starla76

Hey AF NPs...please post your experiences! I'd love to hear some different perspectives. I'm six months in and frankly, the jury is still out. We shall see....

Hello all! First of, I can't comment on the RN experience in the military. I am a direct entry FNP. My AF specialty code is an FNP therefore, I did not attend NTP. If you enter the military as an NP, you will not go to NTP. That said, I haven't been deployed yet, but have been told on numerous occasions that I will be deployed as an NP, not an RN. I am headed on a medical mission to Haiti next month and I am filling a nurse practitioner slot. As far as my experience thus far, this is my 6th month in practice. I was assigned an MD mentor, and although this position has been filled by more than one MD, I have always had a mentor. All of my co-workers are willing to help and answer questions. They make sure I am never in clinic without someone there backing me up. I was started at 1 hr appts which decreased over time. Now I see 20 min acutes and 25 min routines. I am now expected to see approx 80 pts a week, and starting this summer, 90 pts/week, which is going to be a real challenge. Each provider has about 1500-1600 patients to manage. The military really wants to increase the numbers we see in clinic and reduce the numbers we send off-base. As far as the wish list, I didn't get any of my top five, simply because there were no FNP slots where I wanted to go when I was ready to go active duty. I didn't go to COT until August, after I passed the FNP boards, so my base options were limited. However, the AF did work with me to get me an assignment that I was happy with (mostly). If anyone has any other questions, please let me know and I'll post as soon as I can!

To respond to graceofone - I began the application process for the HPSP scholarship in my first year of grad school so that year wasn't covered by the scholarship. I advise you to start now if interested. First, get in touch with an AF nursing recruiter. He or she will get the process started for you. The application process takes a long time - close to 9 or 10 months - and includes the initial scholarship application (work history. transcripts, letters of recommendation, personal essays), two interviews (probably both a high ranking RN and NP), and a medical exam. Once you complete all this, you wait for notification. As soon as you are granted the scholarship, you are commissioned as an officer, a 2nd Lt, and go on reserve duty, meaning your job is to attend school. During school you are paid a monthly stipend and all books and supplies are covered....tuition too of course. No additional signing fee. Most HPSP students attend Commissioned Officer Training (COT) before starting school but I went after a passed my NP boards since I got the scholarship during school. COT is a 5 week, intensive orientation to the AF designed to make you sweat, both physically and emotionally, and prepares you for life as a military officer. you will graduate COT as a 1st Lt (02). After COT, you report to your first base! During the application process, you are asked to choose your top 5 bases, but really your future base comes down to where they need FNPs at the time you are ready to go active duty. You will have some choice though. I hope this helps! Feel free to ask me any more questions. Good luck with school!

Blurr, I just graduated as an FNP from the Masters Entry program at Boston College and as far as I know, 100% of the FNP students - with no RN experience - got NP jobs within 2 months of graduation. You can do this without working as an RN. You just have to look for the jobs. We are in very high demand across the country.

I'll tell you what route I took: I did a Direct Entry program so I was able to get my RN/NP in one program. The Air Force gave a me a scholarship and stipend under the Health Professions Scholarship Program. During school, your only responsibility is to attend school. After taking my certification exam, I will go to COT and then my first base. I have been verbally told where I will go, but still waiting for the orders. To answer your questions, an an FNP I was given an AF code which designates me as an FNP. Not to mention they paid for NP training. So I will not be working as an RN. I have spoken to my future colleagues and the Chief Nurse at the family practice clinic where I will be stationed. One reason I chose the military was the additional training I will receive as an NP. I will have either an NP or MD mentor for at least the first 6 months who will review my charts and clinical decision-making. In addition, they will start me out with longer appointment times until they feel I am ready to progress. I am relieved to have this extra training, because as a new nurse and NP, I am not entirely ready to be in practice on my own. The military really emphasizes a team approach and I hope working with a group of providers will be a great learning experience for me. Let me know if you have any more questions. Talk to a recruiter about the HPSP program for more info.

Well, I went from classical musician to a direct entry FNP program, so yeah, I'd say you will be just fine. Good luck.

Hi all, I am about to graduate as a new FNP and will enter active duty service in the Air Force. I have to first attend officer training and then I'm off to my first base assignment at the end of the summer. I wanted to ask all the Air Force NPs out there to please share any experiences they've had, especially deployments. I know being deployed overseas is pretty much a sure thing at some point and I am curious as to the role of the NP in Afghanistan or Iraq. I am also hoping for a solid clinical education during my first tour and hope that the mentorship will help me in my training. Any experiences along those lines is also welcome. I am both nervous and excited about this huge change and I would love any and all input. Thanks!

Hi there. I thought I would put my two cents in regarding the accelerated MSN programs. I am about to graduate as an FNP from Boston College's Master's Entry program. I went full-time and did not work as a nurse beforehand. I was actually in the fine arts prior to this so my health care experience was pretty much non-existent. Let me try to sum up how I feel about my experience thus far. This is the hardest work I have ever done in school (and I already have a masters degree), so prepare yourself. It is fun and exciting, but they don't call it accelerated for nothing! If you stay committed to studying and find time for some R and R, you will be fine. Don't worry about the NCLEX. My whole class passed. These programs prepare you well. About the "working as a nurse first" debate: This is a valid argument and one that always causes emotional discussions no matter where you go. I think that having RN experience is very helpful, but not necessary. I base this observation on the fact that I am in classes with many experienced RNs who feel as anxious and "new" as I do. The reason is because being a primary care NP is a totally different job than working as a bedside nurse, or most other RN positions for that matter. This being said, many student still prefer to work as RNs first and this is a personal choice. But also keep in mind that classmates of mine who decided to go this route are having an extremely hard time finding RN jobs. In the Boston area at least, its easier to get hired as a new NP than a new RN. Also, to all the new direct entry students who will start this fall or anyone considering this route, know that you will be criticized harshly and frequently for the way you have chosen to become an NP. And this can come from both doctors and nurses. Just remember to be proud of your accomplishments and don't let the negativity get you down. There are plenty of supportive clinicians out there too who are happy to teach you. And of course, never disrespect the bedside nurse. They are an essential part of the health care system. NPs are not superior, just different. Finally, a question I had when I started all of this years ago: Do you feel ready to practice as an NP? Its Feb now and the answer is no. BUT, I feel just a little better than I did the month before. Yes, I am very anxious about being on my own but what new clinician isn't. I will say that I wish I had another 6 months at least to work as a student NP before going out there, but that's not an option for most of these programs. I see how other grads have done and they have faired well. I have faith that BC chose wisely in us and that I posses, at the very least, the sense to know when I need to look something up or ask. Based on how I feel now, I think my first year will be very tough. I anticipate that I will be up nights worrying about a prescription I wrote or an exam I did, but I know that the learning will be exponential. That's enough for now! Congrats to all the new students on their acceptances. If anyone has any other questions about BC's ME program or anything else, don't hesitate to ask.