Looking for prior service with experiences in becoming an AF RN

[Periop-Doug]

I am a 46 yo prior service (11 yrs enlisted) veteran who, after leaving the USAF as an E-5 in 1995, went to nursing school and has spent the past 10+ years working as an RN in surgery. Now that my kids are grown and on their own I am seriously looking at returning to active duty as an officer in the USAF Nursing Corp. I have spoken to a recruiter and begun to collect medical review information because of course, my main concern is health related. I am quite healthy and work out regularly but I did suffer a lower back injury about 5 years ago. I have not required surgery and I am able to function fully now after years of rehab and working out furiously. Nonetheless, my recruiter says it will be an uphill climb.

I am looking for anyone who has been in a similar situation as I, with or without the health issues, and was successful (or not) in receving a commission. Any pointers or tips would be greatly apprciated!

Thank you,

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

That's the line side, not the medical side. The AF won't be "force shaping" (the current buzzword for "redundancies" or just plain "firing"; in my enlisted days it was called a "force drawdown" but I guess since there's a war on they can't say "drawdown") RNs any time soon.

A reduction in force is occasionally the military's way of doing some spring cleaning. What I was reading in the AF Times and in Airman this last month leads me to believe they're top heavy and they have a bunch of folks who haven't advanced well in rank and they're going to let them go. They've gone back to enforcing term limits for the enlisteds and putting stricter requirements for promotion for line officers (which is anyone who's not medical, JAG, or a chaplain - their promotions are a bit different than ours).

What further reinforces for me that this is a line side issue is that nowhere is the medical field singled out in any of the discussions. It's easier to cut line officers because it's easy (easier) and ultimately cheaper to recruit them - the AF pays out a lot in special pays to MDs and JAGs, and pays a lot in bonuses and loan paybacks (and special pays as well) to RNs, and we're harder to recruit because for the most part our fields make more on the outside than in the military. (Again, I'm including MDs and JAGs here, because my pay almost doubled when I came back in - but then again, I've got a chunk of prior service).

The AF Times would be all over it if they were discussing a cut of medical jobs because the AF has griped so much about the difficulty in getting them. And while the COT slots are filling up already for the next fiscal year, that's folks in the pipeline, not bodies they have right now.

The AF has been filling up OTS slots (not on the COT side, again, on the line side) with ease 2/2 the economy tanking. Now they're top heavy (even a 2nd Lt is at the "top" - a butter bar outranks ninety percent of the AF from day one) and need to clean house.

I've also got several line side friends who are talking the same thing; one is actually afraid they're on the chopping block because they missed Major this board. He's talking about crossing to the Army, which many folks start applying for if they know they're next in line.

[Periop-Doug]

Awesome news carolina! I also didn't see anything in the article on medical officers being down sized but I am somewhat sensitive right now since I am moving forward with this process. Thanks again for your replies and insights as they invaluable to me right now.

Doug

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

Keep moving. If they decide they need you, they'll find you a spot...

And if they DID downsize us later, they'll still live up to your contract - it's RARE and unusual for the military to renege on their end of a contract unless you screw up.