[CarolinaMarie 45]

Help!?

How do you get into the Navy Nurse Candidate Program!

I am an inspiring nurse (first year in college for Medical Assisting) but I have my heart set on the Navy. I could really use some guidence from others who have previously been through this program.

How do you get in? How competitive is it?
What was it like? The program and the Navy?
Your experiences?
Travel?



Helping people as a nurse is my passion in life (I think, I'm only 18yrs old) but I want a challenging and fulling life in the Navy! If anyone would like to shed some light on the NCP it would be very much appreicated!

Thanks!

[meg314]

I can't tell you a WHOLE lot about the Navy, but I can inform you a little bit about the Nurse Candidate program application process because I just finished and was just accepted about a week ago!

First of all is contact a recruiter. Find your local Navy Recruiting District in your area and call or e-mail them and set up an appointment to talk. I met my recruiter at nursing school orientation in August and we had a few meetings while I was working on my application. Usually there should be a medical officer or health programs officer of some sort to talk to. Ask a lot of questions so you are making a well-informed decision.

The application process takes quite a bit of time so the sooner you start the better. I believe you have to be in a nursing program with fewer than 24 months left or more than 6 months left to finish. In my case (I'm a sophomore) my 24 month time frame won't start until May, so that's when I will swear in and start receiving pay. You can start the application when you're a sophomore or with more than 2 years left of school, but you won't start the program until the 24 month mark.

You have to complete a background check, an EPSQ (security questionnaire, just asking a lot of questions about where you live, where you worked, etc) and an application (most important part: the motivational statement!) and get transcripts, all things that require time more than anything. I also had to get 3 letters of recommendation from college professors. Also, two interviews with Nurse Corps officers are required as part of the application process. For my interviews, we were taken on a MEDVIP trip (a trip for applicants finishing up the application process) to San Diego to both tour the medical center and conduct interviews, but I believe the interviews can also be done over the phone. You also need to get a complete physical at a MEPS station which takes a good portion of your morning (mine was about 5 hours).

As for the competitiveness, I can't really judge that. I finished my application in the end of October and it was reviewed on November 14th, 2007. I just found out Friday (January 25, 2008) that I was accepted. My recruiter told me that 55 applicants were chosen for this fiscal year (which begins in October, runs through October I believe). I believe it's like a "first come, first serve" process, where if you're qualified and you get your application in early, you have a better chance. They don't accept a bunch of applications and then pick the best ones. At least that's what my recruiter told me (don't believe everything you hear, obviously).

So all in all, give yourself enough time to complete the application well. Time is the key factor. The first step is contacting a recruiter and once you do that, they will guide you and tell you pretty much everything you need to do!

Like I said before, I was JUST accepted so I can't fill you in about the experience, only the application process. Feel free to correct me if I have something wrong here, but I'm just basing it on my experience. Best of luck to you!

[DanznRN]

Meg pretty much nailed it for the app. process. I did the NCP program back in '95-'97 and it was pretty much the same. As for Navy experiences, do a search maybe using my username to filter and you will find multiple posts regarding experiences in the Navy. Any specific questions you have, just let me know.

LCDR Dan

[Itshamrtym]

:bal loons:Congratulations to you MEG!!!! I'm sure you are very happy!!!!! Good Luck to you with your NAVY career.