Registered Nurse

Overview

Many nurses find the joy of serving others to be incredibly rewarding. This is especially true in the Navy Nurse Corps. When you work to improve the lives of others, you can vastly improve your own as well - both professionally and personally. As a Navy Nurse, you will serve your country by helping not only those in the military, but also their families and people in need around the globe.

Excellent scholarship opportunities mean you have the potential to graduate from nursing school debt-free, and specialty training opportunities can give you a competitive edge in your field.

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Officer None

As an Officer in the Nurse Corps, you ll provide high-quality nursing care wherever there s a need, from Navy medical facilities and ships to humanitarian aid missions overseas. You ll work closely with other health providers to carry out job responsibilities such as:

• Providing general nursing care for Sailors, Marines, other service members and their families at the best military nursing facilities on shore, at sea and in the field
• Collaborating with Physicians, Surgeons, Cardiologists and other specialists to create and administer treatment plans
• Directing and instructing Hospital Corpsmen on how to provide quality patient care
• Applying leading-edge medical advances at world-class hospitals
• Utilizing some of the most advanced technology on the planet, such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), which can lead to less paperwork and more meaningful patient care
• Assisting with global relief efforts such as distributing vaccines or providing emergency care to victims of natural disasters

Nurse Corps Officers may serve at any one of more than 250 Navy and medical facilities around the globe, from Hawaii to Japan, Germany to Guam, and Washington, D.C., to Washington state. As a Navy Nurse, you may work at one of the highly acclaimed National Naval Medical Centers in Bethesda, MD, Portsmouth, VA, or San Diego, CA. You might even provide medical support aboard one of two dedicated hospital ships-the USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy.

Additional opportunities are available on surface ships, with aircraft squadrons, or even with the Fleet Marine Force.

Upon commissioning, Nurses who are new to the Navy are required to attend Officer Development School (ODS) in Newport, RI. ODS is a five-week program designed to introduce you to Navy culture. Nurses commissioned through a school ROTC program may not need to attend ODS.

Officer training is complete, you will learn the ins and outs of life as a Navy Nurse before receiving your first posting. Promotion opportunities are regularly available but competitive and based on performance.

The Navy provides Nurse Corps Officers the opportunity to specialize based on manning needs. Specialization fields include:

• Nurse Anesthetists
• Primary Care Nurse Practitioners
• Medical-Surgical Nurses
• Perioperative Nurses
• Critical Care Nurses
• Mental Health Nurses and Nurse Practitioners
• Military-specific Specializations

Specialized training received and work experience gained in the course of service can lead to valuable credentialing and occupational opportunities in the medical field.

Education Opportunities

Wherever you are in your nursing career, the Navy can help ease your financial burdens and advance your career with generous financial assistance and continuing education programs. Available offers consist of scholarships, sign-on bonuses and loan repayment assistance. Help can be available if you re in graduate school or already in practice as well.

For High School Students: Through a Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) Nurse Option scholarship, the Navy can cover the full cost - up to $180,000 - of your nursing education at some of the best colleges and universities in the country.

For Nursing Students: If you re a nursing student opting to serve full-time in the Navy, you may get up to $34,000 to help pay your way through nursing school through the Nurse Candidate Program (NCP).

For Graduate Students: If you re a graduate student enrolled in a postgraduate nursing program in certain nursing specialties and opting to serve part-time in the Navy Reserve, you may qualify for up to $50,000 in nursing school loan repayment assistance.

For Practicing Nurses: If you re a practicing nurse opting to serve part-time in the Navy Reserve, you may qualify for an immediate, one-time sign-on bonus of up to $30,000. Depending on your specialty, you may have the option of choosing between a sign-on bonus, nursing school loan repayment assistance or specialty pay.

To learn what you qualify to receive, request a medical recruiter contact you.

A degree from a four-year college or university is a minimum educational requirement to become a Commissioned Officer. You must also attend Officer Training. There may be exceptions to the degree requirements based on…