jfratian

jfratian DNP, RN, CRNA

Adult Critical Care

Major, U.S. Air Force Reserve - Staff Nurse Anesthetist

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All Content by jfratian

  1. Air Force FY 2019

    jfratian replied to Jessica73's topic in Government, Military

    They like people who plan to stay in the AF for the long haul (20 years). If that's the case, I would definitely emphasize that in your essays and interviews. Along with that, you should explain how...

  2. Air Force FY 2019

    jfratian replied to Jessica73's topic in Government, Military

    Yes, I'm a 46N3E (ICU nurse) for the

  3. Air Force FY 2019

    jfratian replied to Jessica73's topic in Government, Military

    The need for level I or II ER experience is based on the needs of the Air Force. Most stateside AF ERs see little to no trauma, which means there's no opportunity for on-the-job trauma training once...

  4. Air Force NTP

    jfratian replied to NavyRN2B's topic in Government, Military

    Realistically, I didn't do much of anything different. I was like a 2nd or 3rd alternate the first time around; I didn't miss it by much. The next time I applied I had 6 more months of experience....

  5. Air Force NTP

    jfratian replied to NavyRN2B's topic in Government, Military

    Not to put you down, but I had all those certs (except CCRN), a 3.7 GPA, and 1 year of med-surg experience when I applied as an FQ non-specialized nurse. I was rejected the first time I applied....

  6. Air Force NTP

    jfratian replied to NavyRN2B's topic in Government, Military

    Yes, you are correct. PACU isn't an AF specialty. PACUs and day procedure areas are generally manned by med-surg nurses (un-specialized 46Ns) with additional training. I actually was a med-surg...

  7. FY 19 Navy Nursing

    jfratian replied to LvLI-ICU28's topic in Government, Military

    Fully qualified/credentialed requires 1 year of full-time experience, but recruiters will often credit you with the experience that you'll attain by the time you commission (which is often about 6...

  8. Navy Nursing pros, cons, general life advice

    jfratian replied to singmehome's topic in Government, Military

    Forward deployment teams, such as the FST, MFAST, and SOST, are used by all 3 branches in some capacity. Experienced ICU and ER nurses are the nurses on those teams. Just so you know, your GPA is a...

  9. Seeking Info

    jfratian replied to SASewell's topic in Government, Military

    There is also an extensive in-person medical physical at MEPS. Pretty much you can't have any medical condition requiring daily meds without applying for a waiver. Further, there is a chief nurse...

  10. Army Reserve Initial Obligation & Incentives

    jfratian replied to InquisitiveAPN's topic in Government, Military

    I'm going to call BS on that. I've heard of reservists with pretty slack drill weekend requirements, but you can't predict who your commander will be and how easy going they'll be. You'll never get...

  11. Air Force NTP

    jfratian replied to NavyRN2B's topic in Government, Military

    I think all 3 have similar needs, but they vary from year to year; it's hard to predict which will be in highest need when you apply. I'd do ICU just because it opens up more opportunity later. OR...

  12. COT and timeline

    jfratian replied to sammitate's topic in Government, Military

    If you have a decent amount of ICU experience coming in and perform well, then you should be able to do CCATT training after a year or two. Really no ICU stateside has much in the way of acuity...

  13. COT and timeline

    jfratian replied to sammitate's topic in Government, Military

    Air Force ICU nurses aren't stationed at Ramstein; they go to Landstuhl, Germany (where the ICU is). Generally, ICU nurses (such as yourself) must be CCATT (air evac) qualified in order to be...

  14. Air Force NTP

    jfratian replied to NavyRN2B's topic in Government, Military

    You need to do ICU. There is no substitute for that. The AF won't even recognize step-downs as a specialty. Your stepdown experience would be seen as med-surg. The CCRN is the most important...

  15. Air Force NTP

    jfratian replied to NavyRN2B's topic in Government, Military

    Yes, I'm a current active duty AF nurse. FQ accepts more people than NTP; a sizable portion of new grad nurses come from the ROTC ranks and needs from NTP aren't as great. I would recommend ICU, ER,...

  16. Reserves for new nurse/prior enlisted

    jfratian replied to silvestryj's topic in Government, Military

    The Navy and AF take new grads, but if you've already graduated you've missed the boat on that. If you're interested in the ship nursing thing (and given your Navy familiarity), I would say the Navy...

  17. Air Force NTP

    jfratian replied to NavyRN2B's topic in Government, Military

    I don't think PRN will cut it either. For example, they don't count part time RN experience towards calculating your starting rank at all. I would highly recommend you do hospital ASAP full-time....

  18. NP applying in air force

    jfratian replied to orangepink's topic in Government, Military

    I understand that the benefits are low-hanging fruit, and that it's possible that you may have other reasons for wanting to join. However, based on what you're saying, I get the sense that you're...

  19. Air Force NTP

    jfratian replied to NavyRN2B's topic in Government, Military

    Why not get hospital experience and apply as fully-qualified? It's going to be really odd for a Captain with years of RN experience to be going through the NTP program, and I'm surprised that would...

  20. Air Force Nursing Corps

    jfratian replied to AirForceNursingCorps's topic in Government, Military

    All mental health nurses with the mental health identifier code in the AF do inpatient mental health. There are only 3 bases that do it: Anchorage, AK, San Antonio, TX, and Fairfield, CA. I don't...

  21. Navy Nurse Candidate Program Too Little Too Late?

    jfratian replied to AN0N's topic in Government, Military

    Recruiters tend to fudge the numbers on experience a bit; it winds up helping you. Most will credit you with the experience that you would have when you start officer basic training. I applied the...

  22. Navy Nurse Candidate Program Too Little Too Late?

    jfratian replied to AN0N's topic in Government, Military

    You should graduate as soon as you can and start getting experience. You have a decent likelyhood of getting accepted, but you should hedge your beds too. Graduating late means you lose out on 6...

  23. meps and medical records

    jfratian replied to sammitate's topic in Government, Military

    You want to be honest with MEPS, but be fair to yourself too. Were you ever formally diagnosed with anxiety by a mental health provider? Did you ever receive mental health therapy from a...

  24. Does it matter where you get your BSN from?

    jfratian replied to CPMSD's topic in Government, Military

    Hopefully, your GPA is higher than a 3.0. A GPA of 3.0 would not be high enough for a new grad without experience regardless of the school. I believe the minimum GPA for new grads is a 3.5 for all 3...

  25. Medical Waiver - Military Nurse

    jfratian replied to ADM_RustyShackleford's topic in Government, Military

    The rules for waivers do change from time to time, but I don't think you would be able to qualify for a waiver while still on anti-anxiety medication. I'm far from a mental health expert, but is a...