Army vs Navy Nursing (please help!)

jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA · Mar 9, 2016

ROTC does guarantee you a commission, even if you might not get a scholarship. However, it's possible that a small minority of people won't get active duty. New grad direct commission programs (like NCP or NTP for the AF) are very competitive too.

I don't know how the Army does things, but AF non-scholarship ROTC nursing students are eligible for $40K in retroactive loan repayment upon graduation through the active duty health professions loan repayment program (ADHPLRP).

elisabethm · Mar 13, 2016

Hi Dani182,

I actually did the same thing you're doing now. I was originally in Army ROTC but wanted more time to focus on nursing, so I switched to the Navy Nurse Candidate Program. I am now serving active duty at a large joint facility (Army & Navy nurses working side by side), and I am so happy with my choice.

To answer your first question, the NCP is for while you are still in school. If you wait until you have graduated to apply, you will have to direct commission, which means you will be competing against nurses who have years of experience. If/when you are accepted into the NCP, the Navy will give you a $1,000/month stipend for living expenses while you are in school and a sign on bonus (when I joined, it was $10K, about $7.5K after taxes). There are no military classes or trainings that you have to go to during this time; the Navy is simply paying you to study your tail off and become the best nurse you can be. After you graduate, you go to Officer Development School in Newport, RI. This is a five week training program that teaches you the basics of being in the military. From there, you will go to your first duty station, which will be one of the big 3 hospitals (Portsmouth, Walter Reed/Bethesda, or San Diego).

You're already working on your first step, which is to contact a healthcare recruiter. Sit down and talk to that recruiter before you quit ROTC. While ROTC is a significantly higher workload than the NCP, the NCP is more selective academically. When I was in ROTC, I had the highest GPA out of all the nursing student cadets at my school...when I went to the Navy recruiter, he initially turned me away saying my GPA wasn't high enough. (At the time, I was in the middle of a rough semester and thought that I might end up with a B.) You will need a very high GPA to get in; your healthcare recruiter should be able to tell you how competitive you are based on the Navy's current needs.

As you know, the military is very competitive right now. If you are serious about becoming a part of the nurse corps, keep your options open. I would recommend speaking with an Air Force recruiter as well. They have their own version of ROTC and a second program called the Nurse Transition Program that seems very similar to the Navy's NCP.

Best of luck to you!

elisabethm · Mar 13, 2016

I just noticed your comments about the scholarships. With today's military, I would say it is unrealistic to expect a scholarship through any branch. ROTC is the only program I know of that will straight-up pay your tuition, and, as you have already discovered, those scholarships are hard to come by.

Even with the NCP, I had to take out some loans. (I don't know any new nurses like myself in either the Navy or the Army who are having their loans repaid by the military. I don't know about Air Force nurses because they don't come here as their first duty station.) So pick an affordable public university with a good reputation and apply for all of the non-military help you can get.

Note: the Military Officers Association of America has a great scholarship program. Apply there. Even if you don't meet their eligibility criteria for a grant, they may give you an interest-free loan for up to $5,000 (every bit helps!)

Scrubstocamo · Mar 14, 2016

I really appreciate all the information! I'm meeting with a Navy recruiter today I asked if I could speak with a medical recruiter but he said I have to have an interview with him first. I wanted to do as much research as possible before meeting with him. I also wanted insight from someone who has already went through the NCP. What did you do to keep up with working out while you were in Nursing program? ROTC was very helpful in that you were getting a good workout everyday. I'll have to push myself to do workouts on my own. Thank you again for all the info!

elisabethm · Apr 5, 2016

I'm not gonna lie, I was so unmotivated with working out when I was in school. I really didn't exercise enough. I only made sure I was able to pass the PT test right before going to ODS. When you apply to NCP, they dont do the whole test with push ups, sit ups, & running. It's just a medical clearance.

Since going active duty, I have made fitness a much bigger part of my life. I love running outside. Definitely invest in a good pair of shoes. I've found that signing up for races is good motivation too. In the last year, I've done a few half marathons and one full - more than I ever did before joining the Navy. I also invested in a bosu ball from amazon. It's a fun work out that's easy to do on days I can't get to the gym or when it's too cold to run outside. Once you're active duty, you will likely have a free (albeit small) gym on base. While you're still in school, a lot of universities have really nice fitness centers with pretty reasonable fees. Try as much as possible to make working out a social thing. I usually exercise alone out of convenience, but it is so much more fum with a friend. Once you're active duty, it's easier to fimd work out buddies because everyone is motivated to stay in shape. It's a lot different from the civilian hospital culture, where a lot of nurses don't take care of themselves at all.

elisabethm · Apr 5, 2016

Thinking about it, I don't think I did a real PT test that actually counted until I got to my command. You do a couple at ODS, but I think they were just for practice. (This was almost two years ago though, so i could be rememberimg incorrectly.)

Even so, good on you for staying motivated with your fitness. Keep it up!