Becoming a Nurse: Reserve Officers Training Corps

The Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) is a training program that prepares college students to become commissioned officers. This is a unique opportunity that provides additional clinical experiences for nursing students and offers them financial assistance for their education. It also provides you with tools and support that help you manage the difficulties of the nursing curriculum.

Army ROTC

The Army ROTC is an elective curriculum taken with your required college classes. You will have a normal college student experience like other students, but when you graduate you will be an officer in the U.S. Army. The Army ROTC Nurse Program offers valuable leadership experience and training that can benefit you in either a military or private sector nursing career. Nurse cadets can paticipate in a paid, three-week Nurse Summer Training Program and be assigned to army hospitals throughout the United States and Germany. This program introduces you to the Army Medical Department and to the roles and responsibilities of an Army Nurse Corps officer. You receive one-on-one, hands-on experience while under the supervision of an experienced Army Nurse Corps officer. This opportunity allows you to fine-tune your nursing skills, develop problem-solving techniques and become comfortable with developing your professional skills as a member of the U.S. Army Healthcare Team. The Army ROTC Nurse Program offers two-, three-, or four-year scholarships that pay tuition, books, fees, and living allowances. For more information on the Army ROTC go to www.goarmy.com/rotc/index.jsp.

Air Force ROTC

The Air Force ROTC prepares you to become an Air Force officer with a career that carries a high level of responsibility, accountability, and professionalism. They say that if you can make it in the Air Force, you can make it anywhere. Air Force ROTC awards Type 2 scholarships (tuition capped at $15,000 per year, plus $900 per year for books). The program is noncompetitive, meaning that those who meet the criteria are awarded a scholarship. Their criteria are that you:

• are a U.S. citizen
• pass the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test or have your failing scores waived after two failures
• have a 2.5 minimum cumulative GPA
• have a complete physical examination as well as certification as commission-qualified by the Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board
• not already be a contracted scholarship recipient
• meet the age, moral, and other scholarship eligibility requirements for the Air Force ROTC
• be a sophomore or junior nursing major at a National League for Nursing or Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education accredited college or university

Nursing scholarship cadets agree to accept a commission in the Air Force Nurse Corps and serve four years on active duty after successfully completing their licensure exam. For more information about the Air Force ROTC go to www.afrotc.com.