2011 Air Force Nurse Enlisted Commissioning Program (NECP) Applicants

kynchanted · Sep 26, 2011

Hi loveMI! I have some answers to some of your questions. First, UMSL is no longer a compatible school for NECP (they just changed their BSN program to 2.5 years, and NECP's cutoff is two years). As for online classes, NECP will accept online classes, the key is finding a school that will accept them (all have to be with labs if they are science classes). As for the NECP prereqs, I only took sociology (is that a NECP prereq? I can't remember) and stat online, but they accepted both (as did the schools that I applied to). I took a lot of social sciences and humanities classes online and they were all accepted as well. Hope this helps some. You might want to check out our facebook site to get some more input; I don't think many people check this site anymore since we moved. Search for USAF NECP. There are lots of hopefuls as well as people who are in NECP now and have already completed it. Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any other questions! :)

eagles01 · Sep 30, 2011

Hey guys, I've been looking at this program for a couple years now but just got stationed stateside near schools that actually offer the classes needed. Anyone recently gone through the program, if so how is it? Married? If so is it stressful trying to go to school and be married at the same time? After graduation of college/nursing school do you come back in as a 2Lt. and get paid as a 2Lt. or 01E?

kynchanted · Oct 26, 2011

Hi eagles01! I am going through the program right now (first semester of it). It is hard! There is a reason that the AF sends us and doesn't make us work while we are here; you don't have time to do anything except go to school and study. I am married as well (mil-to-mil) and it is hard because my hubby's functional manager did not let him come with me, so we are going to be apart for the two years I am in the program. If you have your spouse with you (if they aren't military or you don't have to move to go to school), I think it would be easier if they support you and realize that you really have to devote most of your life to school. I really wish hubby was here to help me with little things like taking the dog out to go to the bathroom or just doing the grocery shopping. So is it stressful being married and going through the program? Yes if spouse isn't with you, but it could be as well if they are with you but not supportive. That is just my experience with it (not having my spouse here). And once you graduate, you will be an 0-1E, so you will be on a higher pay scale than an 0-1. Hope that helps some! :)

Husker_Student_Nurse · Oct 31, 2011

Hey guys, I've been looking at this program for a couple years now but just got stationed stateside near schools that actually offer the classes needed. Anyone recently gone through the program, if so how is it? Married? If so is it stressful trying to go to school and be married at the same time? After graduation of college/nursing school do you come back in as a 2Lt. and get paid as a 2Lt. or 01E?

Hey eagles01. I am currently in my 3rd of 4 semesters in NECP. It is not too bad. It is a lot of work and can really stress you out if you let it. I am married with 3 kids (one is a newborn) so I have a lot of commitments in addition to school, but am still doing really well.

My advice: Do not buy into to that BS that you have to give up your life while you are in nursing school. The ones who do are the ones that don't make it because it is just nursing, nursing, nursing, all day everyday and they get burned out quick. Also, you have to realize that nursing school is not really teaching you to be a nurse, it is teaching you to pass the NCLEX. You learn how to be a nurse once you get a job and get some experience.

So if you get in: Once you graduate, you take the NCLEX. Once you pass the NCLEX you are commissioned as a reserve officer. So, you are not being paid as a 2Lt (O1E) yet, you are still paid as an E-5. Now, once you go to COT, your pay as a 2Lt starts the day you begin.

Let me know if you have more questions.

HSN

kwolfe01 · Jan 21, 2012

Hello kynchanted my name is Korri and I have a few questions about the NECP. It looks like it's been a while since your last blog but I figured it's worth a shot to ask you, you never know if you're checking this or not. ANWAYS lol I am currently active duty and I am a Military Police trying to crosstrain into the NECP. I have no prior medical experience, with the exception of Self Aid Buddy Care and a CPR class. I am also getting my Bachleors Degree in Health Administration. So my question is is it possible to have no prior medical training and still be able to do the NECP? I really want to do this program and I know that sometimes you dont have to be an LVN (or LPN) to be an RN to recieve your baccalaureate. I need help finiding out wich schools will take me and if I am a likely canindate. Thanks in advance and I'm hoping to hear from you soon! Thanks again :)

2012RN2b · Jan 21, 2012

Korri we've all moved over to the FB page "USAF NECP". Lots of good info and folks to answer your questions. TO answer your questions I was picked up on the 2010 NECP board I was a comm troop with no medical experience as well. As a matter of fact from what I understand about 50% or more of the applicants that apply to NECP are non-medical. As far as schools decide what schools you think you might want to attend and check their websites to find out what pre-reqs you may still need. Most nursing programs are pretty competitive so you want to get/maintain your GPA as high as you can especially in the science courses.

kynchanted · Jan 21, 2012

Hi kwolfe01! :) I was a dental lab tech for 13 years before I was accepted to nursing school and NECP, so no, you don't need medical experience. The most I had was that I was a SABC and CPR instructor, and while I worked in the dental clinic, I worked in the lab, so I didn't work with patients at all. To get accepted into school, you need to have a good GPA and have the prereqs completed. Military-friendly schools are the one that I go to (Univ. of MD, Baltimore) and University of Central Florida. While they are willing to work with you being military, you still have to meet their admission requirements (for example, my school requires you to take an entrance exam called the TEAS, and you have to do well on it). The main thing is to get/keep your GPA up and get the classes done that you need to apply. That's keeping it pretty simple, so if you have more questions please don't hesitate to ask. We also have a FB page (look for USAF NECP) where you will find tons of NECP hopefuls as well as people who are either in the program or who have graduated from it. It is super helpful and is checked more often than this page so you get answers quicker. But again, don't hesitate to ask if you have more questions, and good luck when you do apply!

Forgot to add that there are many other schools besides the ones I mentioned, those are just from my experiences. :) I could tell you where to stay away from too but I won't publicly.... :I

briannamurph · Jan 18, 2013

Hi, once you've made it through the course of the NECP how will they determine where to place you. For instance would you go strait to working in a hospital ER/ICU or how could you get to work in the other departments? My ultimate goal is to be a dermatologist. I figured I could go the route of the NECP, then the PA program, and contunue studying in that specialized field so I could eventually be an MD. When I go to the clinic I see Lieutenants and Captains working in that department and would like to know how I could get there. Does anyone have any advise?

kynchanted · Jan 18, 2013

Hi briannamurph! :) When you are going into your last semester of nursing school, you will get an email from AFPC asking for your base preferences and your nursing track of choice. The choices for new grads are either medical-surgical (medsurg) or obstetrics nursing. Those are the only options I have ever seen offered and from what I hear you have to work in these areas for at least one year before you can move onto the ED/ER or other areas of nursing. Your plan sounds good, but I have also heard that the AF doesn't like people to use NECP as a stepping stone for other careers, meaning they want you to stay a nurse, so I wouldn't necessarily let others know your plan to become a dermatologist, simply because a lot of money is invested into each NECP applicant and the program is to make nurses for the AF (the same holds true for the PA program - they want to keep their PAs as PAs). Those are just a few limited opinions that I have heard on the programs and "crossing over" from one to another. Best of luck to you! :)

briannamurph · Jan 18, 2013

Kynchanted, thanks for the advise I'll certainly remember that. It would be something down the line I'd like to achieve but that's also really kool you could go into obstetrics! I think that would be really interesting. How are are you into/past the program?

kynchanted · Jan 18, 2013

Yeah OB is what I put in for...I love it (should be finding out soon if I got it and where I am going after I graduate). I am starting my final semester next week...I go to Univ of MD Baltimore (now called UM, Founding Campus) and I graduate in May. I was a 2010 and 2011 NECP select (in 2010 I was waitlisted at the schools I applied to so I had to decline my NECP seat, hence the re-application in 2011). How far are you into the application process?

briannamurph · Jan 20, 2013

Oh I just heard about the program so after I test for Staff this year I'm going to finish up my college credits and apply. I think it's a really awesome program and am so excited! Do you have any tips for making yourself more competitive? I was going to get the credits through UMUC or AMU and apply, but I don't know what other kinds of things they look for.