Army Nursing Center of Excellence
Nursing Program
The University of Kansas Army ROTC has been recognized as a Cadet Command Nursing Center of Excellence, making us the largest nursing school in Kansas to receive this prestigious designation. This honor was awarded in recognition of the outstanding achievements of our commissioned nurses and the exceptional faculty and staff at the University of Kansas, Washburn University, University of Saint Mary, and the Baker School of Nursing.
Our KU School of Nursing offers exceptional nursing education to students on our campuses in Kansas City, Kansas, and Salina, Kansas. Additionally, we have partnered with eight community colleges to provide further opportunities for our students.
As a Cadet Command Nursing Center of Excellence, the University of Kansas Army ROTC is granted priority for nursing scholarships from the U.S. Army Cadet Command in our region, and we are guaranteed two seats annually in the upper-division program within the schools our program encompasses. This gives our nursing students a unique advantage if they wish to compete for a three or four year nursing scholarship.
Our ROTC program has a yearly mission to commission nurses into active duty, National Guard, and the Army Reserves. As an ROTC cadet, nursing majors have the opportunity to gain valuable experience in environments that normal students may not encounter. Through one-on-one mentoring and training, nursing students who are also Army ROTC cadets benefit from real-world experience that may not be found in nursing school alone. This training provides the necessary skills to become leaders in the medical field.
Enrolling in Army ROTC as an undergraduate nursing student can enhance your leadership skills and critical thinking abilities, while also providing financial support to help you achieve your professional goals. As an Army nurse and officer, you will have the opportunity to train and serve in a variety of specialties, which are not available in the civilian world. This unique experience will earn you the respect of your peers and coworkers.
The ROTC program is open to students at any stage of their college education, including freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. ROTC benefits are also available to students interested in pursuing a Master's degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner. Upon successful completion of the program, students are commissioned as officers in the Army Nurse Corps.
In summary, the University of Kansas Army ROTC's Cadet Command Nursing Center of Excellence designation offers nursing students a unique opportunity to gain valuable real-world experience while also receiving financial support. Enrolling in the ROTC program can enhance your leadership skills, critical thinking abilities, and provide access to a variety of nursing specialties not available in the civilian world.
Financial Benefits
There are two, three, and four year scholarships available to nursing students. These scholarships provide:
- 100% tuition and mandatory fees OR up to $12,000/year for Room and Board
- $1200 for textbooks per year
- Monthly tax free stipend of $420 per month to defray the cost of living
- NCLEX fee ($200)
- $650 for required nurse uniforms, clinical supplies and equipment needed for Upper Division clinicals.
NONSCHOLARSHIP STUDENTS: Students not on scholarship are eligible to receive the tax-free stipend once contracted. They are also eligible to receive a commission in the Active or Reserve Army Nurse Corps.
What's the Student's Responsibility?
If you want to try the program out first, there is no obligation for taking the class during your Freshman and Sophomore year. It’s like test driving a car. See if it’s for you. If not, drop it like any other class. If it is, apply for a scholarship.
- Attend ROTC classes (meet 1 time per week)
- Attend ROTC lab (once every week)
- Attend physical training sessions (3 times per week)
- Attend field training exercises (Once a semester)
- Attend and successfully complete Advanced Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky
- Maintain a GPA of 2.5
- Receive a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and pass the nursing state board examination
Attend either the KU, Washburn University, Baker University, or the University of St Mary accredited BSN program.
Attend a minimum of 2 years of ROTC classes and complete all requirements (Basic Camp may have to be completed)
Advanced Camp
Advanced Camp. Advanced Camp is a 31-day training event that is designed to assess a Cadet’s ability to demonstrate proficiency in basic officer leadership tasks. Cadets are evaluated on their ability to lead at the Squad and Platoon levels, both in garrison and tactical environments. Cadets are mentally and physically tested during a 12-day consequence driven field training exercise that replicates a combat training center rotation. Successful completion of the Advanced Camp is a prerequisite for commissioning.
Other Opportunities for Army Nursing Cadets
Nursing students have the opportunity to attend the Nurse Summer Training Program (NSTP) between their junior and senior years in the nursing program. After completing Advanced Camp, nursing students can request to work in an Army hospital for three weeks at locations across the globe, to include Hawaii, Korea, Germany, and in the United States.
Each student will be assigned an Army Nurse Corps officer as their preceptor/instructor to guide them through the nursing process. The student will learn valuable management and leadership skills and have the opportunity to apply them in a health care environment, setting themselves ahead of their peers when they return to campus. The student can request to work in the nursing specialty of their choice.
Students are paid for the three weeks, and all travel and room & board expenses are paid for by the Army.
What Happens After Graduation?
You will have an opportunity to receive a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps. After commissioning, you will attend the Basic Officer Leadership Course at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas, en route to your first clinical assignment as an Army Nurse. Assignments are based on your input of location preference and your performance throughout both the nursing and ROTC programs.
After just one year at your initial assignment, you will have the opportunity to attend a clinical specialty course in one of the following areas: Perioperative Nursing, OB/GYN Nursing, Critical Care Nursing, and Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing. As of 2020, starting annual salary for a 2nd Lieutenant is between $58,000 and $63,000. Army Nursing Officers can expect to make between $96,000 and $99,000 after four years of service, and over $119,000 after ten years of service.
In addition to the salary, Army Nursing Officers receive 30 days of paid vacation per year, have full medical and dental coverage for their entire immediate family, and are eligible for retirement benefits after 20 years of service (retiring at 42 based on the average college graduate’s age).
What is the Service Obligation?
An individual incurs no obligation to the military through application for a scholarship or initial scholarship acceptance. An obligation occurs only at the time that the military begins paying for a student’s education.
Active duty commitment for scholarship students is four years. You then have the choice to exit active duty and complete four years in the Army Reserves or Inactive Ready Reserves. The Army Reserves requires serving as an Army Nurse Corps Officer one weekend a month and for two weeks every summer. Inactive Ready Reserves requires only that your name is placed on a roster for call-up in a national emergency.
For more information or to obtain a scholarship application, ask your high school guidance counselor or visit the Army’s Nursing Program website. You may also contact the Admission and Scholarship Officer at 785-864-1113 or email at KUArmyROTC@ku.edu
University of Kansas School of Nursing
The KU School of Nursing provides a resource-intensive and student-centered environment for every level of a nurse's career, offering bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. We also offer continuing education programs, accelerated curriculum, online classes and an RN to BSN option for registered nurses interested in pursuing advanced degrees, and we are the only university in the region to offer a Ph.D. in nursing. All of our degrees and programs are led by dedicated, award-winning and innovative faculty.
Baker University School of Nursing
Careers with Compassion. For more than two decades, Baker’s School of Nursing has built healthy communities by educating exceptional nurses. In partnership with Stormont Vail Health, a Magnet-designated hospital for nursing excellence in Topeka, Kansas, the bachelor of science in nursing program is known for its rigorous curriculum, early immersion into clinical settings, and outstanding first-time licensure exam pass rates.
University of Saint Mary
Nursing is a dynamic, challenging, and rewarding profession.
At the University of Saint Mary, our CCNE-accredited Bachelor of Science in Nursing program will prepare you to function safely, efficiently, and competently in the generalized nursing field.
Clinical rotations will round out your classroom experience. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree prepares students to value excellence, provide leadership, and foster community within the field of nursing. The department is led by dedicated and professional nursing experts that will provide you the skills necessary to succeed.
Washburn University School of Nursing
Nurses make a difference in people's lives. They help people through difficult circumstances and often when they're at their most vulnerable. When you study nursing at Washburn you'll have the opportunity to prepare for real world nursing through hands-on learning in labs, simulation and clinical experiences.
Whether you're interested in obstetrics, pediatrics, community, emergency department, primary care you'll learn the skills to enhance the experience of care.
