Joining the Air Force

Specialties Government

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I am graduating with my BSN in May of this year (only a few more weeks, yay!). I have thought about joining the air force for a while and went to talk to a nurse recruiter this past week. the problem is that i have been offered a job in a hospital where i live that starts in august and will have to sign a 2 year contract with them if i take it. and with the air force, the board that would accept me does not meet until october and then if i was accepted i could not start training until january of 2010.

so are there any air force nurses with advice?? i'm a little concerned about the officer training and physical regimen, etc. and don't want to turn down the job offer i already have only to not get accepted to the air force. i'm trying to look at the big picture and think of how amazing it would be to call myself an air force nurse, but i don't know if having no income until january is the way to do it.

are there short term or temp positions for new grads so that i could have some form of income?? or i can accept the job offer and just quit when it is time to go but i have to pay them back for my training (not sure how much that is).

basically i need to know if the trade off of rejecting a job offer to go through COT and join the air force is worth it? you hear all the horror stories but i don't think that's reliable. i asked the recruiter most of my questions and it seemed pretty great- i can take my dogs, i don't have to be stationed overseas, etc. i just need advice from someone that's been there.

THANKS!

Specializes in ER.

Hello,

Alot of great replies, I see. I graduated last May and began working in an ER in Chicago. I didn't have a sign-on bonus at all nor did I have to sign a contract. I figured that I could begin working for income until I officially went in. I found out this past November that I was picked up by the Air Force as an ER nurse. I told my job 5 days before I left for COT. They were cool about it but sad to to lose a new nurse. I started COT in March and just finished 2 weeks ago. I just arrived at Travis AFB to begin my career. Signing a contract can make the situation sticky but it is doable. If you want to avoid all of that, look for a job that won't require a contract. Unfortunately, informing a potential job that you are considering the AF may result in the hospital not hiring you. It all depends on what you really want to do.. I hope it helps and good luck with your decision.

:jester:

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thanks for all the info! i found out today that if i sign the contract and leave within 6 months i owe $10,000 and if i leave after 1 year i owe $5,000. i'm leaning towards taking the job and if in a year i still want to join i'll just pay off the contract. i'd hate to turn down this job, which was competitive and i'm lucky to have gotten, and then not get accepted or chicken out of joining the air force. (i'm such a worrier that without knowing exactly what i was getting into or the chance of being deployed asap, it's likely i wouldn't follow through)

i'm still doing my research and asking a million questions of anyone who i think might have valuable information. thanks to everyone here!

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wait a sec...so you just went through COT? besides being deployed the COT is what i'm trying to figure out. some places i read say a little pt in the am and then class the rest of the day but then i found a video showing obstacle courses and training to simulate deployment, etc. is all of that happening at COT and what did they tell you as far as being deployed is concerned? i'm trying to get a realistic picture.

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Specializes in ER.

Yes, I finished COT on the 10th of this month. It's definitely much more strict than I've heard from many who attended in the past. However, it's definitely doable. Yes, there is early AM PT about 3 - 4 days a week. You will have to do a baseline PT test shortly after arrival and complete and pass another PT test toward the end. There is alot of lecture time (death by powerpoint), class time, marching. Yes, there are obstacle courses as well a few that involve heights (which is a huge fear of mine). Please don't let the video scare you.. I completed it and so can you...

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Specializes in ER.

Oh, I forgot to add that there are scenarios which I thought were pretty enjoyable and allowed us to perform as professional RNs, MDs, etc. I enjoyed that..

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Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.

Before anyone leaves for Active Duty then need to look at USERRA and when they leave do the paperwork for extended Military Leave. Your employer has to hold a position for you for 5 years. Even if you do not plan on coming back to work at that facility it is a good thing, you just do not know what is going to happen, you could get hurt and D/C'd early, after your active duty obligation you might want to get out. This will decrease your stress when you get out knowing that you have a job to go back to. Who knows, in 3 years if the economy is still bad nursing jobs might dry up in some areas of the country. Do not let your employer tell you that you can not take military leave, they have no choice in the matter and have to grant it to you.

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You put WAY to much stock in USERRA.

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concur with the cursed one... personally I wouldn't touch the paperwork. The admin pain of trying to enforce that would not be worth the % chance that I'd be back at the job and willing to get fed enforcement when there are people who legitimately were called up and lost their jobs during IRR or stop-loss w/o the choice of leaving for active duty as an officer.. and worst case scenario - if the economy is that bad at 5 years ... then I'd just continue my active duty service regardless if I liked it or not...

v/r

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Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.
concur with the cursed one... personally I wouldn't touch the paperwork. The admin pain of trying to enforce that would not be worth the % chance that I'd be back at the job and willing to get fed enforcement when there are people who legitimately were called up and lost their jobs during IRR or stop-loss w/o the choice of leaving for active duty as an officer.. and worst case scenario - if the economy is that bad at 5 years ... then I'd just continue my active duty service regardless if I liked it or not...

v/r

If you are working for a company that does not honor its obligations, is it a company that you really want to work for. I have been mobbed x 2 and worked for a different company each time. Each one honored what it was to do. I have been around many soldiers & sailors and they did not have trouble. Yes, there is the few companies that given military members problems, but when you look into the company deeper you will see that they do not treat most of their employees like they should. Most companies have not trouble with military leave since they know that you might return after you are done, thus decreasing their cost to recruit a nurse at that time.

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Utilizing USERRA to protect a drilling reservist is more inline with the intent of that law; but you are advocating leaving a job for five years to join a full time position with the military and expecting an employer to hold a position for you on the off chance you might return. That attitude fails to take into account the stresses employers go through when they lose a an employee due to military service. I doubt you would see much luck trying to implement that train of thought through an ombudsman.

As far as the efficacy of USERRA, you must have missed this 60 minute report:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/30/60minutes/main4558315.shtml

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Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.

I have lived with USERRA, 60 minutes is anti military and is going to show anything to make it look bad. The intent of USERRA was written in the Soldier & Sailor relief act which was intented for service members returning from active duty. What the employer has to do is rehire you into an equivalant position with the same rights as if you where there for the time who spent in the military. You use everything that is available to you and this is only one. Hey, if you do not want to take advanatage of what is out there dont. But, dont cry about it later.

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Use it but don't abuse it.

It is meant for Guard or Reserve that go away for 6 months to do their "secondary" job and want to come back to do their "primary" job.

It is not intended for Active duty that join for 4-20 years (may or may not come back) and then finally come back and want the same thing as if they never left - that is abusive.

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