ROTC w/ Nursing School?

Guest1144461 · Feb 1, 2022

I did it, definitely more work but I think it makes you a better officer since you commission and do the same requirements as every other officer. Direct commission is just signing on the dotted line. No other work needed.

I made good friends during ROTC and became a better leader.

jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA · Feb 5, 2022

I will present the counter argument to give you the other point of view. I certainly know quality people who did both routes.

I was a direct commission nurse and my unpopular opinion is that ROTC isn't really necessary in medical military roles. Of course, there are definitely advantages to ROTC. It will certainly make your first year or two in the military easier, but I would say everybody evens out by the end of their first couple of years. If you're looking at a 20-30 year career, most of what you need to know about the military you learn on the job...not from ROTC or OTS, etc. Direct commission people in the medical service corps in all 3 branches go just as far as ROTC people.

There are definite benefits to direct commissioning. First, if you do decide to leave after 4 years you are post 9/11 GI bill eligible; ROTC people are not. Second, you get a full college experience and have time to do things like clubs, intermurals, etc; ROTC people don't have as much free time. Third, the military's new grad nurse training programs are objectively inferior in terms of length and patient acuity, to new nurse residencies at most major university medical centers. You will be a stronger nurse with 1-2 years of civilian experience up front than if you were working on a small military base. Fourth, you get to choose your specialty; if you do 1-2 years of civilian nursing first, you can start in specialties like OR, ER, and ICU. Most military nurses start in med-surg.

Again, nothing against ROTC. However, it is certainly possible to be a quality military nurse via either route. There are pros and cons to each. It's not a black and white choice.

takerur · Feb 6, 2022

Hi! I'm currently on my last semester in nursing school while doing Navy ROTC. There are definitely pros and cons about joining ROTC while in school but I think the best thing is that you have a lot of peace of mind when you have a job lined up after you graduate. All my friends are frantically trying to find jobs/create resumes/etc but I'm just chilling, especially after I found out about my first duty station! I think it's true what jfratian said about how the first one or two years will be helpful if you are in ROTC, but doing DA wouldn't harm you in any way.

While doing ROTC, I was able to do Summer training opportunities in a ship and the San Diego Balboa hospital so I have more knowledge than the Nurse Candidate students that I met online but I believe that once everyone gets there (as a nurse and starts working), it evens out.

To be honest I definitely don't do that many extracurriculars because ROTC keeps me busy (as well as nursing) but I don't feel like I am missing out because I am able to do clubs that I want to do and my closest friends are my ROTC friends. There are many events that I actually get out of because of nursing (like clinical schedules, etc).

Overall, I 100% support doing ROTC, but your situation might differ. I don't believe Navy ROTC does any 3- or 2- year scholarships (as they keep saying that they are getting rid of the program and I only have 10 other people in my graduating cohort), but I think any branch ROTC is great! I have 3 friends who did Army ROTC nursing and one is at Bethesda and one is at Fort Belvoir. I know a girl in Air Force ROTC but I haven't been able to really ask what she does in terms of training but I'm biased to Navy :)

I hope this somewhat helps!