I am currently talking with an Air Force Recruiter to join as an O2 OB Nurse. I was honestly hoping to get stationed at Tripler, as I have family in HI, but can't afford to live there otherwise. Then I realized that Tripler is an Army hospital... (I thought it was named Tripler since the Army, Navy, & Air Force all have bases there... but the hospital is run by the Army?)
So here are my questions:
What do you wish you had known before you joined?
I am joining because I want something more... a new challenge, an opportunity to improve myself, and I'd love to go back to school and get my CNM/FNP debt free.
Are there benefit/salary differences if I joined Army Vs Air Force?
Does anyone know the likelihood of being stationed at Tripler as an OB nurse?
Is joining the Army over the Air Force just for the chance to possibly be stationed at Tripler when I would rather be Air Force too near-sighted? Would I be forfeiting a better all around experience and benefits? Or is being an OB nurse pretty comparable for either service?
What OB/General charting systems does the military use?
How often do OB nurses get stationed Internationally? Or is it usually only a 6 month deployment? Where would one typically be assigned Overseas?
Which hospitals (City, State) do Air Force OB nurses get stationed at?
Which hospitals (City, State) do Army OB nurses get stationed at?
Also my Brother-In-Law (Army) told me about the Hazelwood Act in Texas... essentially a law that if you sign your recruitment papers in TX, after one has finished one's service, you can attend any university/school that receives state funding free of charge... You do not have to be a Texas resident... Can anyone speak to this? Has anyone utilized this benefit?
Consider the different services as different flavors of ice cream flavors. They cost the same but everyone has there own preference. It doesn't mean one is better than the other.
The pay will be the same no matter what branch of service you are in. Pay is dependent on rank, time in service, occupation, and duty location.
Considering one branch of military over the others based on duty location is a mistake. Your recruiter cannot guarantee your duty location no matter what branch of the service, if they say they can they are lying. You will have to list multiple places you would prefer to move to, and you may still not get any of them. You can move/PCS at anytime. You could be at your duty station one day and the military could decide to move you. It rarely happens that way, but the needs of the military always come before your wishes or needs. You will usually stay at one duty location between 2-4 years.
That being said there are some minor differences between branches:
The Army and Navy tend to promote a little faster than the USAF, but the most common rank for commissioned officers the retire at is 0-5 so in the end it all works out.
USAF hospitals and OB units tend to be smaller than the Army or Navy, which is understandable since the USAF is the smallest military service.
IMHO with the USAF being smaller it often feels more like an extended family than the other services.
There is a chance of advanced education with all the military branches.
Every branch of the service has a similar saying: "You are a soldier first", "You are an Airman first", You are a sailor first". It is all meant to convey military service comes first before individual jobs. IMO it is more of cliche than anything. For one all medical/nursing officers are noncombat personnel. This is per military law and the Geneva Convention.
I have been in the USAF 15 +years. I am currently on my 6th duty station and will probably have to move at least one more time before I am eligible to retire. I have worked and trained with both the Army and the Navy.
wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA
5,128 Posts
Consider the different services as different flavors of ice cream flavors. They cost the same but everyone has there own preference. It doesn't mean one is better than the other.
The pay will be the same no matter what branch of service you are in. Pay is dependent on rank, time in service, occupation, and duty location.
Considering one branch of military over the others based on duty location is a mistake. Your recruiter cannot guarantee your duty location no matter what branch of the service, if they say they can they are lying. You will have to list multiple places you would prefer to move to, and you may still not get any of them. You can move/PCS at anytime. You could be at your duty station one day and the military could decide to move you. It rarely happens that way, but the needs of the military always come before your wishes or needs. You will usually stay at one duty location between 2-4 years.
That being said there are some minor differences between branches:
The Army and Navy tend to promote a little faster than the USAF, but the most common rank for commissioned officers the retire at is 0-5 so in the end it all works out.
USAF hospitals and OB units tend to be smaller than the Army or Navy, which is understandable since the USAF is the smallest military service.
IMHO with the USAF being smaller it often feels more like an extended family than the other services.
There is a chance of advanced education with all the military branches.
Every branch of the service has a similar saying: "You are a soldier first", "You are an Airman first", You are a sailor first". It is all meant to convey military service comes first before individual jobs. IMO it is more of cliche than anything. For one all medical/nursing officers are noncombat personnel. This is per military law and the Geneva Convention.
I have been in the USAF 15 +years. I am currently on my 6th duty station and will probably have to move at least one more time before I am eligible to retire. I have worked and trained with both the Army and the Navy.