Navy Hospital Corpsman to RN ???

FarawaySoClose, BSN, DNP, RN · Jan 15, 2011

The Navy has a program for just that called Medical Enlisted Commissioning Program that allows active duty medical corpsman to pursue their BSN and, upon earning their BSN, become an officer. You get full pay and benefits while you go to school plus you can use your G.I. Bill to help pay for your education. I'm an Ensign and direct commission so I don't know what it's like in this program or how competitive it is; this is pretty much the extent of my knowledge of the program but you may want to speak with a recruiter about it. Good luck :)

just_cause, BSN, RN · Jan 16, 2011

looks into the inter service PA program... called IPAP. This is a great route after corpsmen... google it - you might just thank me!

johanna767 · Jan 21, 2011

I am a current Navy Nurse and work with many nurses who did go through Medical Enlisted Commissioning Program (MCEP). they are good Nurses and did have a one-up on me as far as understanding how the military works. There are a few things you should consider:

If you join the Navy now as an enlisted member there is NO guarantee that you will be trained as a Corpsmen - even if the recruiter guarantees it - if it's not in writing it is not guaranteed. Right now corpsmen are well staffed and they have a difficult time getting promoted. Also, as an enlisted member you will be paid less but after a year you will be eligible for TA (tuition assistance) which you can use to start working toward your nursing degree (assuming your duty assignment allows you time). To be accepted into MECP you have to show that you have 3 or less years left to obtain your nursing degree so you have to have had taken at least a years worth of courses. It is competitive and there is no assurance you will get accepted - you have to be motivated and willing to get some of those 1st year college courses completed while still working a full schedule. You will make your enlisted pay while you are in school - so that is nice.

A second option is to get out after your commitment as an enlisted member and use your GI bill to get your degree. While this will help you financially you won't get any time in service toward your retirement - probably not the best choice.

If you can afford college now - I would recommend going for it and coming into the military directly as a Commissioned Officer. The pay is significantly better. There are a few options. You can join the Nurse Candidate Program, NCP, they will pay you a monthly stipend (last I checked it was 1000$ a month for the last 2 years of college with an additional bonus of 10,000$ - but check the Navy website as those numbers can change yearly). you will not get extra money to pay off college loans through this route. You could go to a school with an ROTC program - I am not sure how they pay for this one. Or you could also wait until you graduate and join as a direct accession. This last option will likely give you the biggest sign on bonus and you can negotiate to have some of your student loans paid off...

Hope this helps.

vrfdd123 · Jan 26, 2011

Thank you guys so much for getting back to me with all that information!

Johanna767- what route did you go for nursing?? Also, how has your experience been?? Hope you don't mind me asking.. Just haven't really had the opportunity to speak with many nurses directly and would love to get all the information that I can. Because I already have a bachelors, I cannot do ROTC.. So at this point it's looking like the nurse candidate program will be my best bet.. I hear its very competitive though..I currently have a 3.0 GPA... But am taking 2 prereq classes right now that will hopefully boost it up a bit. Anyways, Thank you again for writing back!!

johanna767 · Jan 27, 2011

I came in through the NCP. I have had a great experience. I think some things anyone coming into the military should remember include - the needs of the Navy will come before your wants/needs. That doesn't mean you will never get what you want, just know there is a bigger picture. A good example of this is that the Navy places new nurses in med-surg units or post partum (yes guys work post partum) for their first 12-18 months. This is to allow you time to grow and learn as a nurse and new officer and because these are high need areas. This can require some patience if you are like me and wanted to jump right into critical care - or some other specialized area. I have found if you work hard and make the best of a situation - doors will open.

Also, I have met a few people who joined the Navy and were surprised when they had to deploy... This is the military - be prepared for the call. Know that Navy is not just on ships floating about. Navy nurses can be deployed with the Marine Corps, the Army, aboard ships, humanitarian missions -remember the needs of the Navy,they can send you where they need to with very little notice. I was told I would be going to Haiti 30 hours before I was to leave... then 1 hour before I was to leave they decided not to send me as they were going to need me for a mission to Afghanistan. The Marines have a saying "Semper Gumby".

In less than 4 years in - I have made some life long friendships. I have also been able to see and do things I never would have been able to do in the civilian world. There may be days when the red tape and politics make you want to scream... I can't lie about that. But I love what I do.

I wouldn't overly stress on your GPA... are you within weight standards, can you pass a PRT, is your record clean so you can get your security clearance, is your health good so you can pass the medical screening?? These are the things that can really put a stop to your application.

vrfdd123 · Jan 27, 2011

I am definitely prepared for all that comes with the job... I have been looking into this for a few years now.. weighing out every option and now, I am more excited than anything to get the ball rolling. May sound corny... but I want to be a part of something bigger.. I want to travel and put myself to use in places other than "home."

I am pretty confident when it comes to the physical fitness aspect... studied exercise and sport science and played sports in college, so working out is definitely part of my everyday routine. I am healthy and have a clean record so that is definitely a plus. How long does the process take? I am currently applying to all of my nursing programs now.. most are about 12-15 months long. Have you been deployed? What was officer development school like?

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond!

HM2Doc · Mar 15, 2011

Thank you guys so much for getting back to me with all that information!
Johanna767- what route did you go for nursing?? Also, how has your experience been?? Hope you don't mind me asking.. Just haven't really had the opportunity to speak with many nurses directly and would love to get all the information that I can. Because I already have a bachelors, I cannot do ROTC.. So at this point it's looking like the nurse candidate program will be my best bet.. I hear its very competitive though..I currently have a 3.0 GPA... But am taking 2 prereq classes right now that will hopefully boost it up a bit. Anyways, Thank you again for writing back!!

I was formely a Hospital Corpsman for a little over 7 years. I decide to get out in late 2009 and started classes spring of 2010. Here it is spring of 2011 and i will be getting my AA at the end of this semster and have applied to a couple of nursing schools. Hopefully i will find out tomorrow morning, via mail, if i got accepted or not.

As for you, it would probably be best to just go to school and skip being a corpsman. You would have to go through boot camp, Corps school, and then (i believe) a year at your first command before you can start taking classes. This could potentially add up to 1.5 to 2 years before you could even start courses work. Plus, you will start off in a lower paygrade and you rarely hear of anyone below E-4 getting selected for MECP (no leadership experience). Once you have a majority of you classes done you can apply for the MECP program. The MECP program is extremely competitive and there are a lot of things you need in order to get accepted into it (interviews, great Evals, leadership potential, high GPA, etc.). It's not easy, and in my opinion it is very political. Also, you said you had a 3.0GPA...i hate to sound negative, but that is not a competitive score for a BSN program or MECP. For example, the school at which i applied is nice but it is not one of the top schools in the state and the average GPA JUST TO GET AN INTERVIEW was 3.77 and most of us scored in the 99th percentile on the entrance exam (TEAS V). I would highly recommend taking some of your classes over or finding other ways to improve your GPA, and make sure you try and get an "A" in all of your prereqs. Also, i believe the nurse candidate program requires that you do not drop below a 3.0GPA at any point during the program, or i think they let you go. Some schools may accept applicants that have lower GPA's, but just make sure they are reputable and accredited because i believe the Navy requires that the school be accredited bycertain nursing councils. In the event that you get accepted into the program and drop out, get disenrolled, or do not meet their requirements, then you have to pay back the money they gave you. I know this sounds like bad news, but it is what it is. If you have any other questions let me know.

PMFB-RN, RN · Mar 16, 2011

You can go from corpsman to RN in 9 months. I did. In California corpsmen are allowed to challenge the LVN boards. A buddy and I did exactly that. Then I moved to Wisconsin and did one of Wisconsin's 16 Technical College's LPN to RN. I CLEP'ed all the other classes i needed like English, psychology, etc. Only had to do the last two semesters of the ADN program.

Then I went to work at a large trauma center / teaching hospital who paid for my BSN while I was getting high quality ICU experience.

My buddy and I did it, you can too. He is now the ER nurse manager and I am the Rapid Responce nurse.

hamburglar · Mar 17, 2011

Hi everyone!
So my last post I had asked some questions about joining the Navy as a Nurse. However, I have recently come across the Hospital Corpsman position and I was wondering if there was anyone out there that may have STARTED out as a corpsman and then later went on to get their BSN?? Is it possible? What is the process like? Pros and Cons of joining as corpsman and then becoming an RN? Any information would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks so much :)

Go after what you want. It is possible, I have fellow RNs that were Hospital Corpsman. Pros are they have a better handle on the information in nursing school. A lot of the curriculum taught at Corps School is basic Nursing 101 and anatomy and physiology. Cons that I see are just the time frame associated with the transition. But best of luck

FF2RN · Jun 5, 2011

Is Medical Enlisted Commissioning Program open to medical personnel in the Reserves to be a BSN RN in the Reserves?

Thanks.

jrod1415 · Jun 22, 2011

I have a question, i'm fresh out of high school and currently in the process of joining the navy and i'm thinking of going for hospital corpsman, but i'm not sure whats better should i go to college first or join the navy first. i was thinking i could go into the navy first and go for H.M. and then when i get out of the navy i could use the G.I. bill to go to college and study for physician assistant but i need advice on what to do im so confused i dnt want to make a decision ill regret can someone plz give some advice. Also i know H.M. can get deployed with the marines but is that somthing i can choose becouse i would love to be assigned to a marine unit.