What's the best way to join the Navy nursing program????

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I am 30 year old married, mother of three. I have been working as a CNA for a year now, and would like to go to school to get into ob/gyn nursing. I am thinking of the Navy because the retirement benefits are great, housing/healthcare is good, and I'd have a career path. Also, I live near Great Lakes and would like to one day be stationed there one day. But I have some questions as to the route to take.

#1- Do I have to get my BSN first (I haven't attended college before) or get a 2 year Rn license or is there another option?

#2- If I have to wait until I graduate at 35, would that be too late to join as an officer?

#3- Is there any option now for me so I can get help with costs? Tuition is expensive and having three kids is kind of impossible to pay for college (I was denied fafsa because of my credit)?

Thank you for all your help. I have called recruiters, but have not heard anything back yet, and the information they sent me in the mail is going enlisted which I don't want to do.

:confused::icon_roll

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#1 yes, bsn will be needed.

#2 no 35 will be fine

#3 yes there are several current options.. check out the navy loan repayment and the navy nurse candidate program.

At this time you need to enter a BSN program and just do well - you can start the nurse candidate program for your junior and senior years of BSN program... so get in, do well and stay abreast of incentives and service requirements.

v/r

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Do I have to be in my junior year to use the Navy loan program or can I apply now for the loan to start using right away. I did not get the answers I was looking for on their website. Thank you very much!

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loan repayment does not occur until after you are in the navy - so it cannot be used while in school.

I know in the army you get your fist installment at the end of your first year in service... the loan only applies to your principal loan and is taxed at about 28%

So if you took out a total of 50k - you pay all applicable interest... loan repayment occurs (lets say after year 1 in navy) and it would be a loan of 50k minus 28% so roughly 36k. The lump sum is also taxed at that rate...

Have you looked into the navy nurse candidate program?

v/r

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Specializes in Neuro, Surgical, Trauma and ICU..

what about reserves have you thought about that?

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I have thought about the Reserves, but I was under the impression that I still have to have my BSN to join. Is there a way to start going to school and get some help with paying for it now without having to go enlisted? If I can go the Reserves route this way- I'd do it in a heartbeat. I just don't have the money right now to start school. But I can't get into the Nursing Candidate program without finishing my freshman and sophmore year. Any info would be great. Like I said before, the information the Navy sent me had nothing to do with the Officer program, only enlisted, and nothing whatsoever to do with nursing.

Thanks for any and help possible. :smilecoffeecup:

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nkslat,

first opportunity would be the candidate program at start of junior year - otherwise, as far as the navy reserves goes, you would have to enlist.

Is it possible to budget and take out loans in order to wait?

That is what I would do - if nursing in navy was your goal.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Geriatrics.

The army reserves will commision you as a 2nd Lt. with your ASN. They have some pretty good loan repayment options too. You may want to look into it.

Dave

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Specializes in ER/Tele, Med-Surg, Faculty, Urgent Care.
loan repayment does not occur until after you are in the navy - so it cannot be used while in school.

I have had 3 students go through the Nurse Candidate Program and they were funded while in school starting in the junior year. They can be funded for up to 24 months so you need to apply early. They were given an enlisted rank.

One got $5,000 up front, then the monthly stipend of $1,000 per month. They are strict with the requirements as far as GPA, physical fitness requirements etc. You are given an enlisted rank and there are many requirements. The individual I am speaking of just reported to Camp Lejeune.

You need to contact a healthcare recruiter that deals with nurses. Do not deal with the recruiter for enlisted personnel as they do not know about nurses/nurse candidate program.

NURSING STUDENTS

GET HELP THROUGH NURSING SCHOOL

Financing your education is no easy task. Tuition. Books and supplies. Living expenses. But there is an easier way.

Navy Nurse Candidate Program — Receive up to $34,000 for nursing school, including:

An initial grant of $10,000

Plus a stipend of $1,000 per month for up to 24 months

Offers have many variables.

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Thank you all so much. I am looking for a new job with a company that has at least tuition reimbursement. But it may take three years instead of two to get my ASN. Will the Navy accept that (me going part time) or do they want me to be full time? Does anyone know what the minimum GPA is for the NCS?

Thanks- Merry Christmas?

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Specializes in Med Surg, Geriatrics.

The GPA for the NCP is a 3.0 and you have to be a full time student in your junior year. You have to be accepted into a program for nursing and then you have a time frame to finish your degree. Your money is also taxed at 28%.

You reciev $5K upfront, then another $5K in 6 mos. You will not commision until you have passed

the NCLEX. The army has a much better incentive program check it out.The USPHS United States

Public Health Service. (25K sign on plus loan repayment) Plus you will be an 0-2 going in that is

equivalent to a second Lt.

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I really hadn't looked at the Army programs (my dad and brother were both Marines, so I was planning on Navy if anything), but if you have a lot of school loan debt they may be the way to go. Up to $114,000 they claim- seems like a lot to me, compared to the Navy maxing out at $34,000 (plus a $20,000 sign on bonus, maybe?)- but if accurate, wow... Of course, it sounds like the loan repayment is taxed as income which could be problematic; the most it could pay off is around 3/4 of your loans. Still substantial, but not as great as it would seem. I also would like to know exactly what constitutes "qualified loans", presumably that is anything taken out through the school, not other debt such as credit card debt etc. My concern would be that they would only pay off debt directly for school, i.e. tuition, books, fees etc., and not debt that was gained while in school but not directly for school (i.e., room and board). Always read the fine print...

If you want to stay in the Great Lakes area, you may be better off in a service other than the Navy. To the best of my knowledge, there are no major Navy facilities on any of the Great Lakes- most of our security is handled by the Coast Guard, which doesn't have the same infrastructure demands of the Navy. Army or Air Force are more likely to keep you in this vicinity (Upper Midwest); other things I have read on this forum seem to indicate Navy service will begin in Portsmouth (Virginia), Bethedsa (Maryland), or some west coast hospital whose name escapes me at the moment.

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