Which path, NCP or direct?

[RHill9919]

Hi all. I am getting ready to start a 1 year, second degree, BSN program. I am trying to decide if I should attempt for NCP or just wait until after graduation to join Navy or Air Force as a nurse. My concern is my loan debt. I worry that because my program starts so soon, it may be too late for me to apply for NCP because if I were to be accepted, I wouldn't start to receive the benefits until I am more than halfway done with my program. On the other hand, I would certainly be okay with waiting until after graduation to join with some kind of sign on bonus to clear up my loan debt. Is this referred to as direct commissioning?

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

Yes, joining as a civilian is direct commission. Have you talked to a healthcare recruiter? There is not much need for nurses in any branch of the service right now, it's very competitive to get in and incentives like bonuses and loan repayment are shrinking. I wouldn't count on going into the service right out of school. A healthcare recruiter can give you the most up-to-date info. Good luck!

[jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA]

I would recommend that, after first talking to a recruiter, you apply for civilian jobs as a backup. You can always break leases, hospital contracts, gym memberships, etc once you have military orders.

The recruitment situation changes with every recruitment cycle. I wanted to be a military nurse since I started nursing school, but I missed the ROTC boat. When I first started my research, every branch took new grads with huge bonuses. When I finally decided to apply for the Army, they had stopped taking new grads. I took a civilian job, and after several years, I finally got a fully qualified (experienced RN) slot with the Air Force.

The moral is to be patient and persistent. It took me well over a year to get accepted and another 5 months to start COT.