I have been lurking around this forums for a few weeks right now trying to gather up information about becoming a military nurse. This is something I've wanted to do for awhile now, but I have been unsure on how to go about it, so I just have a few questions that I would like clarified.
1. Nursing corps: For everything I've been reading, it seems like I need to be in my junior year of the program to even consider beginning the application for this? I apply for the nursing program in the fall, and I am a direct admit into the program. Could someone enlighten me on how this works for a new grad?
2. I met with a Army ROTC person at my school today and was told that the Direct commission does not exist anymore due to budget cuts, and I was thinking about graduating, and then applying but was told that it wouldn't really be a good idea.
3. Following my first question, he also told me that the nursing corps is not accepting any applicants for the next few years which basically throws my whole plan out of whack if this is true because I am not sure how I would go about joining the military and becoming a military nurse.
4. Is there anything else like the nursing corps, or another route that I could take that is similar? I tried looking up information about the Air Force, but there was little to none about their program, so if anyone could shed some light that would be great. My only issue is the fact that my schedule is so jammed packed i'm not sure if I could afford to miss a semester for basic and AIT.
If you guys have any other information to add for me that would be awesome!
A little information about me
19
3.8 GPA
Finishing up my freshman year of college
Would love to join the Navy, but have had an impossible time trying to talk to a medical recruiter.
If your in school for your BSN then don't even worry about the LPN thing. In the Army you would be a 68WM6 (LPN) and kind of stuck there. To cross over is a lot of paperwork and waiting. Not worth it in my opinion.
Hey guys! I had another question, are you guys allowed to transfer schools once you're in the program?
For example, I just received my backup school's acceptance letter, and I wanted to know if I could use that to apply, or should I just wait till I get the school's acceptance letter that I actually want to get into?
I'd like to know this answer, too! My second choice program makes admissions decisions before my first choice, but I know we have to have an acceptance letter in hand to apply.
I'd like to know this answer, too! My second choice program makes admissions decisions before my first choice, but I know we have to have an acceptance letter in hand to apply.
I'm wanting to ask my recruiter, but I feel like I've bombarded her with far too many questions already.
I also had one more question! Exactly how competitive is the NCP program? I know its competitive, but are we talking 1000 applicants for 20 spots or 300 applicants for 60? What can I do to strengthen my application? I've volunteered for 4 years, I'm in the honors college, and I'm the president of two clubs.
That certainly sounds like a great start! These are some things that would make you stand out as Naval Officer material:
-Volunteering for the American Red Cross or for the VA Hospital
-Working with people with PTSD
-And finally nursing experience-plan on applying for that job in case you get 'wait listed' or in case you need to wait a year to apply again-Always always be building that resume
I really do not know about transferring schools. I think that if you are accepted into the NCP, they probably won't want you switching programs since that could potentially compromise a timely graduation. However, they MIGHT let you apply with one school's acceptance letter and then add your top school's acceptance letter to the packet later on. How much longer should the wait for your top school be? The NCP application takes a looong time to complete, so I'm thinking that you should hear back from your top school (either yay or nay) before your application is submitted to the board. I had already been in my program for a year before applying (my program is 6 semesters / 3 years long), so I don't have any personal experience with transferring while in the NCP.
The NCP is very competitive. I don't know how many people applied nationwide. When I asked my recruiter about it, he said that the board doesn't release the total number of applicants until later in the year. I do know that only 3 nursing students were accepted from my entire state out of about 27 applicants. It is competitive, but if you get in it will all be worthwhile.
If you are worried about the competitiveness of the NCP, I would recommend getting involved in ROTC while you're working on your NCP packet. While ROTC is a TON of work and is not for everyone, it is less competitive than the NCP. When I was still in ROTC, the brigade nurse estimated that, nationwide, 65-75% of the ROTC nursing students in my graduating class would receive active duty orders (the rest get reserves). Compared to the NCP, that's a really good admission rate. The GPA requirement for ROTC is also less competitive.
It seems like you're doing everything you can to make your application as competitive as possible. Sw88tpea also has good ideas about volunteer and work experience. Having a military background (family or people who can write reference letters) will also help. You'll want to keep your GPA up as high as possible as well.
I would do NROTC but the thing is, it is only offered at two colleges in my state. As for ROTC, I talked to one of the recruiters and he told me that the Army NCP program is closed, and they don't do the direct commission anymore so ROTC would be a waste of my time. (I don't know how true this is, but I don't have another person to speak too about ROTC at my school except for him.)
I've heard that the Army NCP has closed too, and I left my school's ROTC program last March, so I'm sure that the person you spoke with at your school knows more about the program's current needs than I do. I do think that the Navy NCP is a great route to join the military as a nurse (of course, I'm very inexperienced and very biased! - although the Air Force also has a new grad program that seems good; it might be just as competitive as the NCP, I really don't know much about it). I was just thinking ROTC could be a back up plan, but it seems like it isn't a viable option for you right now. :/ So I guess the only thing I can do is wish you lots of luck on your NCP application! :)
When I was in my school's Army ROTC program last year (August 2011 - March 2012) some students were getting placed in the reserves. Most of the students I know who joined the reserves had hoped to get active duty and were pretty disappointed. Others joined ROTC with the specific intent of joining the reserves or national guard. When I was still in ROTC, my brigade nurse even described a scholarship for nursing students that required them to take reserve duty instead of active upon graduation. It's possible that they stopped handing out reserve commissions at one point and then reintroduced them later. I really have no idea beyond my limited personal experiences.
Wow - thanks for the information. I was really curious. I wonder why they brought that back? My guess is money.
I also wonder if at Captain they can 'convert' their commission, like they used to be able to (I looked at ROTC in 1991 and still regret not doing it - I'd be a Lt Col by now, if not a full bird), if there are enough slots. I remember the whole Reserve commission thing disappearing in about 1993 (when I gave ROTC a second look, and again said no - DUMB!). Must be a cash thing.
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ncox1
69 Posts
If your in school for your BSN then don't even worry about the LPN thing. In the Army you would be a 68WM6 (LPN) and kind of stuck there. To cross over is a lot of paperwork and waiting. Not worth it in my opinion.