3 answers
LaRissa
Student
Hopewell, Virginia
13
Questions
Asked
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What made you commit to the military (Air force in specific) ?
Im a junior in high school interested in the nursing field but I also want to go into the air Force. I'm just not all the way sure if its the right field for me.
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3 answers
Ryan Pfeiffer, MA
Firefighter Lieutenant / EMT
104
Answers
Fort Collins, Colorado
Updated
Ryan’s Answer
Hello LaRissa. I'm not sure if you're saying that you're not sure if nursing is the right field for you, or the Air Force, or both.
The good news is that you're young, and while I'm sure you feel a lot of pressure to choose the "right" path after graduating (I remember feeling that way too), you do not need to have everything nailed down. Lots of people, including myself, make career changes after a few years. That's totally normal and okay!
That said, as an Air Force veteran myself, I'd encourage you to give the Air Force a shot. If you love it, you're all set! If not, you can get out after a few years. While you may be a few years "behind" where you could be in your nursing or other career, you will almost certainly be more mature, more experienced, and more disciplined by serving first. Many employers know this, and prefer to hire veterans because of your proven ability to work under stress, serve a cause bigger than yourself, follow instructions, have attention to detail, etc. Plus, even if you get out of the Air Force after one contract, you will be a member of the small, proud, tight knit, veteran community for the rest of your life. That comes with some tangible benefits too, like the GI Bill for funding your education, VA for healthcare needs, etc.
If you choose nursing first, you can always change your mind and go Air Force a few years later, but there are a few challenges here. 1) You won't get money towards your nursing degrees like you would with military tuition assistance and GI Bill benefits, 2) You might lose your nursing certifications if you go into the Air Force in a non-nursing field and cannot maintain them, 3). You might find military service to be more physically demanding when you're older - it's easiest to do your running and jumping while you're young and have fresh knees / back!
As I'm sure you're aware, the Air Force has nurses. That could be the best of both worlds for you! The downsides are that, to my knowledge, Air Force nurses are all officers, which means extra schooling is required and your service commitment may be longer (when I was in I think nurses had to do 6 or 8-years instead of 4 because their education and training costs the Air Force so much more.). An Air Force recruiter may be able to give you more information. If they don't have answers to your questions about nursing because its an officer career path, you might try reaching out to an ROTC recruiter at a university that interests you.
I hope that helps. Let me know if I can answer any more questions for you.
~Ryan (USAF Captain, 2014-2018)
The good news is that you're young, and while I'm sure you feel a lot of pressure to choose the "right" path after graduating (I remember feeling that way too), you do not need to have everything nailed down. Lots of people, including myself, make career changes after a few years. That's totally normal and okay!
That said, as an Air Force veteran myself, I'd encourage you to give the Air Force a shot. If you love it, you're all set! If not, you can get out after a few years. While you may be a few years "behind" where you could be in your nursing or other career, you will almost certainly be more mature, more experienced, and more disciplined by serving first. Many employers know this, and prefer to hire veterans because of your proven ability to work under stress, serve a cause bigger than yourself, follow instructions, have attention to detail, etc. Plus, even if you get out of the Air Force after one contract, you will be a member of the small, proud, tight knit, veteran community for the rest of your life. That comes with some tangible benefits too, like the GI Bill for funding your education, VA for healthcare needs, etc.
If you choose nursing first, you can always change your mind and go Air Force a few years later, but there are a few challenges here. 1) You won't get money towards your nursing degrees like you would with military tuition assistance and GI Bill benefits, 2) You might lose your nursing certifications if you go into the Air Force in a non-nursing field and cannot maintain them, 3). You might find military service to be more physically demanding when you're older - it's easiest to do your running and jumping while you're young and have fresh knees / back!
As I'm sure you're aware, the Air Force has nurses. That could be the best of both worlds for you! The downsides are that, to my knowledge, Air Force nurses are all officers, which means extra schooling is required and your service commitment may be longer (when I was in I think nurses had to do 6 or 8-years instead of 4 because their education and training costs the Air Force so much more.). An Air Force recruiter may be able to give you more information. If they don't have answers to your questions about nursing because its an officer career path, you might try reaching out to an ROTC recruiter at a university that interests you.
I hope that helps. Let me know if I can answer any more questions for you.
~Ryan (USAF Captain, 2014-2018)
https://www.airforce.com/careers/healthcare
Ryan Pfeiffer, MA
Jesse Beltran
Special Operations Medic
11
Answers
Las Vegas, Nevada
Updated
Jesse’s Answer
Air Force vet here.
Father and uncle both were in 20+ years. I followed suit as well due to the following pros:
A. Better quality of life.
B. Treatment and respect vs how the Navy, Army, and Marines treat you.
C. Better dining and food
D. Values intellect, ingenuity, change, common sense (I.e. allow females to do braids or other hair styles instead of tight bun that cause headaches, hair loss etc.) There are many career fields (AFSCs) that focus on expanding on intelligence and problem solving.
E. Flying opportunities (obviously) more than other branches.
F. Business trips usually include a hotel and hot meal instead of the field in tents in the rain.
G. Many jobs translate to outside i.e cyber/IT, medical EMT/radiology, aircraft maintenance, air field management/air traffic control, logistics, security forces/police etc.
H. Army and marines have formation every morning. Air Force you just show up to work and work. There’s no unnecessary hand holding and you have individual freedoms that the Army, Navy and Marines make fun of but we know are secretly jealous.
Cons:
A. Made fun of by other branches how much “easier” life is.
B. Less opportunities for combat jobs unless assigned to Air Force special operations assignments (Ariel Gunner, load master). Whole purpose is to support ground combat units (Army, Marines) by cyber space, space or air space by readying aircraft and keeping the flyers and planes able to fly. Some members feel a sense of regret joining when they “should of” joined the Army to feel more like a “soldier” and combat vet.
C. Don’t really feel like you’re in the military sometimes. A lot of leaders try and mimic a culture of l a corporate environment that’s wears camouflage and forget we are the ARMED forces in the Air Force at times.
D. No warrant officers. A warrant officer is a promoted subject matter expert, treated like an officer but not commissioned. Pay increase, respect and customs and courtesies are increased. Air Force believes the strenuous jobs can be handled by a senior non commissioned officer (higher ranking enlisted) which can put a lot of pressure on the member who gets a lot of resistance from commissioned officers while trying to input their knowledge or promote change.
I was a special operations Independent Duty Medical Tech (4N0X1C), flight paramedic at Hurlburt Field. I was a lot of cool opportunities for training (Survival Evasion Resitance and Escape, underwater egress, long term survival, joint enroute care with the Army MEDEVAC unit, advanced my medical career, and some cool assignments (Nellis AFB Las Vegas/Fort Sam Houston Texas/ Eglin AFB FL/Hurlburt Field FL). Now I’m leveraging that for medical school soon and using my VA benefits to finish school debt free while also used my tuition assistance while active to finish classes here or there.
Hope that helps.
-JB
Father and uncle both were in 20+ years. I followed suit as well due to the following pros:
A. Better quality of life.
B. Treatment and respect vs how the Navy, Army, and Marines treat you.
C. Better dining and food
D. Values intellect, ingenuity, change, common sense (I.e. allow females to do braids or other hair styles instead of tight bun that cause headaches, hair loss etc.) There are many career fields (AFSCs) that focus on expanding on intelligence and problem solving.
E. Flying opportunities (obviously) more than other branches.
F. Business trips usually include a hotel and hot meal instead of the field in tents in the rain.
G. Many jobs translate to outside i.e cyber/IT, medical EMT/radiology, aircraft maintenance, air field management/air traffic control, logistics, security forces/police etc.
H. Army and marines have formation every morning. Air Force you just show up to work and work. There’s no unnecessary hand holding and you have individual freedoms that the Army, Navy and Marines make fun of but we know are secretly jealous.
Cons:
A. Made fun of by other branches how much “easier” life is.
B. Less opportunities for combat jobs unless assigned to Air Force special operations assignments (Ariel Gunner, load master). Whole purpose is to support ground combat units (Army, Marines) by cyber space, space or air space by readying aircraft and keeping the flyers and planes able to fly. Some members feel a sense of regret joining when they “should of” joined the Army to feel more like a “soldier” and combat vet.
C. Don’t really feel like you’re in the military sometimes. A lot of leaders try and mimic a culture of l a corporate environment that’s wears camouflage and forget we are the ARMED forces in the Air Force at times.
D. No warrant officers. A warrant officer is a promoted subject matter expert, treated like an officer but not commissioned. Pay increase, respect and customs and courtesies are increased. Air Force believes the strenuous jobs can be handled by a senior non commissioned officer (higher ranking enlisted) which can put a lot of pressure on the member who gets a lot of resistance from commissioned officers while trying to input their knowledge or promote change.
I was a special operations Independent Duty Medical Tech (4N0X1C), flight paramedic at Hurlburt Field. I was a lot of cool opportunities for training (Survival Evasion Resitance and Escape, underwater egress, long term survival, joint enroute care with the Army MEDEVAC unit, advanced my medical career, and some cool assignments (Nellis AFB Las Vegas/Fort Sam Houston Texas/ Eglin AFB FL/Hurlburt Field FL). Now I’m leveraging that for medical school soon and using my VA benefits to finish school debt free while also used my tuition assistance while active to finish classes here or there.
Hope that helps.
-JB
Brian Meyer
Intelligence Specialist
5
Answers
Foristell, Missouri
Updated
Brian’s Answer
A pleasure to meet you, LaRissa. While I am in the Navy, not the Air Force, the requirements are very similar. If I am not mistaken, an RN would be an officer level position, which would require a college degree. This puts you in that catch-22 loop that so many young people find themselves when just getting started that is, "If an entry level job requires 3-5 years experience, how do I get the experience before getting the entry level job?" But, in this case you do have a few options you could explore. If you have decided that your goal is to be a Registered Nurse then you can absolutely achieve that goal in the Air Force, or by using the Air Force as a path to it.
1. Mr. Beltran and Mr. Pfeiffer are absolutely correct in that the Air Force is physically less demanding than the other well known branches. However, there are two other branches that most people do not know much about or disregard, and those two are the Coast Guard and the brand new Space Force. I would advise you to look into those options to see if they would fit your desired goal better. Given the physical requirements for the Coast Guard though, I would also recommend leaning towards the Space Force.
If you decide to focus on the Air Force and the Space Force, taking into account the requirement for an RN to be an officer, then you could choose to join as an enlisted personnel and try to get accepted into a commissioning program offered by the respective branch, to which there are several programs available. However, those programs are highly competitive and there is no guarantee that you would be accepted into them during your first term of enlistment. But, if you went the enlisted route and chose either a 4 or 6 year enlistment (I would recommend the 4 year term due to current retention bonuses), you would not only get access to the G.I. Bill but also to any enlistment incentive bonuses being offered (which currently can account for several thousand dollars given the current recruitment and retention crisis being experienced by the military.)
After enlistment, apply for those commissioning programs. If you get accepted, great you are on your way and moving forward. Unfortunately, those programs are highly competitive and it is unlikely (but not impossible) for a first term enlisted to get accepted into them. If you don't get accepted, don't worry, you will have your G.I Bill upon the end of your contract which will pay for 4 years of your college tuition as well as providing some for living expenses. I'm not sure what the education requirements are to become an RN, but if they aren't achievable within that 4 year enlistment, then you still have some options that involve the military.
If you can't get your RN certification within the 4 years college paid for by your G.I. Bill you can then apply for VA student loans, or federal student loans, to complete your education and certification. Upon completion you can then re-enter the military as an officer or stay a civilian. Either way, you would then be in the desired position with minimal student debt, with the very experience needed to get hired in the desired position, Veteran status which would garner preferred hiring status, and the remaining option to choose to either continue in the military as an officer or pursue a civilian career in the same field. Also, if you do decide to re-enter the military you would also be eligible for Tuition Assistance that could be used to expand your medical knowledge, specialize in a field, or choose another field entirely.
If you decide to go the college route first, then you could attain your degree and RN certification and go for an officer's commission. There are programs to repay student loans (but you would lose your G.I. Bill as they would utilize it to repay your loans) that would pretty much wipe out your student debt with the exchange of a length of time in service. During which you would also have access to Tuition Assistance to, again, pursue the aforementioned benefits. I hope this helps you with your decision, if there is anything else I can answer for you, don't hesitate to ask.
Brian Meyer
Intelligence Specialist First Class
U.S. Navy (2008-current)
1. Mr. Beltran and Mr. Pfeiffer are absolutely correct in that the Air Force is physically less demanding than the other well known branches. However, there are two other branches that most people do not know much about or disregard, and those two are the Coast Guard and the brand new Space Force. I would advise you to look into those options to see if they would fit your desired goal better. Given the physical requirements for the Coast Guard though, I would also recommend leaning towards the Space Force.
If you decide to focus on the Air Force and the Space Force, taking into account the requirement for an RN to be an officer, then you could choose to join as an enlisted personnel and try to get accepted into a commissioning program offered by the respective branch, to which there are several programs available. However, those programs are highly competitive and there is no guarantee that you would be accepted into them during your first term of enlistment. But, if you went the enlisted route and chose either a 4 or 6 year enlistment (I would recommend the 4 year term due to current retention bonuses), you would not only get access to the G.I. Bill but also to any enlistment incentive bonuses being offered (which currently can account for several thousand dollars given the current recruitment and retention crisis being experienced by the military.)
After enlistment, apply for those commissioning programs. If you get accepted, great you are on your way and moving forward. Unfortunately, those programs are highly competitive and it is unlikely (but not impossible) for a first term enlisted to get accepted into them. If you don't get accepted, don't worry, you will have your G.I Bill upon the end of your contract which will pay for 4 years of your college tuition as well as providing some for living expenses. I'm not sure what the education requirements are to become an RN, but if they aren't achievable within that 4 year enlistment, then you still have some options that involve the military.
If you can't get your RN certification within the 4 years college paid for by your G.I. Bill you can then apply for VA student loans, or federal student loans, to complete your education and certification. Upon completion you can then re-enter the military as an officer or stay a civilian. Either way, you would then be in the desired position with minimal student debt, with the very experience needed to get hired in the desired position, Veteran status which would garner preferred hiring status, and the remaining option to choose to either continue in the military as an officer or pursue a civilian career in the same field. Also, if you do decide to re-enter the military you would also be eligible for Tuition Assistance that could be used to expand your medical knowledge, specialize in a field, or choose another field entirely.
If you decide to go the college route first, then you could attain your degree and RN certification and go for an officer's commission. There are programs to repay student loans (but you would lose your G.I. Bill as they would utilize it to repay your loans) that would pretty much wipe out your student debt with the exchange of a length of time in service. During which you would also have access to Tuition Assistance to, again, pursue the aforementioned benefits. I hope this helps you with your decision, if there is anything else I can answer for you, don't hesitate to ask.
Brian Meyer
Intelligence Specialist First Class
U.S. Navy (2008-current)