Should I even bother applying to the Navy NCP?

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I recently learned of this program and have become interested but I am not sure if applying would be a waste of time. My GPA isn't that great, 3.5. But I heard other aspects are important too. I've been volunteering as a Big Sister, volunteering at the humane society and volunteering in my local hospital the past 6 months. I was going to be in ROTC. I did the Army Leadership Training Program last summer but was unable to accept the scholarships(just bad timing). I am thinking of applying for NCP the next year which I think starts in September or October. Should I give it a shot? The application process takes a lot of time and I don't want to do it without even having a chance.

I know this, but it was a very small number as per my nurse counselor (~20-25) and many cadets chose reserves like me which bumped the number up. If you did halfway decent in nursing school and didn't totally fail ROTC you were good to go. I knew some pretty bad nursing cadets (military wise) who did OK in nursing school and got AD with their first or second duty station choice.

For anyone reading please do not let that deter you from AROTC to hear that some people were forced reserves, if you are average across the board you will get AD and that's the same for non-nursing cadets as well.

When I was in ROTC (Fall 2011), we were told that starting in 2014 (my graduating year) my school had a maximum number of nursing students that could be offered active duty. Even if every nursing student in our school had a great performance in all areas (high gpa, good at rotc, performed well at LDAC, high OML, etc.), our school could still only offer 2 active duty contracts to nursing students. Even though the reserves is great, for me personally, I did not think that all of the work and time required for ROTC would be worthwhile for a non-AD position. This is why I quit ROTC. My entire family has served in the Army, so I have a lot of respect for that branch. I agree that nursing is nursing regardless of branch. The Navy simply had the program that worked best for my personal needs.

Edit: My brigade nurse told us that nation-wide, 1/4 - 1/3 of the nursing cadets in my graduating class would receive a reserve commission. I do agree with you that Army ROTC offers invaluable experience to cadets. If that's the program a person is leaning towards, they should definitely do it. It's a great program, and I think it probably offers the best preparation for joining the military (in terms of understanding military culture/lifestyle). The thing that really drew me to the NCP was the guaranteed active duty and the ability to focus on school work.

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This question I have may be a little off topic but what happens after if you don't make the GPA in order to keep the NCP scholarship? I already know from talking with my health care recruiter that if your accepted into the NCP and you don't maintain a 3.0 GPA your dropped from the scholarship. You have to pay back all that money you were given during the course of your scholarship.

The question Im trying to get at is after your dropped from the scholarship and pay them back can you still get a commission into the Navy as a Nurse Corps Officer? If I pay my own way through school after being dropped from the NCP will they still accept a direct commission?

For a new grad, I think that applying for direct commission is even more competitive than the NCP (you're competing with nurses who have years of experience). I would be very surprised if someone was accepted for direct commission as a new grad after being dropped from the NCP. If you were dropped from the NCP, got a civilian job for a few years, and then applied for direct commission after getting some experience, it might work. I really don't know.

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When I was in ROTC (Fall 2011), we were told that starting in 2014 (my graduating year) my school had a maximum number of nursing students that could be offered active duty. Even if every nursing student in our school had a great performance in all areas (high gpa, good at rotc, performed well at LDAC, high OML, etc.), our school could still only offer 2 active duty contracts to nursing students. Even though the reserves is great, for me personally, I did not think that all of the work and time required for ROTC would be worthwhile for a non-AD position. This is why I quit ROTC. My entire family has served in the Army, so I have a lot of respect for that branch. I agree that nursing is nursing regardless of branch. The Navy simply had the program that worked best for my personal needs.

Edit: My brigade nurse told us that nation-wide, 1/4 - 1/3 of the nursing cadets in my graduating class would receive a reserve commission. I do agree with you that Army ROTC offers invaluable experience to cadets. If that's the program a person is leaning towards, they should definitely do it. It's a great program, and I think it probably offers the best preparation for joining the military (in terms of understanding military culture/lifestyle). The thing that really drew me to the NCP was the guaranteed active duty and the ability to focus on school work.

To each their own but I disagree about ROTC not being worth while for reserves. It looks very good on job applications especially if you were in leadership or did well. The time commitment with nursing is negligible as the cadre make HUGE exceptions for nursing cadets so they could get their study and work time in. In some of my interviews all they asked me about was my Army nurse job and ROTC.

I have seen the numbers for 2014 and it is DEFINITELY NOT 1/4-1/3. Sometimes in the government people like to forecast whats going to happen years down the road but things change or don't come to fruition. Last year was the first time cadets were forced reserves but even so the number is not going to jump from a handful to 1/3 of the country...Maybe scholarships will go down in future years but I will stand by the fact that if you are average you will get AD. If you are below average you shouldn't be graduating nursing school. I never had one conflict in ROTC because my cadre were so lenient with the nurses.

Wherever you go there is a max amount of scholarships available that's why you have to compete. School A is allocated 5 nursing slots for FY 2015 and school B is allocated 3 and so on. It's always been that way. If you sign a GFRD scholarship you will go guard or reserve but if you sign an AD you will go AD. I think your counselor was trying to scare you because I have seen below par nurse cadets for 2014 who will be going AD. Last year was the first year some cadets had to go reserves but it was only a handful and they were bottom of the barrel.

I got AD and never ever worried about it but I decided to go reserves. I am not going to talk about it any more I just wanted to address the lurked that they should no one scared about getting forced reserves it is not going to happen unless you are completely terrible....You will go AD

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Dranger, I am sorry if my information is inaccurate. I am simply repeating what myself and many other students were told by our cadre. My school's lead cadre (I know that's not his official title, but I don't know what it is...basically top guy for the school's rotc program) told the entire MS2 class that our school could only offer a maximum of 2 active duty commissions to nursing students in 2014 - not 2 nursing scholarships, 2 commissions. This may have been an overly-pessimistic projection or his way of scaring us. I do not know. I agree with you that Army ROTC is a great program and an incredible learning experience, but, based on what myself and many other students were told, I do not think that obtaining an AD spot is as sure-fire as it used to be, even for students who aren't completely terrible.

If there are lurkers on here who are considering Army ROTC, go for it. It truly is an incredible program, and it will challenge you and force you to grow in ways that no other program will. It is competitive, but so is every other program out there. If you think it might be right for you, try it out.

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Specializes in Field Medical Trauma.
For a new grad, I think that applying for direct commission is even more competitive than the NCP (you're competing with nurses who have years of experience). I would be very surprised if someone was accepted for direct commission as a new grad after being dropped from the NCP. If you were dropped from the NCP, got a civilian job for a few years, and then applied for direct commission after getting some experience, it might work. I really don't know.

Thanks for the reply, I finally got a hold of my medical recruiter and was told that the same board of nurses that looked at my profile for the NCP would be the same group of people looking at me for a direct commission. So in other words if I failed using the NCP scholarship then there is almost no way to get a direct commission.

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I am currently undergoing NCP application. Take. For. Ev. Er. But it's what I'm really passionate for, so I'm just trying my best. I will be graduating in 2016 from nursing. I was told November 8 is the deadline, so i guess we'll just wait after that. I'm too trippin balls about getting in because I know how competitive it is. I am prepared to not get accepted, but if I do my best, then that's all I can do. Best wishes my love, hopefully we will meet in the future :)

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Specializes in Field Medical Trauma.

Im in the same boat you are freckles, 2016 seems like such a long way off!! Might be different in terms of commissioning slots. Have to see how the Army looks around that time but I'm still shooting for a Navy nurse corps officer commission. Good luck!

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Im in the same boat you are freckles 2016 seems like such a long way off!! Might be different in terms of commissioning slots. Have to see how the Army looks around that time but I'm still shooting for a Navy nurse corps officer commission. Good luck![/quote']

Raider-good luck!!! Hard work pays off! Keep pushin!!!

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