Nursing and the Air Force Reserves?

I was thinking about joining the Air Force Reserves or the Air Force. I am a nurse and would like to someday become a flight nurse. Unfortunately, I also have asthma, but have heard that it is a possibility that I can still join. Does anyone have any information on nursing in the AF Reserves or the Air Force or flight nursing? Any information and input would be greatly appreciated.

I am a Reservist and personally know a 46N3. One of thier troops has asthma and was waivered for enlistment due to the lenity of his condition and the low recurrance rate of his attacks. However this does not mean you should start packing for OTS! This troops case was that his asthma was from childhood and although he still has it, it is phenominally better than when he was growing up. So much so that he only requires an emergency steroid inhaler, and no other maintenance. He has no problems passing an AF Fit test even without pre or post-test self treatment.
This is where you may run into problems. Whether you can get your asthma waivered or you just sign up without revealing it, you still have to pass AF Fitness standards. If you have difficulty doing so because of your condition you may be administratively discharged.
If your asthma isn't very severe then I'd say go ahead and visit the Nursing Recruiter(They are seperate offices than enlistment recruiters). If you can't go a day without pulling out your inhaler 5 or 6 times than I'd say stick to the civilian nursing world. You'll save alot of time and headaches.

Check with your local recruiters. They should have the most up-to-date info.

The standards for the USAF and USAFR are the same. If you can get into one, you can get into the other.

A lot of it depends on just how bad your asthma is. If you are a steroid dependent asthmatic who has to use an inhaler a lot, you may as well forget it. On the other hand if you have not been hospitalized for years, not even an ER visit and you only use an inhaler on occasion, they may give you a waiver, at least to get into the Air Force or Reserves.

However becoming a Flight Nurse is a different story. You have to pass a tougher physical to get into that program. (I believe a Class III flying physical if I remember correctly.) Asthma is a real problem because the air in planes is very dry and most of the time the plane is pressurized for around 6,000 feet. If you have to breathe off a tank, it is dryer still.
And you have to experience a rapid decompression during training and a water ditching of the aircraft. Both may be a problem with asthma.

I would not recommend you join the Air Force solely for the reason of becoming a flight nurse because I do not see it happening due to the greater restrictions on the physical.

Also, for the same reasons, I do not see you becoming a civilian flight nurse either. Most places do not want to have a nurse who will get into trouble in the aircraft with a sick patient on her hands.

You may be able to get a waiver for military service, but probably not to become a flight nurse. I also believe that you become non-deployable if you have asthma. You'd have to check with the Healthcare Recruiters for sure (AMEDD in the Army, not sure what they call it in the AF)
Good luck!