Longest at one base

What is the longest anyone has known a nurse to be at ONE base? I know as an officer one gets moved every 3-4 years. Has anyone ever known anyone to stay longer at a base?

Just Curious,

Pam

Hello Nurse Pamela,

I'm curious too!

My sponser at BAMC told me that there is a possibility of requesting my next assignment to be at the same place, (Brooke Army medical Center) but in a different unit.

As I understand it I should anticipate moving every other year or so.

Gen

In the Navy we generally move every 3 years. There are some situations where you can "extend" at a duty station, but that is usually for only one year. Iknow in the other services you can "homestead" at one base for 6-8 yeas, but not sure how that works. I think you have to request it somehow.

LCDR Dan

I hate to split hairs, but "Officers" applies to alot of folks. USAF Nurse Corps Officers have a very specific timetable as laid out by our governing agency, AFPC. They determined last year that we will move after 4 years, but no later than 5 years.

Naturally, there will be circumstances like extending at a base past the 5 year mark waiting for entry into a graduate school down the street. Certain sets of timing will always cause an exception, but we cannot simply apply to stay in a place and "homestead". The enlisted troops can stay at a base for 20 years if they like and i know surgeons that have specialized into such a narrow focus that they stay at base x for 20 years, true to our heritage, nurses hate each other and still have to move move move.

What do you mean "true to our heritage, nurses hate each other." Speak for yourself, married to another nurse and love her to death. Anyway, thanks for clearing up the whole homesteading thing, interesting how enlisted can stay, but officers can't.

LCDR Dan

I can kind of give insight into why enlisted can stay longer. Officers are considered management from the get go and therefore should not get "too comfortable" with thier co-workers or job due to the whole fraternization thing. That combined with over all there is more enlisted jobs than officer jobs so in order to fill an officer postion one has to relocate.

I don't mind moving but I would like to stop moving someday.