tifbur14

I am so sorry that they treated you that way and didn't want to help. Buying uniforms is a very overwhelming task, when you have no idea what every little doohickey is. In terms of Mess Dress I am waiting for them to update the COT site for our class. I am thinking we will have to get it since we are a summer surge. But, lets all keep our fingers crossed that we don't, it is not worn very often and is pretty darn expensive.

which katy batten are you??? There is more than one!

Good Luck!

I don't believe that there is a facebook group for COT 11-02. A group would be great though if you want to start it!!! Is anyone flying to COT? I have to fly and I have to arrive a day early b/c flights land too late to check in during the scheduled time.

I am also going to COT in January! You have nothing to worry about with your run times you are running about a which if you are a female under 30 it is 55 points out of 60! That is nothing to worry about! Or if you are male under 30 it is 42 pts, you need a total of 75 points to pass the PT test and cannot fail any component. You should be fine, it sounds like you are in good shape!

It does take time to get used to standing all day. You may also want to evaluate the type of shoes you wear and determine if they are providing adequate support for you. Many nurses wear hard leather shoes such as dansko's for their support. Hard shoes provide more support than sneakers, which just squish down.

It would be best to be honest with your unit manager. Perhaps set up a meeting with you manager and express your gratitude for your job and the learning opportunity and the such. I would then tell them you have another passion to serve your country and tell them you are in the process of applying to the Air Force and that you would appreciate their support, and would like a recommendation from them. I would make it seem as though you are choosing them to write the recommendation rather than the fact you need it from them. I was in a similar situation when I started the AF experience, I had been working as a new grad for about 5 months. My nurse manager never begrudged me, if anything they may have gained respect for the choice I was making. Hope this helps. GOOD LUCK!

I will keep my fingers crossed for you! GOOD LUCK!

My facility switched to bedside reporting which has worked out very well. You get to eyeball your patient, the IV lines and rates, 02 rate, and ensure the outgoing shift isn't leaving you with 10cc of fluids. While the nitty gritty details are not given in the room usually on the walk their, the introduction of the oncoming nurse has drastically reduced the amount of call lights going off at 0730am. Patients say they feel more comfortable knowing who is caring for them for them, and that they have seen their new nurse at 0630 rather than 10 or 11. It is hard to get used to, but works well once you get in the groove.

I had my husband who is Capt. commission me! A pretty special moment for us to share!

Congrats aniko!!! My husband and I just PCS'd from Eglin to Hill in Utah a month ago. I commissioned today and will be attending COT in January also. If you have any questions about Eglin PM me and I can answer any questions you have. It is a great base to be at, the beaches are beautiful!

AMYRN, you are not the only one having to weigh in every month. Myself and another nurse who is waiting to go to COT do it. We do it for accountability as we live and Florida and our Recruiter is in Louisiana. Recruiters are supposed make contact every month with their people, since we live so far away it isn't possible. So, we make contact with a recruiter and weigh in and then call our own recruiter to check in with the recruiting office we went to and name of the recruiter we saw.

YAY!! I bet you are so excited! I wish you luck!

HNELLA I know Jan seems so far away! Are you working until then?? My husband PCS's in August so I am thankful I did not get an earlier date we are all over the place right now. Well, my unsolicited advice is have an awesome holiday season and spend lots of time with friends before transitioning to the AF!

No, Carolinapooh. I have one year experience and needed to get an experience waiver to go to a base with only a clinic. In order to work in a clinic you need to have 3 yrs of experience. I do not have three years of experience therefore I needed a waiver signed from the Chief Nurse at Hill AFB in order to get stationed with my husband. You may not have known about an "experience waiver" if you were not in the position to need one. On a site like this you may want to check facts before making assumptions about what a poster means. I am not trying to be rude, but each individual on this site while going through the same process may experience different road blocks, and one persons road block may help another create opportunity if facts are shared accurately. :)