USAF nurse

allnurses Guide · Dec 4, 2011

hi i am hoping someone currently in the usaf or previously in could shed some light on the clinical nurse for me. i am prior service going back into the air force as a nurse. i currently work on a step down unit. i am looking to enter as a clinic nurse. i was wondering what the job entails. from what i understand is it mainly paperwork and admin work? also the bonus for four years is it 20k bonus and 40k loan repayment? and my last question is about grad school. i am in grad school now but would like to go part time while serving. i heard they encourage education how realistic is it to continue school while active duty. and finally how likely is it to change position from clinic nurse to other specialties?
thanks for your help!

if you want to work in a clinic only put down bases with clinics on your preference worksheet otherwise it will be hit or miss based on the needs of "af" whether you get assigned to a clinic.

clinics are all t-cons, med refills, paperwork etc. af clinic nurses do little hands on patient care.

you are considered a med-surg nurse/46n3 if you work in a clinic. there are training options to go into the or, er/icu, and nicu, but each are formal training requirements and require extra time commitments. the af is not cross training a lot of nurses to speciality fields on the base level right now.

most nurses in the military that stay in go back to school part-time and get at least their masters degree. it is easiest to do if the school is completely online, but if there is minimal class time it can still be done most of the time.

i am not sure what the bonus is right now. you would have to ask a healthcare recruiter.

if you are in grad school now and haven't started your application to get in the af yet you will probably have time to finish by the time you actually get into the af. it is taking nurses 18-24+mo to get in right now.

jimmymic · Dec 5, 2011

Thanks for the info. Is it taking that long now? I was told 6 months from start to OTS. What is the typical retirement for nurses in the AF? Is it major or Lt Col?

jimmymic · Dec 5, 2011

Also how difficult is it to go full time grad school to USAF university? What is the selection process like?

allnurses Guide · Dec 5, 2011

Thanks for the info. Is it taking that long now? I was told 6 months from start to OTS. What is the typical retirement for nurses in the AF? Is it major or Lt Col?

You can ask some of the nurses on here how long it is taking them to complete everything. For a nurse that does 20yrs as an officer most will retire as a LTC.

allnurses Guide · Dec 5, 2011

Also how difficult is it to go full time grad school to USAF university? What is the selection process like?

As long as you meet all the basic requirements it is not that hard to get picked up for school.

midinphx, BSN · Dec 7, 2011

I was told 6 months when I started to apply. It took me a year. So keep working on your program and get as far as you can. There are many programs to go to school while on active duty, it's a lot of work to find the right resource to help you navigate that paperwork process and create a packet/application for those.

jimmymic · Dec 7, 2011

thanks for the info it is very helpful. what are the deployments like as a nurse? i plan on going but i just want an idea of how often. also are there humanitarian missions as well?

midinphx, BSN · Dec 9, 2011

You will get a deployment cycle. Here in San Antonio we have 4 "buckets". We know when our vulnerable to deploy time is (mine is next October). You basically have a 6 month vulnerable period and an 18 month safe period. It isn't set in stone completely. I went at the end of my cycle and overlapped 2 cycles.

Some fields deploy more than others. ICU here, we know we are going every time. It also seems like ICU always goes the same place, while my friends that are med/surg have more variety. (but that is just my perception, which may be inaccurate).

I can only speak for what my deployment was like. Bursts of activity with many periods of boredom. you get good at entertaining yourself. We worked 4 on/1 off. that night off, we spent in the laundry room - where there was good wi-fi. There was a good morale center that had a lot of activities - Bingo was as competitive as Texas hold'em was. Once I started going to games, I met people. The gym is always busy, even at 3am. But really, as a nurse, you don't see much. Your world becomes really small. The hospital, your living quarter (which will be a shared room), the dining facility, gym, potty/shower cadillac, Then sleep and repeat.

The patients you take care of depend completely on the place you get sent. It isn't just US servicemen and women you take care of. Afghanistan has a very active humanitarian mission.