OR nursing in AF/Army

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Nov 18, 2015

If you are joining for the money it's the wrong reason and you will end up hating the service.

I am not sure if you scrub at all but in the Army Perioperative nurse's do not scrub. The type of hours, call, & cases will depend on where you are stationed. I am at my 3rd Army hospital and we are doing much larger cases then the smaller ones I was at. The first 2 I worked around 3-6 call days a month with a 50% call back rate. Where I am at now we have 24 hour coverage in house with civilians taking first call and military taking second call. This means we work late if cases are still going after 5 and there is not enough staff to cover the rooms and get called in to cover shifts if someone calls out. I would believe the AF is about the same. The promotion rate is slowing down but you never know what will happen in the future.

jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA · Nov 19, 2015

OR is consistently the most undermanned nursing specialty in the Air Force. Even today (better than ever) it's at 77% (last year's numbers). You'll probably never make it to O-6 as an OR nurse either. And they'll never release you from the specialty should you decide OR isn't for you. Make sure OR is what you want to do for your career.

OR_RN_2016 · Nov 29, 2015

I am a student nurse graduating in August with my BSN. I have been a scrub tech now for 5 years and plan on making the transition in the RN role upon graduation. My plan is to work in the OR for 2 years and then sit for my CNOR. At about the 1 1/2 year mark I would like to apply to the Air Force to serve as an OR nurse. Now this is my plan and probably not how it will actually work out with regards to the timeline but it is always good to have an initial plan. I have been drawn to the military since I began my journey to become a RN. When you say you get called back in, is it similar to that of the civilian hospital when we get called back in with regards to pay? I always thought that your pay was your pay in the military if you worked 40 hours or 60 hours. Also, how often are you getting deployed? What type responsibilities does the OR nurse have in the military as they move up in rank? I appreciate the post and look forward to someday serving my country.

jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA · Nov 29, 2015

You get a salary, based on your rank, that is the same regardless of the number of hours you work. I have never been an OR nurse (I work med-surg for the Air Force), but I'm familiar with the role. I assume 'called in' is referring to an after-hours surgery case. At most military treatment facilities, the OR is only staffed mon-Fri 0730-1630; any cases that the surgeon want's to do after that use the on-call team (OR nurse, tech, and CRNA). There is no call back pay or overtime like there is in the civilian world. You basically work extra almost every time you're on-call for free. If it were me, it would really aggravate me that nurses working an outpatient clinic who never take call get paid the same as me. That's why I wouldn't do OR in the military.

An OR nurse at the Lt Colonel (O-5) rank might be the Operating room flight commander (in charge of all the OR and PACU nurses, techs, and anesthesia providers---basically a nurse manager); however you need a master's degree or higher to get there. Often this leadership role is held by an OR Clinical Nurse Specialist or CRNA.

CMT24 · Nov 29, 2015

If you joined the Army you would have to go through basic training and OCS. You would come out as a 1LT, and you would get paid based upon your rank. You get paid the same whether you work 30hrs or 60hrs a week. Depending what unit you are attached to depends on deployment. You would also have to stay within Army regulations in everything you do, even being physically fit. Serving the military is a great thing, just know what you're getting into before you sign anything.

Editorial Team / Moderator · Nov 30, 2015

If you joined the Army you would have to go through basic training and OCS. You would come out as a 1LT, and you would get paid based upon your rank. You get paid the same whether you work 30hrs or 60hrs a week. Depending what unit you are attached to depends on deployment. You would also have to stay within Army regulations in everything you do, even being physically fit. Serving the military is a great thing, just know what you're getting into before you sign anything.

Not quite.... Nurses who direct commission into the Army do not go through basic and then OCS. Nurses attend the AMEDD Basic Officer Leader Course (BOLC) at Ft. Sam. The core course is 9 weeks and the nurse track immediately after is 2 weeks.

Nurses with less than three years of experience when they commission are going to still be 2LTs after BOLC.

RN293 · Dec 4, 2015

What is the minimum obligation in years for an Air Force Reserve RN?

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Dec 5, 2015

What is the minimum obligation in years for an Air Force Reserve RN?

All initial commissions or enlistment have a 8 year obligation. How you serve that will depend on your contract and how long you want to drill for. You could be required to drill for 2-6 years depending on bonuses etc and then do the last to years in the IRR. The IRR is that you are in the reserves but have no monthly comment to drill. There is nothing stating you have to stop drill after your drilling obligation, you just keep showing up until you tired of it then put in the proper paperwork to go IRR. Evan after the 8 years as an officer you still will be in the reserves unroll you resign your commission and make sure you do this because in the first gulf war many officers who thought they were out ended up being recalled.

NavyReserveORNurse · Dec 12, 2015

Interested in joining a Military Reserve unit as a PeriOperative Nurse, I have 12 years OR experience (CNOR certified). I turned 40 this year. In process of scheduling appointments with Healthcare recruiters Air Force, and Navy. Does anyone know what the needs are for OR nurses in Reserves?

ED Nurse, RN · Dec 29, 2015

If you are joining the military to get out of debt it won't happen- unless ROTC the military will not pay your loans. I received a $30,000 loan repayment that added 3 yrs onto my commitment- that's badically pissing into a hurricane when you owe 100 grand. I was making great money at my 6 yr mark as a Capt, I was making crap, compared to civilian, as a 2Lt. Your salary is a base pay based on time in service and time in grade. You also get a housing allowance for where you live- now don't be fooled, this will only make you pay comparable to civilian salaries. You make no overtime- you will work when needed, 8, 12, 20 hours a day to get the "mission" completed.

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Dec 29, 2015

Interested in joining a Military Reserve unit as a PeriOperative Nurse, I have 12 years OR experience (CNOR certified). I turned 40 this year. In process of scheduling appointments with Healthcare recruiters Air Force, and Navy. Does anyone know what the needs are for OR nurses in Reserves?

Do a web search for location of reserve Army hospitals (usah) or combat support hospital (csh). Most of these types of units will have several locations where detachments are at.