Well my husband is active duty as well, almost close to retirement so it's all he knows. My kids (10 and 11) love travelling and seeing new places. They are very resilient and look forward to PCSing and making new friends. Military kids are very strong and because you have 2 children, they will always have each other. There are many stay-at-home dads here in England but they seem to keep busy. You'd most likely end up stateside so your husband would have better working opportunities when you relocate unlike going overseas.
Our patient population is relatively healthy except when you are at larger hospitals that take care of vets and retirees. The pay, the benefits and the job security is nice but I really want to deploy and help my brothers and sisters out there. I haven't deployed yet as a nurse but I have when I was enlisted and it was a scary yet rewarding experience.
When I went through COT and NTP my family (husband and 2 kids) did just fine. I was in AZ and they were in SC. They came to the COT graduation and they drove back to SC as I continued on to AZ. So from Jan-Apr we were separated. It's upsetting for the first few days but the work load will mask the pain and anxiety. Going the new grad route is more difficult than FQ because there is only one board a year and can have up to 400 applicants competing for 30 or so slots. Do not let that deter you though because I made it the first go-round. NTP grads usually go to Travis, SAMMC, Langley, Keesler, and Elmendorf (I may be missing another). A girl that I was in NTP with got sent to Germany and I was lucky enough to get sent to England. Getting overseas is a rarity though as a new grad.
You'll stay at a hotel. You'll have a roommate but they are little apartments so separate rooms with your own bathroom, full kitchen and living room. I drove from COT to AZ with no problems. It took like 2 days. I would recommend bringing your car but when I was in NTP everyone had a car so we would car pool so if you don't have your car you'll be okay. You'll only go to Luke AFB for administrative stuff, maybe like 3 times, and the instructors will take their cars and any additional cars depending on how many members there are. You should received an info packet via email from the instructors prior to COT. You're going at a great time, the weather is great and there's lots to do!
I completed NTP in Scottsdale which was amazing! To answer your questions, it would depend on your instructors. Technically you are not supposed to leave the state without being on leave and you are in a training environment so taking extra days off is not an option. You are going to follow your preceptor's schedule so you'll have at least 2 days off in a row. There were times that I had 3 days off in a row. You won't have time to look for housing in TX while in AZ. You will however get house hunting days when you report in so you'll have plenty of time to find a place. Expect your pay to be jacked up for a few months so hopefully you have some money set aside, it is like this for all new accessions except those who were in NECP. You'll complete some of your finance paperwork at Luke AFB.
Not even close to medical….I was security forces! Which I wouldn't trade my experience for anything! Like I said the board is very subjective, let's say you have 300 applicants and 3 members on the board. They will each get 100 packages and rate those packages between 1-10 on what they think is important then they switch and re-rate the other packages and so forth based on their standards. When all packages have been rated they will say okay let's re-evaluate those packages who were 8 and above, so those 7 and below would be out and they would continue the process all over again until they have their selectees. I know a Col who sat on a nursing board once so I was able to pick her brain. She said being prior enlisted was always a plus for her but it could have changed being that she sat on a board a few years ago. I will say that they expect a lot more from you as an officer if you are prior-enlisted so sometimes I have to remind them like 'hey I'm still a new officer as well as a new nurse' just because being an officer is different than enlisted…at least I think so.
I am an active duty nurse and prior-enlisted so maybe I can give you some insight as to what my package looked like. I was selected among 300 applicants for NTP, I think they accepted 30 med surg and 10 OB my year which was 2013. I was active duty for 6 years with a 3 year break in service, keep in mind that you need 4 yrs and 1 day to have the E added to your pay grade. I had a 3.6 GPA and did not go above and beyond like most other candidates due to me having a family and working two jobs while in nursing school. I did have CNA/Med Tech experience and 6 months ER nurse experience but I do think being prior-enlisted helps. Don't feel discouraged by some others comments because the board is subjective and it just depends on what they deem important. One person may think GPA is important and rank packages based on that but when they rotate packages the next person might think prior-enlisted is more important and so forth. So just go for it!
As an L&D/OB nurse you can go to a unit or a clinic which the majority of AF bases are clinics so there are many bases that would be open to you. As the others have mentioned, you would have to speak to a healthcare recruiter to apply for the fully qualified (FQ) boards which meet twice a year (well the last time I heard).
There are only 4 bases that have the NTP program, unless you are referring to NRP which is the year long "training" program for new grads which is after NTP. You can either go to San Antonio, TX, Scottsdale, AZ, Cincinnati, OH or Tampa, FL. The list you attached is for the bases that have the NRP and RAF Lakenheath, UK is missing which also offers the NRP.
I just finished up the NRP and have been upgraded. I am happy to answer any questions you may have
To reiterate what jfratian said, get your uniforms ahead of time with everything sewn on and definitely get your blues tailored before too. I saw many people, women mainly, that ended up with huge uniforms because they ran out of their size. I would recommend getting some good boots that won't need much breaking in such as Nike or Converse that can be purchased online.
The best advice I can give is turn your phone into a wifi hotspot or purchase one because the internet was terrible and the majority of your work is done through blackboard. It was extremely frustrating for some people and I had to share my wifi a lot with my flight so they could get their papers submitted in time.
I started talking with my recruiter the beginning of my senior year. Keep in mind that all the paperwork that needs to be completed (including recommendations) cannot be dated more then 6 months before the board meets. So my recruiter gave me all the paperwork to fill out and didn't date it until it was ready to be submitted. The process took about 4 months with MEPs and chief nurse interview but I would notify the people writing your recommendations ahead of time and give them a deadline.
The board that I went up against last year was about 300 applicants with 30 slots for med surg and like 15 for OB. I didn't think I would have a shot because you go up against some heavy hitters who look real good on paper but I am prior Air Force so I think that helped. Do not get discouraged though because the majority of the selectees did not have military experience, it was just a bonus of mine.
Hi, just wondering if anyone can elaborate on Rutgers scholarly paper or published article requirement for some of their MSN programs?
I do not have any of those items as I have only been a nurse for 1 year nor do I have any of the papers I wrote in nursing school. Just wanted to see if anyone was in the same situation. Thanks!
Well my husband is active duty as well, almost close to retirement so it's all he knows. My kids (10 and 11) love travelling and seeing new places. They are very resilient and look forward to PCSing and making new friends. Military kids are very strong and because you have 2 children, they will always have each other. There are many stay-at-home dads here in England but they seem to keep busy. You'd most likely end up stateside so your husband would have better working opportunities when you relocate unlike going overseas.
Our patient population is relatively healthy except when you are at larger hospitals that take care of vets and retirees. The pay, the benefits and the job security is nice but I really want to deploy and help my brothers and sisters out there. I haven't deployed yet as a nurse but I have when I was enlisted and it was a scary yet rewarding experience.
When I went through COT and NTP my family (husband and 2 kids) did just fine. I was in AZ and they were in SC. They came to the COT graduation and they drove back to SC as I continued on to AZ. So from Jan-Apr we were separated. It's upsetting for the first few days but the work load will mask the pain and anxiety. Going the new grad route is more difficult than FQ because there is only one board a year and can have up to 400 applicants competing for 30 or so slots. Do not let that deter you though because I made it the first go-round. NTP grads usually go to Travis, SAMMC, Langley, Keesler, and Elmendorf (I may be missing another). A girl that I was in NTP with got sent to Germany and I was lucky enough to get sent to England. Getting overseas is a rarity though as a new grad.
You'll stay at a hotel. You'll have a roommate but they are little apartments so separate rooms with your own bathroom, full kitchen and living room. I drove from COT to AZ with no problems. It took like 2 days. I would recommend bringing your car but when I was in NTP everyone had a car so we would car pool so if you don't have your car you'll be okay. You'll only go to Luke AFB for administrative stuff, maybe like 3 times, and the instructors will take their cars and any additional cars depending on how many members there are. You should received an info packet via email from the instructors prior to COT. You're going at a great time, the weather is great and there's lots to do!
I completed NTP in Scottsdale which was amazing! To answer your questions, it would depend on your instructors. Technically you are not supposed to leave the state without being on leave and you are in a training environment so taking extra days off is not an option. You are going to follow your preceptor's schedule so you'll have at least 2 days off in a row. There were times that I had 3 days off in a row. You won't have time to look for housing in TX while in AZ. You will however get house hunting days when you report in so you'll have plenty of time to find a place. Expect your pay to be jacked up for a few months so hopefully you have some money set aside, it is like this for all new accessions except those who were in NECP. You'll complete some of your finance paperwork at Luke AFB.
To answer your question about your paperwork stating reserve, you are considered a reservist until your EAD date which is the first day of COT.
Not even close to medical….I was security forces! Which I wouldn't trade my experience for anything! Like I said the board is very subjective, let's say you have 300 applicants and 3 members on the board. They will each get 100 packages and rate those packages between 1-10 on what they think is important then they switch and re-rate the other packages and so forth based on their standards. When all packages have been rated they will say okay let's re-evaluate those packages who were 8 and above, so those 7 and below would be out and they would continue the process all over again until they have their selectees. I know a Col who sat on a nursing board once so I was able to pick her brain. She said being prior enlisted was always a plus for her but it could have changed being that she sat on a board a few years ago. I will say that they expect a lot more from you as an officer if you are prior-enlisted so sometimes I have to remind them like 'hey I'm still a new officer as well as a new nurse' just because being an officer is different than enlisted…at least I think so.
I am an active duty nurse and prior-enlisted so maybe I can give you some insight as to what my package looked like. I was selected among 300 applicants for NTP, I think they accepted 30 med surg and 10 OB my year which was 2013. I was active duty for 6 years with a 3 year break in service, keep in mind that you need 4 yrs and 1 day to have the E added to your pay grade. I had a 3.6 GPA and did not go above and beyond like most other candidates due to me having a family and working two jobs while in nursing school. I did have CNA/Med Tech experience and 6 months ER nurse experience but I do think being prior-enlisted helps. Don't feel discouraged by some others comments because the board is subjective and it just depends on what they deem important. One person may think GPA is important and rank packages based on that but when they rotate packages the next person might think prior-enlisted is more important and so forth. So just go for it!
As an L&D/OB nurse you can go to a unit or a clinic which the majority of AF bases are clinics so there are many bases that would be open to you. As the others have mentioned, you would have to speak to a healthcare recruiter to apply for the fully qualified (FQ) boards which meet twice a year (well the last time I heard).
There are only 4 bases that have the NTP program, unless you are referring to NRP which is the year long "training" program for new grads which is after NTP. You can either go to San Antonio, TX, Scottsdale, AZ, Cincinnati, OH or Tampa, FL. The list you attached is for the bases that have the NRP and RAF Lakenheath, UK is missing which also offers the NRP.
I just finished up the NRP and have been upgraded. I am happy to answer any questions you may have
Yes that's it! I purchased them from this website Nike Sage Green SFB Boots | Nike Air Force USAF Special Field Boots
Just to get an idea for sizing as far as women, I am a 7.5 -8 in women and I wear a 6 in these boots. My husband says they are true to size in men.
To reiterate what jfratian said, get your uniforms ahead of time with everything sewn on and definitely get your blues tailored before too. I saw many people, women mainly, that ended up with huge uniforms because they ran out of their size. I would recommend getting some good boots that won't need much breaking in such as Nike or Converse that can be purchased online.
The best advice I can give is turn your phone into a wifi hotspot or purchase one because the internet was terrible and the majority of your work is done through blackboard. It was extremely frustrating for some people and I had to share my wifi a lot with my flight so they could get their papers submitted in time.
It is a quick 5 weeks! Good luck to everyone!
I started talking with my recruiter the beginning of my senior year. Keep in mind that all the paperwork that needs to be completed (including recommendations) cannot be dated more then 6 months before the board meets. So my recruiter gave me all the paperwork to fill out and didn't date it until it was ready to be submitted. The process took about 4 months with MEPs and chief nurse interview but I would notify the people writing your recommendations ahead of time and give them a deadline.
The board that I went up against last year was about 300 applicants with 30 slots for med surg and like 15 for OB. I didn't think I would have a shot because you go up against some heavy hitters who look real good on paper but I am prior Air Force so I think that helped. Do not get discouraged though because the majority of the selectees did not have military experience, it was just a bonus of mine.
I say go for it! Good luck!
Hi, just wondering if anyone can elaborate on Rutgers scholarly paper or published article requirement for some of their MSN programs?
I do not have any of those items as I have only been a nurse for 1 year nor do I have any of the papers I wrote in nursing school. Just wanted to see if anyone was in the same situation. Thanks!
You can wear the Nike boot, a lot of people had them when I went through COT including myself.
You'll come in as a Capt most likely