Expert: MARK A. HOWELL - 9/27/2009

Question
I am currently looking into a career with the Navy.  I am 30 years old male and currently attending college.  I plan on graduating eventually with a BSN (Nursing) and may consider advancing into Physical Therapy or applying to Medical School.  My wife is currently a nurse so relocation won’t be a problem in the future.  I am desperately looking for options in the Navy for my future.  A few questions; what options do I have for my plans or what can the Navy offer me?  Should I just go ahead and sign once I have my ADN and continue working towards the BSN?  I do want to be an Officer in the Navy, so I do need to know the requirements for OCS or ODS as well.  Not quite sure which path I would need to take.  I am a good student; I have a family with one child and am very eager to serve my country.  I greatly appreciate your advice and help with my future!

Answer
Jake,
The Navy has a program designed for folks just like you.  They will pay you to attend school as a full-time student and finish school with a BSN before actually starting work in the Navy.  Once you graduate you'll owe them 4 or 5 years of active duty service in the Navy.  It's called the Nurse Candidate Program (NCP).

Financing your education can be difficult nowadays.  Tuition, books, and supplies all add up to a hefty financial liability that can take years to overcome.  The NCP provides you with an initial grant of $10,000 (paid in two installments of $5,000 each), plus $1,000 a month for up to 24 months for books, fees, and miscellaneous expenses.  You must be a full time student in an accredited Bachelor of Science Nursing program.  You must enroll after your sophomore year.

After graduation, you'll join the Navy Nurse Corps as an Officer, with a steady salary, regular promotions, comprehensive medical and dental coverage, low cost travel opportunities, excellent retirement and educational benefits, further training, and a rewarding clinical practice.  Additional benefits include 30 days of paid vacation a year, use of military recreational facilities around the world, the opportunity to serve around the world in a variety of facilities, and work with a team of highly trained professionals.

Requirements for selection
- You must be a U.S. citizen under the age of 40, so you're OK there.
- You must be able to meet the Navy’s physical fitness standards.
- You must be enrolled in an accredited educational program resulting in a BSN within 24 months of starting the program.  Hopefully you're in that kind of program now.

One to 12 months of participation in the NCP results in an Active Duty Service Obligation of 4 years.  Thirteen to 24 months of participation in the NCP results in an Active Duty Service Obligation of 5 years.

One good thing about enrolling in NCP now is you're still young and healthy enough to serve.  If you were to wait 2 years and graduate, anything could happen causing you to not meet the physical requirements.  Also, while you are enrolled in the NCP you'll have all medical and dental provided for you, your wife and children.

If all this sounds like it's what you'd like to try, and you live within a reasonable distance from a Navy base, you can contact a recruiter and schedule a date to visit a naval base, see the hospital, see the housing, talk to some nurses, and at the end of the day you will either be extremely motivated to join or not.  After that you can decide if you want to do the NCP or not.  Your recruiter will help you.

A good web site to visit is:  http://www.navy.com/healthcareopportunities/nursecorps/  This site will give you some very good info about the Navy Nurse Corps.

You asked about the requirements for OCS.  Try this web site and look at the FAQ area.  http://www.ocs.navy.mil/ocs.asp

I'm glad to see you're eager to serve your country, and I think you've selected a good way to do it via the Navy.
Good luck,
Colonel H

BTW - My best friend is a civilian physical therapist with a Master's degree.  He said it used to be you couldn't get hired without a Master's degree.  Now the requirements have changed because there are too many physical therapists out there, so almost all employers are now requiring a Ph.D.  So he's out of work while going back to school to get a Ph.D.  It's pretty expensive also.  He wishes he had joined the military.