My wife finally had her packet accepted in September for FY10. Her recruiter now is saying that she can't swear in because the scrolls are being delayed by Congress. He says that in might take up to 4 months!!! Can anyone verify that this is correct or is he just blowing smoke. He says that this is not just an issue with my wife but with all new commissions. We are anxious to get the ball rolling as my wife is now 34 and every month delayed is a month longer before she can retire!
She is a direct accession PICU nurse who has been nursing at a teaching hospital for about 3 years now. Our choices of station were Bethesda, San Diego and Portsmouth in that order.
The recuiter ensures us that her spot is guaranteed for FY10 and the bonus money is already reserved for her spot but I would just like some outside verification.
My wife got a call from a LTC back east last night regarding her first possible station. Our preferences were Bethesda, San Diego and then Portsmouth(in that order). He started out by saying there were no positions in Bethesda or San Diego. We REALLY don't want Portsmouth so when my wife explained she has been a PICU nurse for three years and also has ER experience he said that might change her options. He said he could get us into Guam(anyone on here have experience with being stationed there?). Seems like she will be in the May ODS.
He also said he might still be able to get her Bethesda since she is an experienced nurse and not a noobie. He's supposed to get back with us next week.
I would take Guam in a second but it depends on what you like. My husband was there 10 years ago and I've visited a couple times. It's a tropical vacation spot, great for sailing and scuba diving and it's a short plane flight to some other great travel destinations. It is a looong way from home, though. I hear the ER there is pretty busy.
I'm from a neighboring island, and Guam is the largest and most developed of the Marianas Islands. But it is a far cry from even Hawaii. Things to consider:
Pros
- It is absolutely beautiful, all the typical vacation type activities are easily accessible
- It isn't as rural as some of the other islands
- The local cuisine is awesome and boy do they know how to throw parties - if you ever get the chance to go to a villages fiesta you have to go. It's an insane amount of people and food.
Cons
- It is very hot and humid. Even being from there, when I go back to visit I find myself taking showers 3 times a day.
- It is a fairly conservative island since it is predominantly Catholic and it plays a huge role in the local community (village fiestas, novenas, rosaries etc)
- It's a 7 hour flight to Hawaii, additional 5 hours to LAX/SFO (with layovers it can be a good 18-24 hours) - so it's a VERY long trip to go visit family and such.
- It's pretty slow going and laid back, you won't find many of the huge store chains you are used to. And, you will find out what the term "island time" means.
- Get ready for "typhoon season", you'll get storms ranging from tropical storms to full blown typhoons. But unless it's a super-typhoon you don't really worry about it there. We actually learned to build things in concrete instead of wood (something developers in Florida should have learned a very long time ago).
Although I put a lot of cons up there, the pros find their way into your heart and once you become a part of the community, you'll know exactly what I mean. I would move back in a heartbeat if I could get a good job in the area, which is why I'm considering getting my RN and commissioning as soon as possible.
). Seems like she will be in the May ODS.
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rghbsn, BSN, RN
187 Posts
Good deal...keep us posted! Good luck, it's very exciting!