Student Considering Air Force Nursing

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Hello Everyone,

I am a nursing student trying to decide whether joining the Air Force is the right way for me to begin my nursing career (graduation may 2006). I have found this discussion very helpful so far, thanks!

Those of you who have been there: Is there anything you wish you had known before you decided to become an Air Force Nurse?

Thank you so much!

Sarah

Specializes in Anesthesia.
Tid Bits People have asked about and Questions I have myself:

The age cut off is 48 for air force nurses. If you have some amazing experience, you can get a waiver.

Children are ok however, if you are a single parent, your "family situation" situation will be reviewd by some one. You must have a care plan in place if you are to deploy. It's easier if you're married. Enlisted air force women can not be single parents. Nurses get privilages : )

From what I gather, you don't really get your choice of bases as a new grad. you have to choose either medsurg or ob. Rumor has it, if you check yes that you are willing to go overseas (which includes AK and HI for nurses) you are VERY likely to get AK even if you don't put it as a choice. Big risk for someone who HATES cold.

My big question of the day is: How was COT? I'm terrified. I don't go until January (if im accepted) and I started running last week. I'm doing 10 minute miles which stinks, clearly.

Also, I consider myself a "get up and go-er," In the Air Force, are there really "days off" when I can take off to the beach for a day or two and come back for work?

1. Enlisted AF women can be single parents in fact there are quite a few of them, but you can't be a single enlisted parent and be the child's custodial parent during basic training or AIT. Most of the time enlisted persons become single parents after divorce and then retain custody of their children.

2. You get to pick your base preferences as a new grad. Pretty much any base is open to you if you come in as general med-surg nurse, but you are unlikely to go outside the US on your 1st assignment. Hawaii is unlikely on your 1st assignment also.

3. COT has never really been that big of deal...it is not basic training or even officer canidate school. You are already commissioned and part of the AF when you go, so the whole mentality of the program is quite different. I would just consider it more of formality in order to teach some bare basics about the military/AF in 4.5wks.

4. The typical work schedule for an AF nurse isn't much different than your civilian counterparts. You will eventually have some extra duties....have to go to meeting (sometimes on your days off or when you are supposed to be sleeping if you are working nights etc.), but otherwise your days off are your own. In general you can go up to 250miles w/o having to notify your supervisor or take leave. Your duty command will explain what their expectations are on accountability during days off etc.

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I am looking to be a nurse in the AF when I am done with school. My interests are in the NICU/midwife/OB area. I made a post but not too much input recieved yet. I am looking at those links posted above, but if you have any information about AF nursing in those specialities and the requirments to do so, I would be so grateful!!

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
My mistake: People can not (according to the air force website) enlist as a single parent. Clearly, they will not kick you out if you are an unmarried pregnant woman, however, the option is given to leave.

Don't count on being able to get out d/t getting pregnant I have known several officers and one enlisted that thought they would be allowed to get out once they got pregnant and they were denied based on the needs on the of the AF.

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Specializes in L&D, mother/baby, antepartum.
Don't count on being able to get out d/t getting pregnant I have known several officers and one enlisted that thought they would be allowed to get out once they got pregnant and they were denied based on the needs on the of the AF.

I second that! This just happened to a young enlisted woman that I work with. She will be serving out the remainder of her time despite having petitioned to get out.

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I second that! This just happened to a young enlisted woman that I work with. She will be serving out the remainder of her time despite having petitioned to get out.

And the kid is, in many ways, better off with her in - they rearrange deployment schedules (usually) if you're supposed to be going and where else in this world will you get free healthcare without being on welfare?

They see it as discipline - as in, if you knew you could get pregnant, you should have thought it through beforehand. . .

Sorry - people who try to get out of military service (and no, I obviously don't know this person's story, but I saw many while I was enlisted) for essentially being women annoy me - and before I get pilloried, I'm female!

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: ) That's interesting, If there is any place to get pregnant and start a family...it's in the military. Where else can you say you have a child that knows 87877686 languages by going to amazing international schools and see the 7 wonders and then some before they finish high school. Where else do you see children addressing elders as sir and ma'am or Miss, Mr, Mrs.....This Nurse is a self proclaimed push over to children, they are just so darned cute...Hopefully military life and my own training and changes I experience will help me to raise my future children as self-disciplined, well rounded, educated children.

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Hi I am glad that their are a lot of air force members answering questions. The one I would like to ask is how often do nurses deploy compared to other professions? I have seen lists of the most deployed fields and was just wondering if anyone knows how often nurses deploy in the air force! Thanks for the help.

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I hope someone can answer your question realistically, maybe someone already in, because I'd like to know too. What I was told however is "expect to go to Iraq" however (and here comes the worst line ever, "my recruiter said" as an Ob/Gyn nurse, it is very unlikely that I will be sent to a combat zone. Who knows? As a nurse serving this country beginning in August, I will be honored to deploy, if not for the opportunity to really serve, then for the amazing experience I will gain. : )

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The Air Force has set up deployment teams in "bands", with 18 months "dwell time" (time at home station) and 6 months deployed. What band you're placed in is determined at your base when you arrive, and there's no real rhyme or reason to it that I can see (that's obvious, anyway - I'm prior enlisted so I'm aware of stuff like rank distribution, experience, skill level, specialty code, yadda yadda yadda - I'm really meaning that the Average Joe Airman can see on the surface).

You're an RN first, and an OB RN second - my understanding (and I need Little Greek to pitch in on this because if I remember correctly, she's OB) is you technically have as much chance as I do to deploy, but the byline is "the needs of the AF come first". Greek'll shed some light on this for you - for all of us I hope!

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im new to this site and dont really know how to use it. but i have some questions about nursing i think you can answer so it would be greatly appreciated if you could message me!

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Specializes in ED. ICU, PICU, infection prevention, aeromedical e.

Do would not plan on coming into the service if you do not want to deploy. They do vary. There are 3 or 4 nurses from my unit in Afghanistan right now. There are also oppertunities to do humanitarian missions; some from my unit went to Haiti. I would note that there are a few who haven't gone yet. Usually medical reason (pregnant, injured, etc).

I'd also like to address the single parent thing. I'm a single parent and had to have a family care plan approved before I even got authorized to go to MEPS or interview. It was not a problem though, just an extra step. You obviously can't take kids with you to COT, so plan ahead.

COT was easy phyisically for me (other than breaking my tailbone on the assault course, but that was my fault). It was the workload and mental thing that I thought was harder. Don't be afraid of it, just prepare well. Alot of people thought it was alot of fun, after the 1st week.

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midinphx - with the humanitarian work that nurses can do, how long do you have to be an active duty nurse until you can volunteer for those types of things?? Also, how long do you have to be active duty untill you can be deployed? I want to be deployed as a nurse, and also do humanitarian work, so I'm curious what type of nurse is best for these positions and how long you have to be in for before you can do them. Thanks!

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