Just wondering if anyone here is supposed to attend OBLC this upcoming January (2009). Not 100% at this point whether I will be or not, but figured it wouldn't hurt to start trying to make some contacts. My commissioning package was supposed to meet the board in August but I guess there were some fixes that needed to be made so I was placed on the back burner. Was told that my package is supposed to be before the board today though and should hear back by next week (pretty exited right now). My wife is currently active duty AF Nurse Corps, but is in the final stage of securing an interservice transfer to the Army Nurse Corps and we both hope to attend the January OBLC class.
Hope to hear from some of our future classmates soon.
I believe that AFCPT hit the nail on the head. What it ultimately comes down to is being the best RN that I can be as well as being the best soldier I can be. The APFT does not determine what a person is capable of, they are physical guidelines set by the Army requiring their soldiers to maintain a certain level of physical fitness. If I were the soldier lying in the bed, as a pt I would be more concerned with your knowledge and application of nursing; not how fast you can run.
For those getting back into shape, set your ultimate goal and then make mini-goals along the way. That will allow to challenge yourself, and achieve those small victories hopefully without throwing a hip!! Hooooah!
I like what AirForceCapt had to say . Yes, we all realize that an officer with a higher APFT score (when all other things are equal) will be chosen over an officer with a lower APFT score with regards to career enhancing opportunities. And yes, an officer should always strive to perform at their best, both physically and professionally. But the key word here is "their"... if an officer is giving his or her best (assuming their best is not sub-par) then that officer will earn the respect of his or her soldiers. I for one would have a lot more respect for an individual who took their training seriously, was continuing to improve and only scored a 60+ on their run, than for someone who was naturally physically gifted and scored an 80+ without putting forth their best effort. With regards to officership I also agree with what AirForceCapt was alluding to... being an officer is not about your own personal accomplishments and professional gains (those things are nice and we should all strive for them) like being chosen for special schools or choice assignments because we performed well on our APFT. Being an officer is about being an effective leader, about standing up for your soldiers, being fair and consistent, providing discipline when appropriate, and ensuring that the work of the United States Army is being done effectively and appropriately. Yes, one could argue that a higher APFT score will help an officer accomplish those things, but again... if the officer/soldier is taking their training seriously, showing steady improvement and not quitting, what more can you possibly expect from them?
With regards to leadership, I'd like to end this post with a quote from Gen. George S. Patton, "There's a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom to the top. Loyalty from the top down is even more necessary and is much less prevalent. One of the most frequently noted characteristics of great men who have remained great is loyalty to their subordinates." And in my opinion that is one of the central keys to being an outstanding officer.
Well Runnin mom and 2soldiers44 we might need to start a divorcee club. LOL, I am looking forward to starting the process soon! LOL :chuckle
As for the PFT debate. What do you all think about some of the training from Stew Smith on www.military.com?
I started the run workout for pft and push ups and sit ups. So far so good I haven't completed it so I can't really say if it is successful or not. It seems pretty slow and builds you up. Let me know what you think.
Well runninmom and 2soldiers44 maybe we should start a divorcee club. LOL :chuckle
As for the PFT debate what do you all think of Stew Smith of military.com's running program? I am trying his program to get you ready for the PFT but I'm not sure if its really good or not because I haven't done the PFT yet? It seems pretty slow and gradually builds you up .Let me know what you think.
I like the workouts from Stew Smith. He has different workouts for varying starting fitness levels and different workouts for individuals with differing fitness goals.
The nurse residency program allows new nurses, 2LTs, and those that have not worked as a RN for a long time to work at a hospital for one year. It is at this time that you can choose to either stabilize or more to another post. You will not deploy during this time period. However, if you are a CPT (and above) then you could deploy after OBLC. We were told that some of us might...but many of us are not sure if it applies to us as we do not know where we are going.
When you are in the residency, you will spend a week at first on each unit, then you will do two to three. You can pick three units at your facility when you fill out the paperwork that is required at the beginning. They recommend that you let your CO know what your interests are so that you can work on those units. You will stay at your hospital. You can pick the course after 1 year, it is recommended that you look and see when the course you want has an opening and then just add a the following year to it so that it is in your action plan. You can take the course anytime you want after that first year from what we have been told.
Please ask if you have any additional questions as I can ask if I do not have the answers.
I looked at Stew's site and I think it is good. I don't know what level of fitness you are at. I sat here and thought for a few minutes and thought about the people that I run with and how I started and how they started. We all started basically the same, we were out of shape, some myself included were overweight and couldn't even run a 1/4 mile without feeling like we were going to cough up a lung. When I started I would walk/ run 3 miles in the morning and 3 miles at night. I did this 5 days a week. I increased the distance I ran as my endurance increased. Of course as my endurance increased my speed increased. It all goes hand in hand. There are ways you can sneak in the speed thing if you are worried... you can get to the gym and do some lower body work or even get a swiss ball and do some work with that. I mentioned before there are some video podcasts you can get off of itunes for free that are put out by the military that'll kick your butt and get you in shape and that'll help w/ your speed. you can play them right off your computer, no ipod or mp3 player required. there's alot of stuff to look at and you should be able to get a good plan together pretty quick and you got time on your side
I think all you need is to get a good base of 3 to 4 miles down 3 to 4 times a week and you'll be golden.... I don't know what you need for time but it can't be too much below 9 or 10 minute miles and I can do that and I'm 45. and that's slow for me
We have individuals here now who are in their 50s. I agree that late 30s and 40s is not old. You would be surprised by the things that the "older" individuals are doing. They too thought that they were old until they started week two and are fitting in quite well with the others who are younger.
Thanks GetnPhD. That is the response I was looking for. I realize there are some who are entering the military service in their 50's and it is and was my intention to make those individuals realize that there is a physical component to any military service. Yes, we all want to be great nurses to our soldiers. Part of the committment to doing that is to be physically fit. Somehow on these threads that message has gotten lost. I have been trying to point out that it needs to be taken a little more seriously, which is not how I have been percieving it from some posters here.
I do believe you do miss the point...ppl are not taking physical fitness lightly...they are worried they will not do well and will fail. Their question was how they would improve themselves without causing harm. No one here is old, but to start running or exercising after a lifetime of sedetary life or small amount of exercise then it is difficult to begin, at any age. I do have 60 year olds on base who run very well, they have had years of continuous conditioning.
No one got upset until they were accused of not working hard enough. So, I guess everyones perception is different. I never got the perception that anyone lessened their PT requirements. Just allow others to train the right way, they will get there. It's too bad this thread has gotten this far...the beginning was actually, who is going to OBLC in January.
Maybe the army should be blamed. If they commissioned someone who didn't meet the requirement to begin with, the army should not then expect the person to become the most physically fit person after just a few months or less before going to OBLC. The major who made my assignment seemed to be the only person that I've been in contact with that really stressed the importance of the APFT. I sympathize with people who are very green to the the military life who weren't really made aware of these requirements until the day of commissioning when it's spelled out in the contract. The army should stop allowing people to be commissioned that don't even meet the weight/tape requirement.
. Yes, we all realize that an officer with a higher APFT score (when all other things are equal) will be chosen over an officer with a lower APFT score with regards to career enhancing opportunities. And yes, an officer should always strive to perform at their best, both physically and professionally. But the key word here is "their"... if an officer is giving his or her best (assuming their best is not sub-par) then that officer will earn the respect of his or her soldiers. I for one would have a lot more respect for an individual who took their training seriously, was continuing to improve and only scored a 60+ on their run, than for someone who was naturally physically gifted and scored an 80+ without putting forth their best effort. With regards to officership I also agree with what AirForceCapt was alluding to... being an officer is not about your own personal accomplishments and professional gains (those things are nice and we should all strive for them) like being chosen for special schools or choice assignments because we performed well on our APFT. Being an officer is about being an effective leader, about standing up for your soldiers, being fair and consistent, providing discipline when appropriate, and ensuring that the work of the United States Army is being done effectively and appropriately. Yes, one could argue that a higher APFT score will help an officer accomplish those things, but again... if the officer/soldier is taking their training seriously, showing steady improvement and not quitting, what more can you possibly expect from them?
What do you all think about some of the training from Stew Smith on
lahlee
89 Posts
I believe that AFCPT hit the nail on the head. What it ultimately comes down to is being the best RN that I can be as well as being the best soldier I can be. The APFT does not determine what a person is capable of, they are physical guidelines set by the Army requiring their soldiers to maintain a certain level of physical fitness. If I were the soldier lying in the bed, as a pt I would be more concerned with your knowledge and application of nursing; not how fast you can run.
For those getting back into shape, set your ultimate goal and then make mini-goals along the way. That will allow to challenge yourself, and achieve those small victories hopefully without throwing a hip!! Hooooah!