Joining army or air force

Unique87 · Dec 2, 2008

Try posting this on the Military and Uniformed Services board they could help you out better. HTH

Flightline, BSN, RN · Dec 2, 2008

Go to nursing school first. You will be commissioned, they will beg for you to join, and you will most likely get serious retention bonuses. Consider transferring to a college that does have ROTC. If you can't, forget the military for now, and just do whatever you have to do to get a BSN first. Also, AF is great, but so are the other branches. Once you have a BSN, you can write your own ticket. Without it, you will have to enlist, and once you do, you won't ever go to nursing school. If you want to be a nurse, do it before you go into the military. Do not enlist if you want to be a nurse. You will have to then compete with everyone else who wants to go into the bootstrap or whatever program, and it just won't happen. This is my opinion anyway.

It's true, the military now pays 100% tuition assistance, I believe. But you better be pursuing an on-line degree in math or english or something, because you'll be deployed a great deal of the time. Some people want to be deployed--great, but you can't go to nursing school deployed. Not to mention, you can't work full time in the military and go to full time nursing school. It's just not realistic.

Get a BSN first and the military will beat a path to your door. Enlist, and you belong to them. Pure and simple.

I'm not anit-military. On the contrary, I'm all for it. I think it's a great-great thing. I got my B.Sc. while I was in, and had 0 debt for it. But if you want to be a nurse in the military, get the BSN first. I see all these med techs now who think they're going to get accepted to PA school, or get to go bootstrap, or AECP or whatever, and the bottom line is, probably none of them will be accepted.

Anyone who disagrees with my analysis, please do. I'm all ears, but this is how it seems to me right now. I work in a military hospital as a civilian nurse, and this is how it seems, but I'm new and I could be wrong.

Oh, and I have to add this: watch out for the recruiters. Do your homework first and then listen to what they have to say. You can't get in without going through them, but check it out: they didn't care a bit about your desire to be a nurse; they just wanted you to enlist. They couldn't care less if you were a cook or a pararescue or explosive ordinance disposal (cook, in retrospect, is actually a great career field for those who want to be in restaurant management or own a restaurant. I shouldn't act like it's a lowly thing--quite the opposite.).

futrarmyCRNA · Dec 2, 2008

If you pursue the ROTC route, you will owe the service several years before you can even apply for post grad education. If your goal is too serve and get educated in return by all means seek the ROTC route. But you almost definately will not go straight through to MSN schooling until you give back whatever time you owe for your initial BSN funding.

As stated above if you get your BSN first, you can apply for STRAP through the reserves (the army has it, I think the AF does too) and go straight into your MSN schooling and pay back time when you are done with that.

ladyviola · Dec 2, 2008

If you pursue the ROTC route, you will owe the service several years before you can even apply for post grad education. If your goal is too serve and get educated in return by all means seek the ROTC route. But you almost definately will not go straight through to MSN schooling until you give back whatever time you owe for your initial BSN funding.
As stated above if you get your BSN first, you can apply for STRAP through the reserves (the army has it, I think the AF does too) and go straight into your MSN schooling and pay back time when you are done with that.

HELP!!!!!

1st, I posted this in the wrong thread and I'm sorry. 2nd, as you see below, I have some pretty focused questions. Can I get some help from several active duty Air Force Nurses, new active duty Air Force Nurses who just got selected or just graduated from COT????? I need to be armed to help my recruiter give all the help he can.

Do you have a checklist, or know someone who has a checklist that the Air Force Recruiter uses to recruit and then build a nurse application package?

Trying as hard as I can to not seem as though I only care about me, here is what I want from the Air Force (and I am really flexible):

To get commissioned in August and go to COT soon there after (I grad from Uinv of Del in July.)

To optimize the signing bonus.

To optimize the Tuition reimbursement.

To go to Germany, Italy or Guam for my 1st duty station.

If not Germany, Italy, or Guam, where (advice needed)?

To have my mother put into DEERs as my dependant.

To come in as a fully qualified Med-Surg nurse

Please mentor me a little

I am 47, married, no kids, 5 years prior service as Army Medic/LPN, RN, NCLEX certified, senior year BSN @Univ of Delaware, 3.98 cumulative GPA, I have everything in writing/origionals. The only waiver I might need is relative to my age but my recruiter told me 42 is the cutoff and each year of active duty trims a year of age. I am entering as a qualified Clinical Nurse. I need specific guidance from an Air Force Nurse/gonna be an Air Force Nurse/Air Force Recruiter/you know what.

How do I optimize my Sign on bonus and tuition pay back money? Either repeat the info here or refer me to the pertinant info. I need help getting ahead of my recruiter so I can get the very best from him.

My mother is my dependant, any probs there?

What about 1st duty stations? I am qualified/prior service/full time Med/Surg Nurse. I am fluent (speak, read, write) German and conversational in Italian. I don't want to waste my dream sheet selections.

I need the good old mentorship here.

Thanks for the help, Ladyviola :nurse:

futrarmyCRNA · Dec 2, 2008

Your bonus is whatever is authorized by DOD at the time and depends on how short of RN's the service is at the time. The shorter, the bigger the bonus. Use a google search or search the AF-Medical website at the time. It may get bigger or smaller right after you sign up.

Each commissioned officer rank has an age restriction, which for 2LT is like 32. I was 36 when I got my commission at 2LT in the army. You will also need waiver for that. You will need a waiver stating you understand you can not retire and put in 20 as age 60 is mandatory removal date for officers I believe.

You will always be assigned at the needs of the service but as an officer have more choices and usually if you want to go overseas they will let you. I just don't know how many openings there are for AF nurses overseas besides Landstuhl at this time. I do not know of any AF hospitals in Italy, maybe a clinic. There was a lot of Army healthcare facilites at one time. Your mother can become a dependent but I don't know who cooridinates that. YOu will have to have a family care plan on who is going to take care of your mother when you deploy, as you will probably deploy for at least a few months if not more. You can not stay in the service as a single person with a dependent without an action plan on who legally will take care of that person when you deploy. Having your mother as a dependent means she is depending on you for more than financial support.

JDCitizen · Dec 3, 2008

HELP!!!!!
Do you have a checklist, or know someone who has a checklist that the Air Force Recruiter uses to recruit and then build a nurse application package?
Thanks for the help, Ladyviola

Here it is again:

I had to go through with AFCCVO package and I am kind of sure this only applies to NPs, PAs, MDs....

The information needed to process the application itself is about 9 pages long and includes; address verification, education history, work history, medical pre-screen history, law violation history, employment history, past drug use, list of relatives (mother, father, children, in-laws, spouse or ex-spouse), etc....

This is from their official check list I was given (all may not apply to you, some didn't for me)

SS card

Birth certificate

Marriage certificate

Divorce Decree

Court documents

USMLE/BOE scores

All CME / CEU certificates

MCAT, GRE or GMAT scores

Official college transcripts (from every college ever attended)

Drivers license

DD for 214 and 215

Applicant questionnaire

3-5 letter of recommendation

Prior service records

All Board certificates

All licenses & Certificates to practice

Medical documents (if requested) They were requested

ECFFMG certificate of 5th pathway

Intern/Residency/Fellowship Certificates

From my readings on this site and others and from my own experience: The process can take several months or more. Be patient, persistent and stay on the ball.

Best wishes!

JDCitizen · Dec 3, 2008

Here it is again:
I had to go through with AFCCVO package and I am kind of sure this only applies to NPs, PAs, MDs....
The information needed to process the application itself is about 9 pages long and includes; address verification, education history, work history, medical pre-screen history, law violation history, employment history, past drug use, list of relatives (mother, father, children, in-laws, spouse or ex-spouse), etc....
This is from their official check list I was given (all may not apply to you, some didn't for me)
SS card
Birth certificate
Marriage certificate
Divorce Decree
Court documents
USMLE/BOE scores
All CME / CEU certificates
MCAT, GRE or GMAT scores
Official college transcripts (from every college ever attended)
Drivers license
DD for 214 and 215
Applicant questionnaire
3-5 letter of recommendation
Prior service records
All Board certificates
All licenses & Certificates to practice
Medical documents (if requested) They were requested
ECFFMG certificate of 5th pathway
Intern/Residency/Fellowship Certificates
From my readings on this site and others and from my own experience: The process can take several months or more. Be patient, persistent and stay on the ball.
Best wishes!

Further searching and I dug out the Applicant questionnaire:

1) Why did you choose this specialty / profession?

2) What do you believe are your most significant accomplishments?

3) Identify any significant awards, scholarships, or other recognitions you have received.

4) Describe any community service activities, including positions held and responsibilities.

5) List any research, publications or teaching experience you have accomplished.

6) What are your short term goals-the next 5 years?

7) What are your long term goals?

8) What do you find appealing about Air Force Health Professions?

9) Why should you be selected? - What do you have to offer the Air Force?

Limited to a two page typewritten double spaced pages. Ensure each question is restated, then answered within the personal response.

sassysoldier · Dec 3, 2008

neyalynn,

Flighline is correct. I was in your boat a few years back when I was around 20 years old. I was in nursing school and needed some extra $$ to pay for school. I also wanted a Masters in something and wanted to go directly so that I would not loose focus. I went to a "regular" recruiter back then who wanted to send me to basic in a month, had me taking the ASVAB all that. Luckily even though the internet was not as extensive as now (has come a long way in 8 years) I didn't have as much information as you did and my undergrad school did not have ROTC. I called another school ROTC who had nursing and asked for advice. The ROTC guy( can't remember his name) told me the same thing Flighline stated. He said get my BSN, go into ROTC in graduate school get my licence then go. Well, my process took 4 years longer (because I had a son and got married in between my plans). However, I do have my BSN,BSW,MSW and MPH. I did ROTC in graduate school but got out when I found out a little one was coming. Now I am getting ready to join and I don't have many issues getting into the healthcare side of the military as I would have proably if I went in when I was 20 I might have been that cook??

Well, good luck. ROTC is a great option to ease you into PT, uniform and let you get to taste military life. I liked it even though I didn't care for waking up at 5am after partying the night before but thats college and life. (its not like you can do much partying in nursing school anyway).

ladyviola,

You may want to get in touch with a healthcare recruiter now!!! The process is long for all the branches. Its a whole lot of paperwork and alot of digging up stuff you may not have at your finger tips. Bonus change and with AF it depends on what time of year you apply. There is some other posts on here that answers some of your other questions like parents as dependents I think some other ladies/gents have the same process going on and they explained how to go about that. Some of your other ?'s like becoming med/surg nurse are also answered on previous posts. Do a search I did when i first got on here and alot of us are going through and have went through the same process so its proably answered. Good luck ladies

neyalynn · Dec 3, 2008

thanks for the help everybody. i talked with the army recruiters again yesterday. they told me to go to basic training in the summer and AIT then when the school year starts i can get in the SMP program where you do ROTC and are a member of the Army Reserve at the same time, and you go to work or whatever it is one weekend a month. They said that I will do that until graduation and when i graduate i will do an internship at one of the army hospitals and basically shadow a nurse for a year and then will become an actual nurse in the army. i know now that the grad school thing might not work out in my favor but i can still try. my dad is a colonel and i was told maybe he can pull some strings so i dont know how that will turn out. but i think i will be ok with waiting.

futrarmyCRNA · Dec 3, 2008

thanks for the help everybody. i talked with the army recruiters again yesterday. they told me to go to basic training in the summer and AIT then when the school year starts i can get in the SMP program where you do ROTC and are a member of the Army Reserve at the same time, and you go to work or whatever it is one weekend a month. They said that I will do that until graduation and when i graduate i will do an internship at one of the army hospitals and basically shadow a nurse for a year and then will become an actual nurse in the army. i know now that the grad school thing might not work out in my favor but i can still try. my dad is a colonel and i was told maybe he can pull some strings so i dont know how that will turn out. but i think i will be ok with waiting.

AIT is not for medical professionals. These recruiters are getting you to ENLIST in the army. You will be subject to deploying overseas at any time, even while in college unless you get a contract rider stating "no deployment" in lieu of a bonus. This will help give you money for school and some spending money but may not be what you are thinking of. You do not have to enlist first to go through ROTC or to become an officer after you have your BSN. Don;t let the recruiters tell you otherwise.

After you graduate ROTC and go active duty as an officer you will be a med/surg nurse (66H) by default. After the 1st year, you can specialize (OR, ER, ICU, psych, pubic health, etc.) WHen you are past the 2 year mark you can usually apply for LTHET (long term health education training) and get your master's in something. It is competitive for dollars but most who are dedicated can get the OK. If you choose to go reserves and not active, they have STRAP for money to get master's. I am a 66H in the reserves and will be a 66H8A (critical care nurse) when active. I applied for LTHET to go to anesthesia school through the army and got accepted and have to go active 2 1/2 yrs for school and 4 1/2 yrs payback time. But it is worth it to me to become a nurse anethetist.

Cursed Irishman · Dec 3, 2008

WHen you are past the 2 year mark you can usually apply for LTHET (long term health education training) and get your master's in something. It is competitive for dollars but most who are dedicated can get the OK. If you choose to go reserves and not active, they have STRAP for money to get master's. I am a 66H in the reserves and will be a 66H8A (critical care nurse) when active. I applied for LTHET to go to anesthesia school through the army and got accepted and have to go active 2 1/2 yrs for school and 4 1/2 yrs payback time. But it is worth it to me to become a nurse anethetist.

I'm curious about the statement about being dedicated; can you expand on what you mean by this? Dedicated to the army? Dedicated to becoming advanced practice? All the above? Thanks.