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Warren member earns commission as nurse

  • Published
  • By Airman Alex Martinez
  • 90th Space Wing Public Affairs
Staff Sgt. Coletta Walkemeyer, 90th Force Support Squadron, is supposed to sew on the rank of technical sergeant sometime next year, but she will never see that rank. Instead, she entered a special program that allows her to go to school in pursuit of a nursing degree and commission immediately afterward. She has cleaned out her desk; her first day of school is Monday. 

"I was in disbelief when they told me that I was selected," Sergeant Walkemeyer said. 

Her office broke the news to her by placing a silver heart box on her desk while she wasn't there. When she came back, she found the box and opened it. Inside the box was a silver medical badge. 

"I was scared; I thought I was in trouble," she said. 

The program is the Nurse Enlisted Commissioning Program. It allows participants to go to school full time while still on active duty. Twenty-seven Airmen were chosen Air Force-wide to begin in either the fall semester or in the spring of 2008. 

She currently works at the military personnel flight's office for re-enlistments and separations. 

Sergeant Walkemeyer said she enjoys her job, but when the opportunity came to go into the medical career field, she just went for it. 

"I've always been interested in the medical career," Sergeant Walkemeyer said. "As a nurse, I will be able to do what I love to do and still be with my family." 

The school she chose is the University of Wyoming in Laramie to attend its bachelor of science in nursing program. 

"They have worked with me a lot and have been real flexible," Sergeant Walkemeyer said. 

Due to a shortage of qualified applicants, there will be a supplemental board that takes place in October and will select 50 additional applicants for the spring 2008 start date. 

Airmen must advise Air Force Personnel Command if they intend to apply by Sept. 24 and submit their transcripts for an academic evaluation by Oct. 5. Applicants must submit their completed application by Oct. 15 to: 
AFPC/DPAMW
550 C St. West, Suite 27
Randolph AFB, TX 78150-4729. 

Applicants must meet the program's prerequisites: 

- Be active duty, E-4 and above 

- Be a U.S. citizen (a certified copy of birth certificate, passport or certificate of citizenship/naturalization is required)
- Be commissioned by age 42 

- Be worldwide qualified 

- Meet all the requirements for commissioning 

- Meet all prerequisites to complete an academic review 

- Have completed 59 semester hours of graded college coursework from a regionally accredited college or university 

- Have completed pre-identified courses as part of the required 59 hours:
· general psychology
· anatomy and physiology I and II
· microbiology
· chemistry I and II
· nutrition
· statistics 

Sergeant Walkemeyer said she wants anyone who is interested in applying to know the prerequisites are not easy and will take a lot of hard work. 

"Some classes are no joke," she said. "You have to study hard." 

For more information on the program, visit https://kx.afms.mil/kxweb and click on Nurse Corps Force Management.