you go there.

He is a very nice man and he didn't ask me any weird questions like I have heard in previous interviews. It was odd in the beginning because of the way things were phrased, it sounded like he didn't know I was an RN, even though he had my application and questionnaire answers in front of him (ripe with nursing stuff). He explained a lot of things about the AF to me but most of it I already knew because of reading these forums. He asked me why I chose nursing, and why the Air Force. Of course I answered every question honestly. I told him about a couple of people I had talked to that were AD and prior AF, as well as that I have been reading this forum about AF nursing. It was really just a real general discussion about myself and what I was looking for in terms of my career. He asked me about my future plans, and I told him I was considereing ANP/FNP or CRNA or both, and he said those are great but also mentioned pursuit of leadership/management (he is a chief nurse after all). He made sure I knew about deployment and having to carry a weapon when deployed to hostile environments.

He asked me the core mission statement, as well as the three values. If you know them it does impresses! If you have questions to ask, he was very happy to answer.