MEPS Question

SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN · May 27, 2011

I think your enlisted physical should still be good--I was told mine was good for 2 or 3 years. And I don't think it matters if you're going officer or enlisted. When I went in, I was there with other applicants that were enlisting and they actually had to do more stuff than I did. Can't tell you specifically where you would expect to hit MEPS again in the process as I'm not in the AF. I was a direct commissionee via the Army Nurse Candidate Program, which enlisted me while I was in nursing school so they could pay me a monthly stipend...not sure if the AF has a similar program or not.

Joker269MPCO · May 28, 2011

The physical is good for two years. You would have to return to MEPS to have a few more things done as there is a difference in a Commissioning Physical and and Enlistment Physical. But basically they take your current valid enlistment physical and perform whatever steps were not performed for the commissioning physical and add them to it and then mark the block that says "commissioning" on the physical and you are done.

Viper1104 · May 28, 2011

You may have to get a new MEPS physical. There are different rules for officer and enlisted. When I was enlisted my knee surgery was no problem. Once I applied to my officer program, I had to get a new physical and letters stating my knee surgery was fine and posed no long term disability. This was after I was already in as enlisted. But it was an original dis-qualifier as an officer. Now I have over 20 years in and 15 as an officer. Please let me know if you need any more assistance.

LCDR, NC, USN

UCAFblue · Jun 5, 2011

Thank you all so much for your responses! I appreciate all of the information that you provided....it looks like I may need to get a new physical done (not what I was hoping for). I'm planning on asking my local healthcare recruiter in the next few days and hopefully they will be able to let me know for sure what I should expect from MEPS. I will post what the recruiter tells me on here just in case there is anyone out there with a similar situation....

razorshark · Jun 7, 2011

I have a question about going through MEPS as an active duty nurse Air Force applicant.....Back in January of this year I was going to enlist in the Air Force Reserve. I took the MEPS physical and passed without needing any waivers. I ended up backing out of joining the Reserve because I found out I got accepted to nursing school and also decided active duty after I get my degree would be better for me. I know that the MEPS physical is good for two years, but would my enlisted physical still be good if I'm applying as an officer? Also, at what point in the application process did you all take your MEPS physical? Was it one of the first things you did or one of the last? Just want to see if I should expect to go through the whole MEPS process all over again.....

Enlisted and RN candidate MEPS medical physicals are the same. Your MEPS physical is good for two years...but from the time you cleared MEPS through the date of official board selection. So, if the board meets 1 day after your two year mark, you will have to get another physical cleared. Also, it is at the discretion of the recruiter, program manager, and selection board whether they want to complete it again before the time elapses. Good luck.

v/r

Sharky

UCAFblue · Jun 11, 2011

Thanks for your response razorshark....When you say: "it is at the discretion of the recruiter, program manager, and selection board whether they want to complete it again before the time elapses," does that mean that they can have my physical sort of "renewed" before the one I already have expires? If so, would I have to go through everything again or would they just review my previous physical and ask me if anything has changed? Just to give you a better idea of my situation my physical will expire in January 2013, but I won't graduate from nursing school until May 2013 - so I will start my Air Force application in May of 2012....yes I have a while until I really have to worry about this, but I'm just trying to put my mind at ease by finding out as much as I can....