Nursing NROTC-sideload question

NavyJax

NavyJax

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Sep 8, 2016
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Odd question, hoping someone would know. My DD is applying for the NROTC -Nursing option. She has plan A-Z, as the numbers are very tight. With the research, we know that some scholarships are restricted (as only NROTC-Navy option and some NROTC-MO option). Does anyone know if the sideload scholarships (3-year/2-year) are allowed with the Navy-Nursing Option? I was under the impression from my research - no ISRs can be given to Navy-Nursing Option. Only the national scholarship and the other excellent programs (i.e. Navy Nursing College Program) can award a scholarship for the Nursing Option. I am trying to clarify - if no Nursing options can be awarded directly by the unit. On that thought, then after sophomore year - unless on a national scholarship - Nursing option NROTC midshipmen are done - as you must be under contract for Junior/Senior year. (try to adjust plan B - to include if being a college programmer is an "option" for the NROTC-Nursing program- I thought it was not an option. Only NROTC-Navy and NROTC-MO)
 
Could you major in nursing and pick up a 2-year or 3-year NROTC or NROTC-MO scholarship (non nursing) and then go un-restricted active duty?
 
NavyNOLA said:
Nursing scholarships are not given as 2-year or 3-year side loads, only 4 year Nationals.
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Thank you. I thought that was what I understood but I started doubting myself. There are great opportunities for additional scholarships for nursing (just not with the NROTC program) once my DD starts college that will lead to a commission in the Navy Nursing Corp. Trying to make sure our Plan B, C, etc.... is correct.
 
5Day said:
Could you major in nursing and pick up a 2-year or 3-year NROTC or NROTC-MO scholarship (non nursing) and then go un-restricted active duty?
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I am a little confused by your question. If you get a nursing degree, why would you not pursue a nursing job? (military or civilian). If you are asking why my DD does not pursue that path. First and foremost, she wants to be a Nurse. If she doesn't get NROTC Nursing Option, there are many other great opportunities that can lead to a commission in the Navy as a Navy Nurse. If she doesn't become commissioned as a Navy Nurse, it wasn't meant to be (plan E will kick in)- we have five years until that becomes a factor or not. Being an Unrestricted Line Officer is not compatible with her future plans of being a Nurse. Everyone is different and we all have different plans.
 
@NavyJax
I always like to mention the US Public Health Service (USPHS) as a uniformed but not armed service* option, if your DD hasn't researched. They wear Navy-style uniforms with PHS insignia, have same ranks and benefits. Full range of healthcare providers.
I have met many dedicated professionals in the USPHS.

http://www.usphs.gov/student/

* There are 7 uniformed services, of which five are armed. NOAA is the other uniformed.
 
4 years ago when I was still in highschool and applying for rotc scholarships I ran into the same situation. I would advise you to also look at other branches i.e. Army and AF. Regardless of branch a military nurse will doing the same thing and many hospitals are joint-staffed. Best of luck!
 
Thank you. Capt MJ - yes USPHS is on the radar as one of her choices. We are lucky, she has Florida pre-paid if she doesn't get the NROTC scholarship - so if the scholarship is not awarded, she will go to college! Just have to look at Plan B for the route to commissioning. There are a huge amount of opportunities for Nursing scholarships and such. It just takes lots of research and identifying what/when/where/etc....

USN16x - thank you. yes, there are a lot more opportunities with Army-Nursing and AF-Nursing for ROTC. But military nurse is not the same, there are different opportunities, duty stations/duty types, locations, training and school opportunities through out the military career - that are vastly different between each service. She wants to be stationed on USNS COMFORT or USNS MERCY....in about 10 years in her career. She knows she will have to be a lot more senior to get that duty.
 
USNS COMFORT is part of a command I was once assigned to, and I knew MERCY well.

To the best of my recollection, they are not permanent duty stations for the medical staff. Those ships have their civil service Military Sealift Command crew and a small Navy det (medical hospital administrative types) to oversee rapid stand-up of the embarking medical staff and to maintain readiness for full activation within X hours. Active duty doctors, nurses, technicians/enlisted staff are drawn from designated billets at military hospitals and detailed to the ship for scheduled exercises, either pierside or at sea, or for real-world missions. It's an amazing hospital-in-a-box that goes to sea.

Of course, this model of staffing may have changed, and who knows what the situation will be down the road.

MERCY and COMFORT can be ordered to deploy in either humanitarian or mass casualty modes, and have done their share over the years as needed for various catastrophes.

I don't recall ever seeing a Navy nurse on a Navy USN ship. There are doctors on the carriers and a few other places, and the amazing IDC (independent duty corpsmen) on the smaller ships, enlisted personnel.

For the ship trivia buffs and maritime academy grads, MERCY and COMFORT are former fast oil tankers. Tanks were stripped out, hospital modules built in.
 
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