Nurse Enlisted Commissioning Program USAF

zx7chelle · May 13, 2010

LOOKING FOR: I am looking for lady that did her telephone "conference call" interview with me and 1 other girl for University of Arizona CON. Just wondering if you are out there, if you got in...etc.

kynchanted · May 14, 2010

Hi DMO...thanks so much for the info, hopefully my 3.7 will let me squeak by (I was already waitlisted at the other school I applied to so it's basically USF or nothing)! As for your situation, I really wouldn't worry about getting in to NECP. From what I have been told (my friend was accepted to NECP about 2 years back and she told me this, others around her in COT said the same thing) as long as you have all of the requirements met and your package is complete AND you got into a nursing school you will most likely get in. They have seats that go unfilled every year because people don't pay attention to the requirements so they are missing something. I think that is why Mr. B has been so accomodating lately; when my friend submitted her package, from what she told me he was very by the book and everything was either black or white; I know that in my experience he made many exceptions and helped me a lot. He even acepted my package electronically since the volcano that grounded all air traffic grounded my package as well (I am overseas). I wouldn't worry if I were you, the hard part is getting into a school and you did that so you should be GTG. Hopefully we see each other in the fall! :)

brookeND · May 14, 2010

jkdcgill03 said:

zx7chelle----Were we suppose to have the Education office put a code in for us.....I know that with AECP you are supposed to but I don't remember seeing that in the 2010 NECP guidelines......
Brooke---were you looking at going to a school in Nebraska?

Hey jkdcgill03, yeah I am looking at Clarkson College of Nursing in Omaha so my husband will hopefully get stationed at Offuit. They don't require you to have any Prereqs. at all even though I will have close to 50 credits when I apply to AECP. Since they don't require any I think that will up my chances of getting accepted. The only thing they require to get into the BSN program is a CNA license, and luckily I got that in high school ? so I'm glad I stumbled upon this school. The advisor I have spoken to from there has been so helpful, more so than any other school I've tried to talk to about this program. Now the biggest obstacle for me will be getting the curtailment for overseas.

I don't want to get off the subject of your all's discussion, but what does everyone here think about the Physician Assistant program with the Air Force? Any opinions? I've always wanted to become a doctor so I planned on beginning as a nurse with hopes of one day becoming a Doctor, but a PA is pretty darn close. The requirements to apply for that program are almost the same as AECP and NECP only you have to have a total of 60 credits. I'm thinking of applying to all three programs. The sad part about the PA program though is it is two years of study at assigned bases (you don't pick a college) so that would be two guaranteed years away from my family .

SSGTALI · May 14, 2010

Hi guys! My friend "Richie Rich" sent me the link to this forum. I wasn't sure how other applicants communicated with each other when it came to NECP. Just to give you a little background on me, I am a SSgt here at Davis-Monthan and been in for over 10 years. This is my first time I actually put in my application for the program. I have been watching this program for the past 3 years. In 2007 they didn't all the slots filled in so a supplimental board had to be opened. From the sounds of it, that may not be the case this year. For those of you who are planning on applying in the future, make sure you apply to several different schools. Don't limit yourselves to only one school specially if your GPA is not the strongest part of your package (like in my case). I already hold two BS degrees and working on my Masters in Public Health. I am also a University of AZ alumni but that didn't help me when I applied to their CON. They accepted me for the interview portion (which from what I understand only a limited people get a chance to go through) but aftewards I got the denial letter. Mind you this was in March and majority of the schools accept nursing applications sometimes in Jan and Feb timeframe. Needless to say, I can still remember coming home from work (after finding out that I had been denied acceptance to the Univ of AZ). That night I did a little bit of research to seeif there were any other schools accepting applications for their college of nursing. I was able to locate about 3 schools throughout the nation. University of South Alabama seemed like the most appealing (and specially since it's located near 2 bedded facilities (Keesler and Eglin)). I went ahead and applied despite the fact that I only had 2 weeks to apply since their deadline was April 1st. I wasn't sure what I was doing but it seemed like the right thing to do. I felt like I hadn't put forth enough effort. I worked extra hard this time by comparison to my Univ of AZ application. The faculty and staff at Alabama were EXTREMELY cooperative and helpful inworking with me. That's when they emailed me 1 week before the NECP board letting me know that they decided to admit me early into their program. That really brightened my day! I was so happy! I made sure I sent in the NECP application to AFPC on time with all the required documents. I received an email from AFPC (Mr. B) that they had received my application. NOTE: For those of you who are a bit weak in chemistry, look at Univ of S. Alabama as they only require 1 chemistry class. That helped boost up my GPA to 3.6. I was actually even thinking about doing their MSN program which allows you to complete the BSN in one year and work on the Masters the following year. It's a great program for those of you who already hold a BS/BA degrees however, the problem I ran into was the fact that they start classes at the end of July. Even though it's considered Fall 2010 the Air Force won't fund anything that starts prior to August.Anyhow, good luck to all of you. Now that the board has met, it's pretty much a waiting game...

2012RN2b · May 14, 2010

Brooke.. I actually seriously considered going the PA route myself. I think it is an excellent program but very fast paced. After really soul searching I felt like nursing is what I was meant to be doing. From what I understand by the time you complete the program you nt only have your bachelors but your Masters as well. You get to kill two birds w/ one stone. Do you have the link to there website from what I understand you need a few more science classes such as organic chemistry. I will post the link to the site for you.

2012RN2b · May 14, 2010

SSGTALI.. welcome to this thread. DMO and I are actually taking classes this summer. We're both using TA to pay for the classes until we start in the fall and NECP picks uo the tab ( if we gget pciked up that is). Are you doing the same?

brookeND · May 14, 2010

2012RN2b said:

Brooke.. I actually seriously considered going the PA route myself. I think it is an excellent program but very fast paced. After really soul searching I felt like nursing is what I was meant to be doing. From what I understand by the time you complete the program you nt only have your bachelors but your Masters as well. You get to kill two birds w/ one stone. Do you have the link to there website from what I understand you need a few more science classes such as organic Chemistry. I will post the link to the site for you.

2012RN2b, here is the link I got my info. from it is a year outdated I believe, but since I don't have mil access at home it was the best I could find so far. I'd love a better link if you have one :). Sorry the class requirements for the program I posted are so huge, I tried reducing the size but it won't make it any smaller for me. Oh unless it has changed I think they are saying you need 8 credit hours from either general, organic, or bio Chemistry....so you get to pick which type to take as long as you get 8 credits and of course with a lab. Wow a masters? That would be great! Yeah I am sure it is very rigorous and time consuming, it would be well worth it at the end that's for sure.

#45 on the FAQs from the link I posted show the Air Force stats for 2007 as such:

Grad. Rate: 87% Recycle Rate: 8% Relief Rate: 5%

The Grad. Rate of 87% is a pretty good number with the program being so accelerated, not too scary but still difficult nonetheless. The part I really dislike though is not picking where you go to school, I'm not too sure how my husband would feel about me packing up and leaving him for two years....

D. College courses mandatory for acceptance (Courses must be completed by suspense date):

1. General/Organic/Bio Chemistry w/lab 8 semester hours (cannot CLEP this requirement)

2. Anatomy & Physiology w/lab 8 semester hours (cannot CLEP this requirement)

3. Algebra 3 sem hrs (cannot CLEP this requirement)

4. Biology w/lab 4 semester hours (cannot CLEP this requirement)

5. Social Sciences 6 semester hours (may CLEP this requirement)

6. English 6 semester hours; Composition Required (may CLEP 3 semester hours of this requirement - Composition must be through course instruction)

7. Psychology 3 semester hours (cannot CLEP this requirement)

(Highly recommend coursework in Biochemistry and Medical Terminology)

SSGTALI · May 14, 2010

I am pretty much completely done with my TA for this fiscal year so I cannot take any more classes unfortunately. I understand some of you are interested in the PA program. Let me tell you about that. I have applied to it 4 times in a row in optimism of getting in, however, all 4 times I was denied because my SAT scores are not competitive enough. PA program was actually my option 1 followed by NECP as option 2. At any rate, if any of you want to try for the PA program, it has many benefits but it's also very fast paced. My buddy was accepted into it in 2007. His package was pretty strong actually. He was at Ft. Sam Houston, TX for maybe 6 months when he was kicked out. Unfortunately it's very demanding and unless you can study continuously on 4 hours of sleep, your chances of making it through the program are slim. I do believe that everything happens for a reason and now I am not sweating about not getting accepted into the program. I think nursing program is a better fit because not only is it more hands on but you get to choose the school you want to attend without having to deal with military regulations for 2 whole years. I think that helps a lot when you're trying to stay focused on education. The requirements of getting into the PA program are very similar to the NECP except you don't have to take Nutrition as one of your pre-reqs.

Amillia2010 · May 14, 2010

I too had looked into the PA program but realized that as a nurse you can always go back to school and become a nurse practitioner which will give you the same rights as a PA (write perscriptions etc.) I think nursing opens a lot more doors because there is so much you can do within the field too. My friend was just accepted to the PA proram during the past board and she starts next August and she is one of the younger ones accepted. No matter what you want in life you have to stay focused on your goals and if there is a will there's a way so go back to studying and you can always retake the SAT's etc if that is what you want. Good luck to you all. I feel a little relieved just knowing that the board is over, its out of our hands so all we can do is wait. I'm trying to keep my mind on other things...like Grey's Anatomy...lol. I just started watching the show and I am now on season 5. Anyway....I can't wait to be a nurse.

2012RN2b · May 14, 2010

SSGTALI.. I haven't used all my TA for this fiscal year but UMSL charges and additional $154 dollars per credit hour for nursing classes so I ended up having to use my GI Bill (Top-up) to cover the additional tution cost. So how are you going to be able to start in Jul. Will they give you a delay on paying the tuition like the do for financial aid?

2012RN2b · May 14, 2010

brooke.. That is the same link I have. I did find the application guidelines for 2011. I will emailit to you for some reason I'm not able to from work

Not only do you get your Masters you also commission as a 1Lt once you complete the program.

SSGTALI · May 14, 2010

Amillia2010 said:

I too had looked into the PA program but realized that as a nurse you can always go back to school and become a nurse practitioner which will give you the same rights as a PA (write perscriptions etc.) I think nursing opens a lot more doors because there is so much you can do within the field too. My friend was just accepted to the PA proram during the past board and she starts next August and she is one of the younger ones accepted. No matter what you want in life you have to stay focused on your goals and if there is a will there's a way so go back to studying and you can always retake the SAT's etc if that is what you want. Good luck to you all. I feel a little relieved just knowing that the board is over, its out of our hands so all we can do is wait. I'm trying to keep my mind on other things...like Grey's Anatomy...LOL. I just started watching the show and I am now on season 5. Anyway....I can't wait to be a nurse.

Amelia2010-

You're right about the SAT and it can certainly be retaken and if someone stays focused, anything is indeed possible without a question.