No clinical experience RN trying to join AF

[Kimlua7]

HI everyone!!! Im so excited and lost in this forum. So my story...my hubby is a marine, our first station is in Jacksonville, NC and I've been here for about 1 year. My first year as a new grad I landed a job as a RN supervisor at a SNF, I loved it!!! I was only there for 2 months then i decided to move with my hubby to his station. I didn't like it here so i went to Texas to be near family, i had 1 toddler at that time, my hubby always gone so i needed support. Anyways, I landed a job a Baylor scott and white, as a graduate nurse, for Float nurse, I was there for 4 months and left because I was pregnant and could not function, so i returned to jacksonville, nc. Currently, i am working at a psyche hospital, been there for 9 months, I love it but with my hubby deciding to leave the military, I thought its my turn to join and so here I am, 34 years old under 2 years of nursing experience with a 6 month old and a 3 year old...Im still waiting to here from the Nurse recruiter, I am in contact with M.Sgt who is manager of something in the recruting office, and he is giving me lots of info, papers to start my application process but Nurse recruiter is currently having personal issues so im just impatiently waiting...my question to those who are experience with military process for nursing is...will it be hard to be accepted under my condition? I really want to be in the AirForce and just am so lost. Please help me with everything you got to help me through this process. One of the checklist item is ACLS and NRP required certs...does it have to be AHA accredited? If i get other certs will be make me more selectable...? HELP!!!!

[jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA]

You only get credit for full-time experience in an acute facility. I'm not sure SNF experience will count. I think you can get in with that experience, though it is fragmented. You certainly need to demonstrate the ability to deploy and leave your kids behind for 6 months, since that's an AF active duty requirement.

You likely can apply as either a clinical nurse (un-specialized: med/surg, outpatient, PACU) or an inpatient psych nurse. Psych nurses can only go to 3 bases: Elmendorf (Anchorage), Travis (Sacramento), and SAMCC (San Antonio). Clinical nurses can go to almost any AF base.

I'm not sure if not American Heart certs are accepted. I can tell you the military training network exclusively uses AHA for PALS, BLS, NRP, and ACLS. A board certification in either med-surg or psych nursing would definitely help your application.