How to become a Navy Nurse

[Sharamary]

Hello all. I am interested in becoming a Navy nurse for a variety of reasons and would like some input on how to go about this. I have spoken to a few different medical recruiters but still am very confused. So here is my story.

I hold a Bachelors degree in Human Development and Family Studies (kind of irrelevant). But I am currently in an accelerated BSN program which will finish in August.

My questions:

Can I start applying now to be a Navy nurse for when I finish (in 6 months) or would I have to wait a year to get experience and then apply (this is what one recruiter told me. She also told me I didn't qualify for the navy nurse candidate program because I will be graduating earlier than their deadline??)

I would like to join the Navy as a nurse because of the different experiences that are possible and to hopefully push my limits. I also am very interested in loan repayment because having 2 degrees did add up and only one of them will have any return.

So does anyone know how it works to join as nurse, if I need experience or can I join if i get all the paperwork done before graduation. And how does loan repayment work?

Thank you for any responses!

[tnbutterfly - Mary, BSN]

Hello and welcome to allnurses.

Your thread has been moved to the Government / Military Nursing forum for more response from some of the military nurses. Browse through some of the other threads in this forum for helpful information.

Good luck!

[jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA]

It takes a good 6 months to apply for any branch of the military, and the boards that decide who gets in meet months before you would join. The entire process from start to finish is nearly a year. Sorry, but you missed the boat. You should have applied this past fall to start this summer. You'll have to apply for a civilian job and start applying after 3-6 months in your 1st job. I recommend OR, ER, or ICU to increase your chances.

The Air Force offers retroactive loan repayment of $40,000 minus taxes (so you would get $26,000 paid back when all is said an done). I have no idea what the other branches offer, but your recruiter would know. You basically apply, get selected, sign an agreement, and mail your loan statements to the military; your loans get paid per the agreement.