I am 21, just passed NCLEX on the first try, and have not worked as a nurse yet. I have made up my mind that the Air Force is what I am looking for and figure that it is the safest route because you are always in a hospital (words of my recruiter). I have read many threads on this wonderful site comparing the different military branches. I will be thankful for any responses or insight to my questions below:
What base(s) are you at/have you been to? which would you recommend for learning and quality?
What are you thoughts on NTP/COT? Were you prepared after training?
How long after joining did it take you get into graduate school? What is a good GPA to have if you want to be selected for CRNA/NP school?
When is the earliest you can deploy after attending COT and NTP?
What is your work schedule/hours like (both when in US and abroad)?
Was anything promised that you didn't receive?
What is the most common charting system (paper/computer)?
Do nurses who take the OB route get deployed less than those in Med/Surg?
Thoughts on private sector vs military nursing? Which did you like more?
Did you know if you would get the sign on bonus / tuition repayment before you gave your final word? Did you receive a sign on bonus/tuition reimbursement?
Is the internet available overseas and at all bases? Has anyone tested the speed (is it like dialup, dsl/cable, or T1)?
During the first week of OTS, I remember being outside the shopette (small convenient store that also contained the military clothing store) in the front-leaning-rest position with my newly acquired C-bag full of newly acquired military uniforms on my back watching the COT guys/gals walk by with a 12 pack, frozen pizza, and chips saying "man, that looks hard." But that was in '99 so things may have changed.
I've never been through COT, but it was running simultaneously at Maxwell while us OTS folks were there...never witnessed any yelling and I could smell the tantalizing odors of their barbeques wafting into our dorm. Man were we jealous of those folks!...just my observations. Maybe some COT grads and could give you a better picture.
I don't mean to imply that COT isn't challenging or offend any COT folks. ALL officers absolutely EARN their commissions.
Can anyone tell me what a day in the shoes of an Air Force nurse is like?
Honestly it's not that much different than what I did as a civilian RN. My work day consists of 12 hour shifts, approx 3-4 days a week. I wear my uniform in to work but immediately change into scrubs before work. Clinically, everything is generally the same.
The only real differences are having mandatory PT every week and having extra duties that you have to complete in addition to your nursing duties. Some people complain about those extra duties, but if you work at a Magnet hospital as a civilian, you have extra duties to complete if you want to move up too (e.g. to advance from a Level I to a Level II).
what kind of weekly PT? working 3-4 12 hour shifts a week and PT...sounds like you don't have a lot of free time! do you think all the sacrifices are worth it?
i've also heard that besides your active duty contract you can technically be recalled for up to a total of eight years...is that right or did i mishear?
what kind of weekly PT? working 3-4 12 hour shifts a week and PT...sounds like you don't have a lot of free time! do you think all the sacrifices are worth it?
i've also heard that besides your active duty contract you can technically be recalled for up to a total of eight years...is that right or did i mishear?
thanks!
My squadron only does mandatory PT once per week. Because most of us are shift workers we have three opportunities to attend one PT session a week. PT only lasts one hour so it's not that bad. Honestly, the AF is cracking down on fitness in general. We will now be taking PT tests twice a year so it's to everyone's advantage to stay in shape. I'm sure what the standard is for others, but my commander requires all of us to work out at least 3 hours per week (one of those being the mandatory PT session). We are all required to track our PT time (on a unit spreadsheet) which is turned in at the end of the month. I'm sure plenty of people lie about the amount of time they work out, but when it comes time to test, it becomes clear very quickly who has been working out and who hasn't.
Honestly, mandatory PT and PT testing is great! At 36 I am in the best shape of my life. I don't see it as taking away from my personal life, I like to think it's adding to it. Yes, extra duties can be annoying sometimes, but the benefits that I receive in return are worth it to me. I can tell you that it is my experience that the older RNs who have had jobs elsewhere seem to adapt better to the AF than the younger RNs. Perhaps it's life experience and having personal reference of other nursing jobs and experiences. I just tend to appreciate the extras that I get in return for my service (health care and other military perks).
Yes, you heard correctly. Your total commitment is actually 8 years. So, if you sign up for 4 years and get out after your commitment is complete, you will be placed in inactive reserve status (I think that's what it's called) for 4 years. When this happens you don't drill like a reservist, but you could be called back to active duty if the AF needed you.
To clarify, the IRR (Inactive Ready Reserves) is an additional 4 years generally added to all 4 year contracts. Most 6 year contracts will leave you with only a 2 year IRR. It is correct that you do NOT drill as a member of the IRR, but you are required to keep a standard issue of uniforms and stay in good enough shape that if you are recalled, you can meet the standards and complete the mission. In reality, there are few MOS's that are recalled in times of need, but you need to be aware that it's there. If you've ever served before and completed your IRR requirement, then you will not have that in your new AF contract.
There is no contract I know of that adds 8 years to your commitment.
To clarify, the IRR (Inactive Ready Reserves) is an additional 4 years generally added to all 4 year contracts. Most 6 year contracts will leave you with only a 2 year IRR. It is correct that you do NOT drill as a member of the IRR, but you are required to keep a standard issue of uniforms and stay in good enough shape that if you are recalled, you can meet the standards and complete the mission.
Thank you all for this great information. I inquired about going to the air force about a month ago and I was upset that I would have to do med/surg and I have been a nurse for a year on a cardiothoracic stepdown unit. Now I know that stepdown is technically med/surg but our unit is very complex we take cardiac drips and patients on total artificial hearts and LVADs. My current patient ratio is 3-4:1. I was also told by a recruiter that if the AF needed me that I could work 6 12 hr shifts a week if they needed me to. Can someone please clarify how the scheduled "usually" works?
What is the nurse/patient ratio on the med/surg floors in the air force?
I can honestly say that except in cases of deployment I've never seen ANY AF member work six twelves a week. When I was a cop and deployed, we worked three 12's, had a day off, and then worked 3 more 12's - but when you're deployed there's really nothing else to do BUT work - it's really why you're there in the first place.
MAYBE when we were getting ready for an IG inspection we worked a few more shifts than usual, and we used to rearrange the holiday schedule so the folks with kids had all of Christmas week off, and the single folks had New Year's week off (so we DID work six twelves in a row) but that was NOT the usual course of business.
If the AF needed you to you'd work ten twelves - but unless it was REALLY extenuating circumstances, it's far from likely to happen. They're not about killing their people...
I think your recruiter's on crack.
If you're fully qualified, where you're placed is up to the chief nurse at your base.
Thank you all for this great information. I inquired about going to the air force about a month ago and I was upset that I would have to do med/surg and I have been a nurse for a year on a cardiothoracic stepdown unit. Now I know that stepdown is technically med/surg but our unit is very complex we take cardiac drips and patients on total artificial hearts and LVADs. My current patient ratio is 3-4:1. I was also told by a recruiter that if the AF needed me that I could work 6 12 hr shifts a week if they needed me to. Can someone please clarify how the scheduled "usually" works?
What is the nurse/patient ratio on the med/surg floors in the air force?
The thing to remember about these recruiters is that the vast majority of them come from nonmedical line side jobs before becoming recruiters, so they truely have no idea what it is like to work as a nurse in the AF. My recruiter was in aircraft maintenance before becoming a recruiter, but he was very up front about his lack of knowledge and told me I would have to ask a lot of my questions on my chief nurse interview.
Med-Surg pt loads are generally 4-5 per RN with one med. tech per nurse or per every two nurses. The work shifts tend to be 12hr shifts averaging 84hrs every two weeks plus any extra duties/mandatory pt that you might have to come in and do on your off shifts. For most nurses that have worked on the civilian side before coming in the AF they find that the workload is greatly decreased from what they were used to on the outside.
Thanks everyone for your comments and knowledge. From what I'm gathering, you apply, and you have a meeting with the Chief Nurse before being officially accepted and signing the contract?
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bds165
79 Posts
During the first week of OTS, I remember being outside the shopette (small convenient store that also contained the military clothing store) in the front-leaning-rest position with my newly acquired C-bag full of newly acquired military uniforms on my back watching the COT guys/gals walk by with a 12 pack, frozen pizza, and chips saying "man, that looks hard." But that was in '99 so things may have changed.
I've never been through COT, but it was running simultaneously at Maxwell while us OTS folks were there...never witnessed any yelling and I could smell the tantalizing odors of their barbeques wafting into our dorm. Man were we jealous of those folks!...just my observations. Maybe some COT grads and could give you a better picture.
I don't mean to imply that COT isn't challenging or offend any COT folks. ALL officers absolutely EARN their commissions.