DocMattEB

Hi Katlynn! First, good luck this year! I'm a Navy Hospital Corpsman (Enlisted Navy Medic) not a Nurse but I think I can help you out. "Do I go to college and then enlist?" NO!!! This happened to me and it's been a struggle to become a Nurse Corps Officer ever since. If you are accepted into a BSN program out of High School stay away from Enlisted Recruiters. You need to talk to a Healthcare Recruiter. "Enlist right away?" If you don't want/can't go to a nursing school out of high school, enlisting in the navy isn't a bad idea. I'd recommend enlisting as a Hospital Corpsman, in about 4-6 years can apply to an enlisted to nurse corps officer program. Again, if you can go to Nursing school sooner, do that. "NROTC?" If your college or one near by offers NROTC, yes it can definitely help. "Enlisted to Nurse process" This is what I'm doing now. -You must be a Petty Officer 2nd Class (E-5) or above (this rank takes about 4 to 6 years to make if you enlist as a Seaman (E-1) which is what almost everyone comes in as. -You have to have at lest 30 transferable undergraduate level credits. -Apply and be accepted to a BSN program that you can complete within 36 months. -Apply for and be accepted into the program itself (Medical Enlisted Commissioning Program MECP), which is very competitive. Just being accepted into a BSN program will not guarantee a spot in MECP. "BSN MSN?" You need to spend some time as a BSN before most programs will accept you into an MSN program. You can join the Navy as a BSN and the Navy will help you get your MSN and beyond. In fact, if you want to be competitive to pick up rank past Lieutenant you need to get your MSN. "College with Navy Nursing Program?" I'm unaware of any civilian colleges with something like this but I would recommend schools with a NROTC or ROTC program and a strong history of being supportive to Service Members. Good Luck!!

If I'm understanding your comment correctly, yes. Navy Nurse Corps deploy to fulfill a Nursing roll, you wont be deploying to be a combatant. Technically we, Medical Personnel, are not supposed to "fight" in a conflict, per the Geneva Convention, but, as you'll learn, "The best preventative medicine is Lead down range." Though as a Nurse this wont really apply to you. You'll be in the back with the triage and emergency surg. units, the Corpsman (think of them as enlisted LPNs, with M4s) will be providing armed security.

Pixie. I'm applying to MECP this fall. Started applying to Nursing schools and taking the ACTs next week and the HESI A2 soon. I think if I blow those out of the water I'll be sitting pretty to start Nursing school next fall. Jfratian, I think you mean the Mercy and the Comfort. As I understand it those are more humanitarian deployment situations than an actual duty station. The ships are actually run by civilians. That's kind of poop though, no sea duty. Not that I'm a fan of ships, I was on the Tortuga for a week hitching a ride while I was with the Marines and I was laid up in sick Bay the entire way. Ha ha

Let me first say, "Thank you for your service and all the help you've provided!" to all the active and retired military Nurses who have posted here. I've learned a lot just by reading old threads. So I've been in the Navy for a minute as a Corpsman but the only contact I've had with the Nurse Corps has been at clinics and Hospitals with the Nurse Corps Officers usually in the upper leadership (my last CO was a NC Officer in Groton) or NPs running a specialty department. Where are junior RNs generally stationed? I know ENSs go to one of the Big Three out of OIS but where do they typically go after? Do they follow the normal Sea Shore rotation, going to Carriers or larger Amphibs or with the Marines in a Med Battalion? Do Navy Nurses have the option to cross over to Army or Air Force Hospitals (I'd kill for Germany)?

Sorry, I have to continue because you are getting some seriously bad advice from this recruiter. I'm a Fleet Marine Force Hospital Corpsman with 9 years in the Navy. I'm the guy the other posters were talking about earlier, as close to Marine Corps. Medical there is. Some insight he probably did not impart to you: The MSC-IPP program requires applicants to be at least E5 (Sergeant Marine Corps or Petty Officer 2nd Class Navy). In the Marines it could take you 6-8 years MINIMUM to reach that rank. The MSC-IPP PA program, though open to all rates (job types) in the Navy and Marines, is really for Navy IDCs, Independent Duty Corpsman. IDCs are the most highly trained enlisted medical providers in the Navy and they make up the bulk of MSC-IPP PA applicants, like 95%. I'm not saying its impossible for you to go Marine and apply to MSC-IPP, its EXTREMELY UNLIKELY. Another option, away from a PA program, if you get commissioned into the Nurse Corps, later in your career the Navy will help you become a Nurse Practitioner if you're an outstanding performer. You can get your Masters and PHD in Nursing while in the Navy.

I'd pump the brakes a bit. You said earlier you were talking to a recruiter, who you trusted, who's been pushing you to enlist, even though you are already in a nursing program. This guy does not have your best interests at heart. You NEED to talk to a Healthcare Recruiter. MSC-IPP PA is EXTREMELY competitive. Only 14 Sailors were picked up to for the PA program this year, "Sailors." I have maybe only seen ONE Marine Corps Gunny get picked up for the PA program in the 5 years I've been watching the results enlisted to officer programs. My advice, stay in school, talk to a Healthcare Recruiter (almost always a Hospital Corpsman Chief) apply for the Nurse Candidate Program. Your first duty station will be at a Hospital but after that you can talk to your detailer (the guy who tells you were you'll be stationed next) and ask them to send you out with the Marines. Your recruiter is selling you up the river!

I'm an AD Corpsman going through MECP. The college I'm applying to, Chamberlain College of Nursing, has two locations in Florida, Jacksonville and Miramar. They are very knowledgeable with military enlisted medical ratings and are very accommodating. I'd suggest checking them out. There is also the Nurse Candidate Program but being prior service I don't think you'll be able to apply, it seems to be more for kids just getting into a Nursing Program from High School.

I'm a Hospital Corpsman in the US Navy, been on active duty for a bit over 9 years. In about a year or so I'll be submitting a package to go from enlisted to Nurse Corps Officer. Before I enlisted I graduated from Boston University with a BA in psych. I did not apply myself well after a semester in Junior year went badly and ended college with a 2.68 over all. I feel I have matured considerably, I have lead junior enlisted sailors, deployed as a part of a forward operating surgical unit in Afghanistan and currently run a Radiation Health program independently (a job normally run well beyond my pay grade). Looking at post-bac bsn programs, all have admission requirements >3.0, many with 3.5 minimums. Has my youthful foolishness doomed me or will my experience and the help of exceptional pre-reqs (taking a&p, chem, and micro in the next year) help make me competitive enough for admission?