ROTC for Nursing Students
The ROTC provides an opportunity for college nursing students to receive practical, hands-on leadership experience.
The courses provide a chance for students to develop management, communication and decision-making skills in a non-threatening environment. Physical training and confidence-building activities (i.e. rappelling, obstacle courses) also provide a chance for students to be physically and mentally challenged.
Students who are interested in obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from an accredited university or college may enroll in ROTC. Students may enroll as a freshman, sophomore or as late as an entering college junior. More than 450 colleges and universities offer both a BSN degree and access to Army ROTC. Upon completion of the program, students are commissioned as officers in the United States Army.
Nurse Summer Training Program (NSTP)
NSTP is an optional clinical elective conducted the summer between your Junior and Senior years. Nine large medical centers in the United States, Germany, and Hawaii are NSTP sites. During NSTP you will be introduced to the roles, responsibilities and expectations of a new officer in the Army Nurse Corps. NSTP provides progressive experience and leadership opportunities in a clinical setting while working side by side with an Army Nurse.
What happens after graduation?
You will be commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army. Your first assignment, which is determined by evaluating your college performance, ROTC standing, and your preferences, can be one of nine medical centers in the continental United States, Hawaii, and Germany. Before you go to your first assignment, you will attend the Officer Basic Course at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, where you will study basic army knowledge and the functioning of an army unit. Once you have been working as an Army nurse (on active duty for one year), you are eligible to attend a clinical specialty course of your choice. Currently, the course choices are:
- Perioperative Nursing
- Critical Care Nursing
- Obstetrical and Gynecological Nursing
- Community Health
- Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing
Financial Benefits
Scholarship Students: 2, 2 ½, 3, and 4 year scholarships are available to nursing students.
All scholarships provide:
- Full tuition/fees
- Books: $1200 per year
- Tax-free stipend during the school year
- $420/month while contracted
- Out of state tuition waivers
Criteria For Scholarship
- United States Citizenship
- High School Graduate with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and/ or College GPA 2.8
- Minimum SAT of 1050 or ACT of 21
- Physically fit and medically qualified
- Under 31 years of age on 31 December of the year you graduate from college
- Good moral character