Navy Nurse Corps
The Mission of the Nurse Corps
The primary mission of the Navy Nurse Corps is to:
- Provide centralized, coordinated policy development and guidance for professional nursing matters in operational and conventional settings.
- Develop, implement, and maintain Nurse Corps programs that support and sustain overall Navy Medicine mission objectives and policies established by the Chief of Naval Operations and Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED).
- Provide professional nursing care to promote, protect, and restore the health of all entrusted to our care anytime, anywhere. Nurse Corps provides instruction and supervision of Hospital Corps personnel in the theory and practice of providing nursing care to patients
Entry Level Requirements
Navy Active Duty
- Must hold an active, unrestricted license
- Advanced Practice Registered Nurses must have graduated from an accredited program of their specialty and have passed the certification exam for their respective specialty area
- Must be able to meet general physical requirements for the commissioned officers in the Navy
- Must be a graduate of an accredited nursing program
- Must be willing to serve a minimum of three years of Active Duty
- Must be between the ages of 18 and 41
Navy Reserve
- Must hold an active, unrestricted license
- Advanced Practice Registered Nurses must have graduated from an accredited program of their specialty and have passed the certification exam for their respective specialty area
- Must be at least 20 and less than 40 years of age at the time of appointment. Age limits may be adjusted based on specialty
- Must have at least 3 years of work experience
- Must be able to meet general physical requirements for the commissioned officers in the Navy
- Must be a graduate of an accredited nursing program
Promotion Levels
- Ensign
- Lieutenant (junior grade)
- Lieutenant
- Lieutenant Commander
- Commander
- Captain
- Rear Admiral (Lower Half)
- Rear Admiral (Upper Half)
- Vice Admiral
- Admiral Chief of Naval Operations / Commandant of the Coast Guard
- Fleet Admiral
Work Environment
- Active duty nurses in the Navy Corps may be stationed at any one of the more than 250 Navy and military medical facilities around the globe. From Hawaii to Germany to Washington state. Navy nurses also serve and provide care aboard one of the two dedicated hospital ships: the USNS Comfort and the USNS Mercy.
- Navy Nurse Corps nurses can be assigned to work aboard surface ships to care for an aircraft squadron or with the Fleet Marine Force.
- Nurses serving part-time in the Reserve follow scheduled drilling and training periods. Most nurses work at locations close to their homes in order to have the flexibility of a civilian career alongside their service obligations.
Education Officers
These nurses plan, organize, direct, coordinate, evaluate and document the various Navy Nurse Corps training programs across the continuum of the medical corps.
Nurse Recruiters
These nurses represent the Navy Nurse Corps to the civilian health care community in order to interview and acquire prospective officer nurses from the civilian sector.
Executive Medicine and Facility-Based Roles
Nurses with proven leadership and educational experience work in the environment of commanding medical treatment facilities across the globe.
Headquarters and Department of Defense Roles (DoD)
Nurses can be positioned at Headquarters or DoD to bring unique perspectives to health care management, human resource management, organizational development, and patient care. Nurses in these roles are involved in developing service and department-wide policies and programs to improve health care system effectiveness.
Fellowships and Nominative Billets
These high-visibility appointments are by special application and nomination only. These nurses can be assigned to areas such as the White House Medical Unit, the DoD, or BUMED.
Navy Nurse Corps Jobs
- Staff Nurse
- Division Officers
- Clinical Nurse Specialists
- Nurse Practitioners
- Certified Nurse Midwives
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists
- Senior Nurse Executive
- Education Officers
- Nurse Recruiters
- Executive Medicine
- Facility-Based Roles
- Headquarters and Department of Defense Roles
Learn more at https://www.navy.com/careers/nursing
Advantages of Joining the Navy Nurse Corps
Enlistment bonus for specialty roles.
Education Opportunities
Financial assistance and continuing education programs are available to nurses seeking a Naval career. From scholarships to sign-on bonuses to loan repayment assistance, the Navy values the educational goals of the commissioned officer nurse.
Nurse Candidate Program
Nursing students who commit to serving a minimum of three years of Active Duty could qualify for an initial grant and monthly stipend, up to $34,000 to cover the costs of nursing education.
Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps
High school or college students intending to attend nursing school and serve in the Navy could qualify for up to $180,000 for this scholarship program.
Life in the Corps
Once the nurse has completed nursing school and is commissioned, Navy Nurses are required to attend Officer Development School in Newport, RI. This is a five-week program that provides an intense immersion into the responsibilities of a Navy Nurse Corps Officer.
Navy Nurses are assigned a location and specialty area and are paired with many preceptors to support them through their first year as staff nurses in the military. The Navy Nurse Corps prides itself on providing challenging opportunities to bring out the best in the nurses that serve.
There are over 4,000 Active Duty and Reserve nurses serving in the Navy Nurse Corps in 17 different specialty areas. Over 200 new nurses are accessed into the Corps each year.
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