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Discussion

Joining the AF as a Nurse

Hello everyone. I am considering joining the AF as a Nurse in about 2 years when I am done with school. I am prior service (Marines) so I know how the military works for the most part.

I have a couple questions however with like as an AF Nurse.

How is life as a AF Nurse? Is it a 9-5 type job when you work in the hospital or do you have 12 hr shifts 3 times a week? If you only do the 12 hrs shifts are you off the other days or still have to show up for military duties?

When first joint the AF, can you choose your duty station? Or are you randomly assigned a duty station.

Once I graduate and join I should have about 1 year of ICU nursing experience. If I join the AF as a ICU nurse how long before I can apply to CRNA schools?

-What are the requirements when applying the the CRNA schools? Do I still need Gen Chem 1&2, O Chem 1&2, and Bio Chem? Do I need a certain GPA?

-While I am at CRNA school, does the time I spend in school count towards my years in for retirement or is my time paused while in school and then start back up when I graduated and start working for the AF again?

-Do you get full pay and benefits while in CRNA school in the AF?

Thank you so much for your help.

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    • Featured Replies

    • Expert

    Hi, there! We have moved your thread to the Military Nursing forum to amass some responses from nurses who currently serve in the military. Good luck to you!

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    Juninho22,

    -First assignment: You'll make a wish list, but no guarantees of getting one of your choices. I met some who received their #1 or #2 choice, others were assigned places nowhere near their list.

    -The current requirement for most specialty programs is 2 years time on station. You would have to look into applying to USAGPAN and the pre-requisites. Currently, statistics and either biochemistry or organic chemistry are required for application. Keep in mind that the CRNA program is extremely competitive, so you'll want to have the best package to submit. Make the best of your first two years in order to gather the most diverse and useful experience.

    -If accepted into USAGPAN, you will receive full pay and benefits during the program. You will pay back your service commitment after completion. It's usually 2 or 3 times the length of the program you completed. Check out the USAGPAN website for the most up to date information.

    I know there are a few military CRNAs on here that can give the most accurate information and recommendations. Check out previous posts that may offer some guidance. Good luck.

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    • Author

    Hey JillyRN thanks for the reply and all the info.

    I heard that even before you join you give them a wish list and they show you exactly where you would get stationed before you even commit to being commissioned. Is that true? Or do you join and then if you get luck you get a top pick

    Also do you know if when I am in school for CRNA if that time counts towards my years of retirement or does my time stop and only starts back up once I graduate?

    Ill check out the USAGPAN website for the pre-reqs and stuff.

    Thanks again for the help.

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    Of course I can't speak for everyone, but the way it happened for me:

    -October Boards, accepted as alternate

    -Notified in Feb that alternate status changed to select

    -Day after notification was asked to submit letter of acceptance (just a signed piece of paper to fax to my recruiter)

    -Day after submitting letter of acceptance, received notification of tentative first assignment

    -Commissioned in May, Orders in July, left for COT in August

    So yes, you can find out your first assignment prior to actually commissioning. But as you already know being prior military, without orders, it's just tentative. We saw some with orders changed during COT.

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    • Author

    Gotcha, thanks for the info.

    and yes if its not written in stone then it can always change.

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    • Expert

    You're definitely smart joining after you get the 1 year of full-time experience needed to get the ICU identifier. If you tried to get in as a new grad, you'd go through 3 months of a newbie nurse TDY followed by 2 years as a med-surg nurse before you could start the 1 year ICU fellowship TDY.

    I would further recommend that you wait on applying to the AF until either shortly before either starting or finishing a civilian CRNA program. I can't think of anything more competitive than the Uniformed Health Services University CRNA program. You would likely find it easier to get into your average civilian med school.

    Your years towards retirement are cumulative and breaks in service don't count against you. You can do 4 years enlisted, 6 years officer, 4 years civilian, and 10 years officer again. You just need it to add-up to 20. Hopefully your enlistment was at least 4 years and 1 day so you get the O1E pay and can retire at O3E (rather than O4) should you chose to do so.

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    • Expert

    Also, AFPC (Air Force Personnel Center) assigns direct accessions to their first duty station upon selection. I knew my first base before I signed anything. You just need to make your recruiter look it up.

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    • Author

    Hey thanks for the info. I have read from people saying that many times there aren't even enough applicants that apply to CRNA school in the AF? Is that not true? If I join the AF I want to join for the retirement benefits so I don't mind joining as a ICU nurse and then waiting to get into CRNA school in a couple of years however long it takes.

    The retirement time question thanks for answering it. But if I join and am a officer and after 2 years in I get accepted into CRNA school, would my time be put on pause for retirement while I am in CRNA school in the military? So If I am on year 7 in the military and go to CRNA school for 3 years(Example), when I graduate CRNA school would I have only 7 years on my belt towards retirement or would I have 7years + 3years(time in CRNA school) for a total of 10 years and only need 10 years left till I'd retire?

    Thanks for your help

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    • Author

    thanks that makes me and most importantly my wife feel better about where we might end up. One follow up question about being stationed somewhere. Once my first 4 years are done, do you HAVE to leave to a different base or can you stay in the base you were first stationed for your whole career or stay as long as you want? Or do you have to move every 4 years ?

    Thanks

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    • Moderator

    You would be on active duty for USAGPAN.

    It is rare to stay anywhere more than a few years. PCSs slow down to save money - it's expensive to move people and have them outprocess/inprocess - but if you stay in for your whole career, you will move.

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    • Expert

    You can request an extension, but the military does't grant it unless they are desperate for people in your specialty. Although, it is getting easier to extend since it saves the government money. It's also easier to get away with extending if you're enlisted; they want AF leadership to have an Air Force mentality---not a Scott AFB mentality, etc. 4 years is typical for CONUS duty station and 2 years is typical for overseas.

    Yes, your time spent in any AFIT program (CRNA, CNS, NP, etc) will count towards your retirement. You also get full pay and benefits while in school. You don't deploy or PCS. You only owe the military about 4 years for a 3 year degree (I think the formula is 2 years for the first year and 1:1 following...not 100% on that). What's not to like?

    Not enough applicants? Most AFIT programs are very competitive, with the exception of the oddball ones (OR CNS and Flight CNS for example). My source is a former Air Force Nurse Corps AFPC assignments officer.

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