sammitate

In in Denver, where are you?

I'm really hoping for January! you?

My face-to-face interview is this upcoming Monday at 8am and I go to MEPS next week as well! What about you?

Thanks for your input! Do you have any recommendations of good bases for ICU nursing? For example, I know that Langley is a 6-bed ICU and oftentimes doesn't have ICU patients; this is not something I necessarily would put at the top of my list (I know ultimately I don't have control--I'm an AF brat as well). But I do want to try to get stationed overseas, even if Landstuhl isn't a possibility out of the gate. I hope to be CCATT as soon as I am able to have that opportunity.

Hi everyone! So my packet will go before the AF board for the Sept. 23rd deadline. I've been told it's usually somewhere in November when we find out if we are selected or not. Being hopeful that I get a select, can anyone tell me a realistic timeframe of when I could expect to leave for COT after being selected? I also really wanted to get stationed at Ramstein, Germany ( I'm 46N3E) or anywhere overseas; what is the reality about if that's a realistic hope right out of the commission gate? Thanks in advance!

So my recruiter told me I should send my medical records to get them approved before going to meps. I'm hoping to commission in the Army Nurse Corps. I was in an accident in March of this year and was hospitalized--no surgeries/scars; just some broken bones that are healed. I've started getting all my medical records and realized that somehow depression made it on to the list of my medical history which is completely incorrect. I've never had or been diagnosed with depression. I do have a history of anxiety, but I don't currently take any medication for it and have never needed counseling, psych evals, etc. and it is no longer relevant to my life--it was back in college, I was in nursing school, and was working 2 jobs (nights), going to school full time, doing clinicals, and taking my father for chemo and radiation by day when I was off work. Needless to say, it was a temporary thing, but now its in my history. Does the medical board or meps have the ability to pull my medical records or do they just go off of what records I provide to them? I know mental health is in the spotlight now, which is why them seeing these things on a history would probably PDQ me, even thought depression is incorrect and anxiety is no longer an issue. I have an appt with my PCP talk to her about getting depression removed from my history and anxiety as well since idk how the depression even got on there. I used my own clinical judgement and left both of things off of any forms I've filled out as I don't have any problems with anxiety even under high stress situations and it does not affect my life. However, if the army is able to access the medical records themselves, it's on there. Does anyone know how long you have to be off of anxiety medication to get approved or passed/cleared through medical?

Totally normal to be nervous! I've worked both ICU and oncology and currently do bone marrow transplant ICU. It's always the ones that aren't nervous that have scared me. My advice would be don't be afraid to ask questions. No matter what the other nurses might tell you, they were in your shoes once. It's easy to forget that sometimes. But a mistake can be amplified in the ICU setting as the patients are usually more fragile. Pay attention to details and if something doesn't make sense...just ask! You'll do great. Just hang in there and go in knowing that the ICU is going to be overwhelming for a while. Just don't give up :)

So I have been a charge nurse on floors, but not within the critical care specialty. The AF had an even longer waiting list than the Army! My dad and both grandfathers are all retired AF so it would go over a bit smoother if I could go AF. I do like the idea of the army though; I really want to eventually have the opportunity to deploy and take care of soldiers wounded in combat. One lovely recruiter however put down in my file that I took anxiety meds at one point. Thanks to all the crazies out there shooting up everything, the military takes any mental/behavioral health disorders VERY seriously and I could seriously just scream at the amount of difficulty that recruiter caused me. He was an enlisted recruiter and he tricked me into being too transparent. I'm not currently on anxiety meds (it was a rather extenuating circumstance) but it's hard to prove you aren't on any. I wish I could take it back considering it was so long ago and completely irrelevant to my health at this point but it's in my file now. Which means I have to provide documentation. Pretty sure it would be easier for a convicted felon that didn't ever have anxiety....

So with my NP I hope to either do trauma or pediatric oncology. I love both areas so much. I really want to serve in the Army though, and it has always been part of my plan. I'm okay with remaining a bedside RN for a while. I'm not in a rush :) That being said...I REALLLLY don't want to wait an entire year before I get to join because of when they do critical care boards.

I'm applying as an ICU RN. I actually did list some things like rotaprone and CRRT. I'm just not sure what they're looking for or how competitive it all is. My experience isn't from small hospitals, but some other forums I've read make it sound like it's impossible to get in. Generally speaking, I thought I stand a pretty good shot. Any advice?

Hi everyone, I'm Sam, and I've been a nurse for 3.5 years. I'm wanting to join the ANC as an active duty officer and hope to specialize in critical care. I currently have over 2 years of critical care experience and have my CCRN as well. I'm wondering how competitive it is to get accepted. I've been talking to a healthcare recruiter specifically (I learned early on the regular recruiters redirect you to healthcare recruiters--if you're just starting the process there's my biggest tip) and my recruiter told me he thinks I'm a good candidate. My undergrad GPA was 3.8 and my grad school (FNP) GPA is currently 3.9. What else do I need to be doing to give myself the best shot? As much as I appreciate my recruiter, I'd also like to hear other people's thoughts/opinions. Thanks in advance!