Navy Nurse Candidate program

runyourheartout · May 9, 2016

If you have any questions, I can answer them. I also applied to the program and know someone who currently has it.

marriettj · May 10, 2016

Thanks for the offer and I may take you up on that. It's just harder to do that in this manner - was hoping to be able to find someone for more of a face to face talk.

chely21 · Jul 2, 2016

Hello Marriettj,

I'm also applying to the Navy Nurse Candidate program here at Minneapolis/ St Paul area. What exactly are your concerns regarding the program?

marriettj · Jul 6, 2016

I just want to be sure she has all the information she needs so she knows exactly what she is signing up for - assuming she is accepted. It's a big commitment and of course as a mother the deployment part is very scary.

romv3896 · Jul 8, 2016

I am currently in the program. The application process is pretty lengthy, so be prepared for that. Make sure you talk to a medical recruiter, they will know the process in detail. Some of the things your daughter will need to complete ... background checks, MEPS (to make sure that everything is okay medically speaking), multiple interviews, a bunch of paperwork to complete the packet ... That is what I remember off the top of my head. New graduates are sent to Officer Development School in RI for 5 weeks after successful passing of the NCLEX. Thereafter, she will report to her first duty station within a certain timeframe. She will be able to pick her top three choices of duty stations, but you never really know if you're actually going to get those.

I am not in the area where you are located, but hopefully this somewhat gave you an overview of the main concepts. Depending on when she signs up and if she is accepted into the NCP program, she'll have a contract for 4-5 years, which can thereafter be renewed again.

I wish your daughter the best of luck in her future endeavors! If you have any more questions, I'd be happy to answer them to the best of my abilities!

jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA · Jul 8, 2016

If you're asking if they are going to put an M4 in her hands and send her on convoy duty in Iraq, the answer is of course not. If her contract says nurse, then she'll be a nurse. That generally means working in a brick and mortal hospital in the U.S., but you happen to be taking care of military patients and their families. There are extra hours (maybe 48 ish on a typical week) and additional duties that you don't get paid extra for (you're salaried), but it's largely the same as civilian nursing. You also lose flexibility regarding where you live.

Deployments are always a possibility, and there is a risk of bodily harm to her if she working in hospital or clinic in a combat zone. Nurses do carry weapons at times depending on their location and role. However, she will not be a primary combatant.