Navy Nursing Candidate Program (NCP)

[jaeda_bewi]

Hello Everyone,

I am currently in the NCP and I have already graduated with my BSN and passed NCLEX. They told me for sure that my ODS date would be in a month and that I would be commissioning soon but NO ONE can tell me exactly when I will start getting paid money again. I've read in some places that it occurs after I commission and other places have said it will not start until I go to ODS. I am hurting for money since I graduated from college and only living off one income with my husband since the Navy took away my stipend hasn't been easy. I just want to know if anyone who's been through the program already, knows when I will start getting paid again? Unfortunately, no one wants to hire someone who will only be with their company for a month or less. Thank you in advance.

- Jaeda

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

I can only speak for the Army, but it's probably not too different — I didn't get paid until I was about a month in to my officer training. I commissioned in December but didn't actually get orders and report until March, and got paid in April. One thing you might want to try is to contact USAA Federal Savings Bank and talk to them about their career starter loan for new commissions — it's a VERY low interest loan, or it was back in early 2011; I think it was around 2.9%, max amount was $25,000. A lot of my peers at officer basic used it to buy their first cars. Some of them used it for expenses/bills for that gap when we weren't getting paid, then just paid back whatever they didn't use and then paid it off when we did start getting paid.