I have some ?s on ROTC/Nursing

Editorial Team / Moderator · Jul 21, 2014

Hi, I'm looking into joining ROTC and becoming a nurse in the army through that, but I have some questions.
1) If I go through the ROTC program, but don't accept any scholarship money, do I still have an obligation to the army?
2) After going through the ROTC program, where would I work? In VA hospitals or in combat zones? Is there a choice between active duty and the reserves?
3) Is there any real danger as an army nurse?

1). I'm not sure you can go through ROTC and not incur an obligation. There is more than scholarship money involved - there is a stipend and other benefits. ROTC is a big commitment, as is the military. You go all in or not at all.

2). Right now a diminishing number of ROTC nurse graduates are offered active duty positions due to the drawdown and cutbacks in force, but as a new nurse on active duty, your first duty station would likely be a MEDCEN (medical center), a larger Army (or joint forces) hospital. VA employees work for the VA, and combat zones only come into play when you're deployed. As deployments are decreasing, you'd be competing with higher ranking nurses for those slots - not likely you'd deploy as a 2LT or even as a 1LT.

If you aren't offered active duty you'll be in the Reserves, drilling with a unit. You'd have to find civilian employment as an RN.

3). Yes, there is danger. Google CPT Jenny Moreno as an example. The mission in which she participated was probably atypical for nurses, but she was one of us. I recently spent 9 months in Afghanistan in an austere location and can tell you firsthand that yes, there is real danger.

Don't Tread On Me · Jul 21, 2014

To add on to Pixie's comment, when I was in Army ROTC my freshman year of college, the admissions officer told me that even if I don't get picked up for a scholarship but I stay in the program, I do still have to serve after graduating.

NicuGal, MSN, RN · Jul 21, 2014

Yes, you will have at the minimum a four year commitment. They pay your tuition, room and board for 4 years, nothing is for free.

incurrents · Jul 22, 2014

I didn't apply for ROTC when I applied for the college I'm going to in the fall and recently called the head of ROTC to ask about joining, so I don't think I'm getting tuition+room+board+stipend paid for... What would happened if say after a year or a year and half, I changed my mind and decided that I didn't want to go into the military or didn't want to be a nurse anymore? Could I drop out of ROTC?

Also I read on a few of the threads here that the amount of nurses the military is taking is declining. Is that true? And does that mean that after 4 years of college for nursing and 4 years of ROTC that because of my obligation to the military, I could end up in the army as something other than a nurse?

I also saw on a couple of threads that in the army, you're a soldier first and a nurse second. Is that true? In the sense that you'd be in active combat more than doing nursing duties?

One last question, is it possible to pick to be in the reserves over active duty as a nurse?

Sorry for all the questions, I just really want to make an informed decision.

Dranger · Jul 22, 2014

1. Yes you have an obligation even without a scholarship, for active duty its 3 years and 4 with a scholarship.

2. The Army Nurse Corps is full when I joined ROTC in 2007/2008 anybody could get a full ride for nursing pretty much, now not so much....

3. You have a grace period of a year while on scholarship or contracted but after that you owe money or an obligation.

4. It used to be you couldn't choose reserves as an ROTC nurse but with cuts that might be a possibility. I chose reserves but got an exception because of grad school and it had to be approved by a high ranking commander.

5. Of course you are a soldier first but 95% of military nursing jobs are just usual nursing tasks and not anything combat related

6. Unless you fail the NCLEX x2 as an ROTC grad you WILL be a nurse in the military. I know of 1-2 who failed twice and had to be branched something else. Traditionally it was medical service but I have heard of transportation, logistics etc as placed branches. Lets just say you will be put into a leftover pool of jobs which isn't good. Either way you don't want to get to that point.

Editorial Team / Moderator · Jul 22, 2014

4. It used to be you couldn't choose reserves as an ROTC nurse but with cuts that might be a possibility. I chose reserves but got an exception because of grad school and it had to be approved by a high ranking commander.

I read a very recent ROTC update because I have a cadet here with me for some clinical time, and regarding the Reserves it said "Option to request Reserves: Will be dependent on meeting Nurse Mission. Request through Brigade Nurse Counselor (BNC) and fill out DA 4187. Must find unit willing to accept you as a nurse. Cadre at school may assist with locating a unit."

The briefing also mentioned that being guaranteed active duty via ROTC is a myth, but it has been easier in the past due to wartime needs.

For the OP, the idea of "soldier first" is also that we must meet the same requirements as all soldiers in terms of height/weight, physical fitness, and deployability/readiness (weapons qualifications, health, etc.). Those things aren't supposed to slip just because we're not in a combat-type job.

ajb50402 · Jul 25, 2014

Incurrents, feel free to contact me offline or message me. I would be happy to answer all questions you have about the ROTC route, and life as an army nurse.

I went through the 4 year army rotc program and am now an active duty army nurse. I can give you every detail you need.

Sorry but there is so much info that I could put on here that it could be made into a book!

Looking forward to hearing from you.

V/R,

2LT Blair, US Army

TiffanyCA · Dec 13, 2014

Hi Blair,

Im also considering getting an undergraduate Nursing degree by joining Army ROTC. I have a few questions about joining Army Nurse Corps.. is that okay to have your email to contact with you further? (i am new here and dont know how to send a private msg for you sorry abt it.)

ajb50402 · Dec 16, 2014

CPT Moreno was part of a Cultural Support Team, an highly specialized team that females could compete for through a selection process. These candidates attended special operations training and medical cross training. These teams have shut down but new ones are opening up.