New NP in the military

[starla76]

Hi all,

I am about to graduate as a new FNP and will enter active duty service in the Air Force. I have to first attend officer training and then I'm off to my first base assignment at the end of the summer. I wanted to ask all the Air Force NPs out there to please share any experiences they've had, especially deployments. I know being deployed overseas is pretty much a sure thing at some point and I am curious as to the role of the NP in Afghanistan or Iraq. I am also hoping for a solid clinical education during my first tour and hope that the mentorship will help me in my training. Any experiences along those lines is also welcome. I am both nervous and excited about this huge change and I would love any and all input. Thanks!

[Melissa17036]

mikefnp. i will be happy to help in any way i can. just let me know if you think of any specific questions. for now start to memorize the af mission and values. i tried to incorporate the information into my essay questions. it is also important to know during the interview process. the interviewers will specifically ask you what the af mission and values are.

[MIKEFNP]

Melissa,

Have you found out your duty station yet? If not, have you heard the odds of actually getting one of your top 4? I know the saying "it's ultimately up to the needs of the AF". Just wondering your experience.

[shapely]

I got my 3rd choice, Nellis. If you're in the scholarship program, you won't get your assignment probably till close to graduation.

[Melissa17036]

thanks for the reply shapely. i have also been wondering when i might find out where i will be stationed. do you know if i will be contacted or should i start making calls next summer before graduation? i haven't had the opportunity to fill out my preference list yet. do you remember when you made your list? thanks for any info.

[shapely]

I'm not sure when scholarship recipients will get their assignments. I would think around graduation time since assignments could change depending on when you graduate. I made my list when I submitted my application. Believe me when your time to graduate comes, they will be making plans for you. With the military it seems that everything just falls into place when it needs to. You could always start a thread asking other scholarship recipeints when they got their assignment or ask the recruiter.

[T-Dasha]

Starla:

I am trying to apply to the HPSP as a non-nursing BS and my recruiter is a bit confused on how the application process would work for me since I don't already have a BSN. He is also unsure if I would even qualify for the program.

Can you please provide me with your recruiters information so that he can help walk my recruiter through the process?

Thanks!

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

T - your recruiter should call the Air Force Personnel Center and/or the Air Force Institute of Technology (I believe I'm right when I say they're the ones in charge of all the scholarship-related stuff) up at Wright-Patterson for guidance. The recruiter should know who to contact for that information as I doubt another overswamped recruiter will have that kind of time.

[shapely]

Hi all, I wanted to update as I promised. The AF has been good to me. I've had a very reduced schedule, a physician preceptor, and am slowly building to 90pts/week but I still work 45-50 hours a week. But the job is never done. You always have patients asking questions and labs to review. I definately can't complain about the training but the learning curve from RN to NP is steep and there is always something to learn. It's amazing the problems that people can have. COT was OK. I could have done without it but I guess it's an orientation to the military. I like a little more sleep than they give. So that's my 2 cents for now. Good luck to those who venture to be a FNP in the AF.