BASEjumper

I'm currently in the military... in Afghanistan at the moment. As my service commitment winds down I realize I need to prepare myself for success in getting into a good nursing program. I've been doing some research for the last few months, including trolling on this forum and visiting school websites. From everything I've learned I've identified a few points that may cause setbacks, as well as possible solutions. - My high school GPA is something of a joke. I finished my school's requirements at 16 and my diploma was mailed to me while I was at airborne school in Georgia. During that absence I got 0's in some classes I had no idea I was in. At any rate my high school GPA won't get me into nursing school -Possible solution: In the year and a half I have left on active duty I can take online or community college classes. Then I'd be admitted based on those grades. As well as possibly reducing my future course load. Some questions I have. What sort of online or CC classes/programs would be most helpful? Should I attempt to get into a CC nursing program? I would prefer to be admitted to a 4 year BSN program so I can use my GI bill benefits most effectively. I am also interested in joining the Army Nurse Corps if I can get an ROTC nursing scholarship. Does anyone have any suggestions on the best course of action to take? A little about me: I'm a 21 yr/o Male. My current occupation consists of disarming bombs, rendering safe IED's and other Explosive works (EOD, Explosive Ordnance Disposal) I would rate my critical thinking skills as quite excellent. I have developed an uncanny ability to handle stress that I imagine would serve me quite well as a RN. Some experiences over here have led me to believe a career in healthcare would be the most rewarding thing I could do. When I got my purple heart I gained a strong respect for RNs and other health care professionals. I was in another event where we had several wounded/ killed, including the assigned medic and I took over his responsibilities and treated/ prepped for evac 8 or so PTs. That's when I decided I wanted to help / "fix" people full time. I felt a huge sense of pride knowing I had saved people's lives and I want to continue doing that. Do you think it would be advisable to go to our on base Hospital and talk to RN's/staff there? What sort of things can I do now to set myself up for future success and admittance. Volunteering, shadowing, becoming a cna? Some of the programs I want to apply to are: University of Washington, UC Denver, University of Seattle, Bozemon, or the University of Portland. I know these are all highly competitive so any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.