Navy Nurse Candidate Program

Published Jul 18, 2016

16 Posts

I have been determined to apply for the NCP scholarship in San Diego since the beginning of freshman year, and now that I am about to become a sophomore, I am well aware that the application process should be completed prior to the end of sophomore year. I have already finished a majority of my application, such as the essay, the forms, all I really need at this point are my letters of rec, a medical exam, and the interview. I've already met with my recruiter, as well as a few navy nurse mentors, but it doesn't hurt to ask for more information. I do have a few questions before this year starts, just so I can get a good idea of what could really help boost my chances of getting selected for scholarship.

What is considered a competitive GPA for an applicant? At the moment, I have a 3.22 GPA, not including my summer classes that I have received all A's in. I'm well aware my GPA isn't very competitive at the moment, suggesting it is too close to a 3.0.

What ECs are they looking for and what else can I do? I currently attend Point Loma Nazarene University, despite their thorough nursing program, there isn't very much to do at the school itself. The clubs aren't very compatible with my schedule, as well as working a part time. I do however, work as a volunteer/intern at the Naval Medical Center of San Diego at the NICU, Surgical Ward, Hematology/Oncology Ward, Internal Medicine Ward, and occasionally the front desk. Lately I've been doing work similar to a corpsman, minus the making orders because I do not have a CAC card. Is there any other military medical programs I could possibly look into?

Do they base the scholarship heavily on financial need? At the moment I am struggling to figure out what in particular I can say concerning financial need, and how I manage my finances BECAUSE, I am currently on GI bill/Yellow Ribbon, and a few outside scholarships. Should I talk about how I can possibly manage my finances responsibly in the future?

Is the interview really considered the "most important"? I've heard the interview is what can really wow the recruiters. What questions should I be preparing for?

What nurse specialty are they really looking for most? I know I should base my nursing speciality off of my talents and compassion, but at the moment my only real compassion is to be a navy nurse and to do whatever it is they give me. I'm not scared of deploying, I've actually been waiting to do so since I was three and the Mercy always wow-ed me.

PFT? Is this part of the selection process? Or does this only happen post graduation at ODS?

LASTLY, what other options can I apply for prior to graduation to become a navy nurse, honestly money isn't really my motivator here. Actually it really isn't at all, I just want to be a navy nurse and it's been pulling at my heart strings since the beginning of my pre-nursing program.

Any kind of information helps, thank you very much.