New Grad FNP, no RN exp., going to USAF?

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Specializes in FNP-C.

Hello all,

I want to know if the USAF accepts new grad FNPs who never worked as an RN before? I graduated with my BSN in Spring 2009, went straight into the FNP program in Fall 2009 full time, projected to grad in August 2011.

Application put in for the active duty USAF health professions scholarship and now just waiting for MEPS physical. Recruiter says I'll be going in as a new grad FNP not an RN, which is what I wanted, and she also confirmed this with me over the phone even though I don't have previous RN experience. Now just gotta get lots of paperwork through since I had positive skin test for PPD but cleared with CXR, however, they still need more documents from my state TB clinic which I'm sending all this week and should be cleared et into MEPS by then.

I contacted my Senators office :yeah: for help and got a response from Chief Army nurse and said she believes RN experience is needed before going into the military as an FNP. However, she said she's not completely sure if thats the case now. Does anyone know? Although my recruiter said otherwise, I will be looking into opportunities in getting experience as an NP that hires new grads with no RN experience and work for about a year or two and then join the USAF with experience. Yes, I was indeed frustrated earlier about this confusion and issue with my TB skin test results and the request of records since 1992. :eek: PLEASE HELP!

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I contacted my Senators office :yeah:

For clarity, why did you do this?

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Specializes in FNP-C.
For clarity, why did you do this?

Because now I have to get a waiver from the Air Force Surgeon General now :eek: and I wanted to ask the senator if he could in anyway assist me in providing a smoother path into getting into the military since he supports the military big time. It's actually a super long story, since Spring 2009, when I was trying to get in the USAF as a BSN grad and I got in all my paperwork and then suddenly all communication was cut off. It was weird. The recruiter here in Hawaii was very difficult to get in contact with since she was the only recruiter in the pacific basin. My friends who had 7 years of ICU/Telemetry experience also tried to contact our local recruiter and had no luck! So just two months ago, we were contacted by mainland recruiters to assist us. My friend just got accepted for the scholarship and now I'm still trying to pass my MEPS physical. I sent all my documents in, and still the CMO at MEPS required more documents for TB clearance even though I sent in my proof of 7 month treatment in the early 90s and CXR clearances since 2006 (when I started to work in healthcare settings). Now I need a waiver from the USAF SG and I hope I get everything. It has been my goal since high school to join the USAF and serve. Its just that I never thought I'd join as a nurse! :D I was for a moment, low on moral because time was running short on getting the scholarship.

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You don't have to have rn experience but when you deployed if they don't need a np you may work as a med surg rn. I've never worked med surg so that would be interesting. My recruiter mentioned that experience makes you more competative. You could get a prn job while in school. It would help during the interview too.

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Specializes in FNP-C.

Shapely,

In Hawaii, the job outlook is very poor for new grads like me. I would never be able to get a "PRN" job here. The only new grad position I could get is doing flu-shots for an agency and even that the military don't count as the acute care experience they would like. However, I guess I'll go by what my recruiter says about accepting new grad FNPs even with no RN experience. The only thing I need right now is my MEPs physical after I send in all my TB records I get back from my State TB clinic which hopefully would be sometime this week!

Also, the US Navy Reserve called me up again after my "sit in front of 5 officer nurses" interview in April 2010 and it was NOT good. They told me that I should get out of the master's program when I only have one more year left, and serve in the Navy and go back. I said no. Also, these 5 officers had little knowledge of what the role of the FNP was except for 1 Navy Captain. Then a few months past...then I get a call a few weeks ago. The recruiter told me they actually want me and that he wants me to interview with another health care officer, this time, FNPs. He knows that I want to go active duty and said I could get into the reserves now and go active after school and they'll let me finish school. I know benefits and stuff are the same, but I wonder about experience? Would a new grad like me get "more interesting" and fun experience in the Navy than the USAF?

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Don't get out of the msn program. You can always do bedside nursing with your master's degree. Us nurses sometimes eat our young. When I interviewed with air force fnp, she said she didn't like direct entry np programs without experience. But it's personal opinion. The af as a whole will accept direct entry np's and that's where your focus should be. Experience will make you more marketable and competative and I do recommend it. I couldn't imagine being an np without my experience. But it is doable look at the pa's...they do it. Keep looking for jobs even if it's basic med surg fir a while. I worked 30 hours a week during my fnp program...so instead of prn maybe you can find part time.

As far as reserves now. You would be signing a contract which has job as rn without an identifier and you'll be in the reserves so if you get activated in the middle of school you'll have to go and since you'll be under contract I don't know how hard it is to change your job in the middle of the contract. There are programs that allow you to go to school and they'll pay everything plus stipend...these programs put you in inactivr ready reserves which has small chance of being activated early.

Good luck! Nursing is awesome you'll love it. Vit's so much better than school :)

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Typing on iPod...not always the easiest

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Typing on iPod...not always the easiest

I personally loved the "Vit's" for "it's". Made you sound very vampiry - very in vogue right now. :devil:

(:smokin::)I'm only teasing. I use an iPhone a lot and I know how easy it is to hit the wrong key.)

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

The only thing I can think of that you may want to think about coming in the AF as an FNP is that FNP jobs go to AFIT grads 1st then civilian trained FNP nurses second. This probably won't be much of an issue at 1st, but a lot of times FNPs don't spend the majority of their careers in the AF working as NPs.

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which FNP program accepted you without experience? I thought FNP programs require RN experience.

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wtbcrna--what is afit. what do you mean most nps don't work as nps for the majority of the time? that will be very disappointing for me. i was told the opposite, only minimum time would be spent not being a np especially for the 1st 8 years and then it might flip to more administrative if you wanted?

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
wtbcrna--what is afit. what do you mean most nps don't work as nps for the majority of the time? that will be very disappointing for me. i was told the opposite, only minimum time would be spent not being a np especially for the 1st 8 years and then it might flip to more administrative if you wanted?

AFIT=Airforce Institute of Technology is administrative part of the AF that sends officers through higher education centers ie. NP/CRNA/CNS degrees along with line side degrees. I have been in the AF for over 8yrs I can only tell you what I have seen in my time in the AF at the different bases I have been to. What I have seen with NPs in the AF is that they are nurses 1st and NPs second. I have seen NPs work as NPs one assignment, but as soon they transfer to a new assignment they are back to being regular RNs doing whatever which a lot of times is administrative jobs but not always.

To give you an example of how things can work out sometimes: My 1st duty station Sheppard AFB I worked with one NP, but she was working in an administrative capacity because the Squadron commander didn't like NPs so there were no NPs in the clinics there at that time doing patient care as NPs. Another NP I worked with couldn't promote past Major, because she wouldn't take a full time administrative job.

Things have changed somewhat though since that time.

1. All APNs have a different shread out that designates them as different AFSCs from other RNs.

2. You would be coming in as an FNP without RN experience, so this may work in your favor. You should only be coded as FNP without having a 46NX background so it will be harder to move you into a 46NX spot (general RN). Use that to your advantage.

3. When I started in the AF there basically was only one way to promote in the AF as a nurse and that was to move through the executive/administrative tract. Now you are supposed to be able to promote up to O-6 in one of three tracts: APN, Master Clinician, or Executive/Administrative tract. Whomever quoted you 8yrs and then you would probably do something administrative was quoting the traditional executive tract that most AF nurses were expected to do by the time they hit senior level Captain/Major at the latest which for you would be about 8yrs since you would be starting out as 1Lt d/t your MSN degree.

4. I mention these things not to scare you off, but so you can be aware of things that aren't often mentioned by Chief Nurses. Most Chief Nurses still think we need to do full time administrative jobs in order to promote, and in my opinion will try to curtail your APN career to fit the traditional administrative nursing role.

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