NURSE ENLISTED COMMISSIONING PROGRAM (NECP) MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs) Q. Can I get an age waiver? A. No, the scholarship is restricted to individuals who can complete 20 years of service at the time of commissioning, thus the requirement to be commissioned by the age of 42. Note: 10 years of commissioned service is required to retire as an officer. Q. How many times a year can I turn in my package and when will board results be available? A. The board is held annually in May. Refer to the NECP Guidelines posted on the Air Force Medical Service (AFMS) Knowledge Exchange for application procedures and timelines: Q. Are any AFSC/SEIs ineligible? https://kx.afms.mil/afnurseeducation A. No; however we require release from the career field functional manager if in a critical AFSC or received a selective re-enlistment bonus (SRB). Q. How many students per year is NECP going to select? A. 30-50. Q. Is there a Time on Station (TOS) requirement? A. Yes, CONUS applicants must have 12 months TOS at board date (non-waiverable). Q. At what point do those with a DEROS apply? A. Overseas applicants serving on a short tour must have 9 months TOS prior to their projected school start date. Overseas long tour applicants must complete the standard tour length for assigned location as of same date less the allowable 60-day roll-back. Q. Is AFOQTS a requirement? A. No. Q. Am I eligible to apply for this program if I have an assignment limitation code? A. Perhaps; but all applicants must be eligible for unrestricted, worldwide duty.
Q. Am I eligible if I ve already been identified for retraining? A. Depending on when you apply, you may or may not be eligible. If you apply for NECP prior to Phase I of NCORP, notify AFPC of your application and submit your NCORP package. If subsequently selected for NECP, you will be released from NCORP. If NCORP begins and you are on the NCORP list, you may apply for NECP during Phase I. However, you must submit a Phase I package and notify AFPC of your application. If selected for NECP, you will be released from NCORP. You may not apply at all if you are on the Phase II list. Recommendation: If you want to apply for NECP and you are on the NCORP Phase I list, your best option would be to volunteer for retraining in Phase I. Doing nothing in Phase I will negate any chance of release from NCORP. Q. Will IDMT school take precedence over NECP? A. Contact your career field manager, however once trained as an IDMT you are required to serve 3 years as an IDMT. After 3 years you are eligible for NECP. Q. If I accepted an initial enlistment bonus and my career field is currently critically undermanned am I ineligible? A. Contact your AFPC functional manager to determine eligibility Q. I was not selected for AECP. Will I be automatically considered for NECP? A. No. AFROTC will send AFPC/DPAMN the list of nursing AECP non-selects. However AECP is required to keep the packages on file, therefore you must also submit an application to AFPC/DPAMN to be considered for NECP. Q. How do I get a Data Verification Brief (DVB)? A. Print one from the vmpf. Q. Does Personnel Reliability Program (PRP) decertification make me ineligible for the NECP? Is there a waiver that can be submitted with the package? The answer to this is dependent on the cause of the decertification. There may be relatively minor conditions that lead to disqualification what would not negatively affect eligibility. On the other hand, there may be quite severe conditions, those that lead to MEB, which would make you ineligible.
Q. Can I apply to schools that have only Army ROTC? A. No, NECP students are required to attend a school that has an AFROTC Detachment. Students can also attend a school that has a cross-town agreement with the school that hosts an AFROTC Detachment. Call the school to inquire. For example, the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio has a cross-town agreement with the University of Texas San Antonio. Typically, this means you will be enrolled as a full time student at of the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, but your AFROTC Detachment will be at the University of Texas San Antonio campus. Q. How does join spouse affect me? A. If you are selected you will go to the location where you ve been accepted into a nursing program. Join spouse will be a secondary consideration. The needs of the AF will take precedence. Q. What is the limit on tuition the AF will pay per year? Can the military member pay out-of-pocket to make up the difference? A. NECP student scholarships cover tuition/fees up to $15,000 per year in addition to an annual textbook allowance of $600 - the same as AECP. We cannot authorize students using (Montgomery) G.I. Bill if tuition exceeds $15,000. ROTC controls disbursement and payments by contract to schools, so personal monies cannot be used. Q. Member is an E-3; can he apply for a rank waiver? A. Member must be an E-4 by board date or at any time during the board month. Documentation will have to be provided from the Commander as to actual promotion date to E4. Q. What will my pay be while in school? A. Students selected for NECP who haven t achieved E-5 will be paid E-5 grade pay. All others will be paid pay in accordance with their current grade. All members in the NECP program continue to accrue time in service and if selected for promotion to the next higher grade, will be able to do so at the appropriate time. Once member graduates and successfully passes the licensure examination then the member will receive their commission.
Q. Can I get a waiver for prerequisites? What if the school of nursing that I m accepted to does not require the course? What if I can show I can complete the course in the 24 months of training along with all other requirements? A. Yes, waivers will be considered. Prerequisites were developed after reviewing curriculum requirements at seven accredited school of nursing university programs. Our goal was to identify common course requirements for acceptance into nursing programs. We realize not all nursing programs will require this set of prerequisites. Your training plan must demonstrate ability to complete program requirements in 24 months. We will consider the feasibility of your proposed plan and we will verify with your school program if necessary. You must provide documentation that the school does not require a particular prerequisite. Q. What is the GPA requirement? A. Minimum GPA requirement is 2.75 on a 4.0 scale. Acceptance to an accredited school of nursing and a training plan demonstrating ability to complete in 24 months or less is required. You are required to maintain a 3.0 GPA in your program. If your GPA falls to a 2.50 or less you will be placed on academic probation as specified by the ROTC Detachment Commander. Q. According to the NECP guidelines Students will have no more than 24 months to complete their BSN and obtain their nursing license. I was doing my plan of study last night and based on my school curriculum it will take me 24 months to get a bachelor s degree but not including the completion of the licensure examination. Will this prevent me from being qualified for NECP? Is it possible to get a waiver from this rule? A. Upon review of your training plan, the selection board will determine if it is reasonable for you to complete your BSN and licensure examination in the required amount of time. We anticipate enough flexibility in NECP to ensure you have time to complete the licensure examination. No need to submit a waiver. Q. Do I need to take classes in the summer while I m in this program? A. Yes, this is full-time training Q. Do I start school fall 2010 or spring 2011? A. Fiscal year (FY) school starts are attached to FY funding. NECP allows fall starts only.
Q. Can I be selected but deferred based on acceptance into a school of nursing? For example, I am selected by the board in May but since I m accepted for the following spring semester is that ok? A. No. Due to budget constraint and man-year accounting issues, we will no longer allow Spring starts for NECP. Q. I want to apply for an accelerated (18 month) nursing program is that acceptable, or do I have to apply to the traditional program BSN program? A. Approval for accelerated programs is granted on a case-by-case basis. Although you have the option to apply to the accelerated program, we do not recommend it. Nursing curriculum is rigorous and based on feedback from current students in accelerated programs; they would have preferred the 24-month program. Q. I am thinking of applying for an entry level master s in nursing (MSN) program since I already have a non-nursing bachelor's degree. Would I be still eligible to apply through the NECP? A. Yes, if you can complete the program in 24 months and the tuition is within the tuition cap you may apply. MSN program requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. If your program cannot be completed in 24 months or is over the tuition cap an alternative for you is to separate and apply for a 3-year Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) offered through the Air Force Recruiting Service. Another alternative is to apply for the Air Force Educational Leave of Absence (AFELA) program and utilize your G.I. Bill benefits. Your Base Education office can provide additional information on AFELA. Q. If I already have a bachelor s degree am I ineligible for this program? A. No, your other bachelor's degree does not make you ineligible for NECP. If you have an acceptance letter from an accredited 4-year school of nursing program, and the required prerequisites, you will be an ideal candidate. Q. I have a higher level psychology class than introductory level, can I use that to meet the requirement? A. Yes. Q. The nursing school that I plan to attend told me that I will be given a "Conditional Letter" after my evaluation has been processed. I will not be given an acceptance letter until after the board meets. Will the "Conditional Letter" meet the requirements until I receive the actual letter? A. Yes, your application will be considered with a conditional letter of acceptance.
A. I have had my RN (Associate Degree in Nursing) license for 9 years now, would that be taken into consideration for time-in-grade? A. Yes, constructive credit is given for clinical practice as an RN, AFI 36-2005, Appointment in Commissioned Grades and Designation and Assignment in Professional Categories Reserve of the Air Force and United States Air Force, 15 May 2003, can be referenced for constructive credit calculation. Q. If my prerequisites are older than 5 years do I need to retake them to be eligible? A. Not necessarily, if an accredited school of nursing accepts the prerequisite(s) regardless of the date, then it is acceptable for NECP. The school of nursing must confirm that they will accept and grant credit for these classes toward their degree on the AFROTC IMT Form 48. Q. Do the nursing schools accept Excelsior (online nursing) classes? A. This varies with each school. Contact the college or university for specific information. Q. Must I apply for a BSN or can I apply for an Associate s Degree in Nursing (ADN)? A. You must apply for the BSN. Commission into the AF NC requires BSN. Q. Once I graduate from college, who pays for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) to become a registered nurse? A. The NCLEX is paid for by the member. This is in accordance with AFI 44-119, Medical Quality Operations, 24 Sep 2007, para. 4.3: Obtaining and maintaining a license or other authorizing documents to practice is the professional and personal responsibility of each healthcare professional, regardless of whether they are functioning in a clinical, non-clinical or administrative role. Q. What is the ADSC following training? A. The ADSC is four (4) years in accordance with AFI 36-2107, Active Duty Service Commitments, 22 Apr 2005, Table 1.2, Health Professions Officers ADSC, Rule 14, Military Physician Assistant Training and Nurse Enlisted Commissioning Program (NECP). Rule 14 further stipulates that members who withdraw or eliminate incur an ADSC of 2 years or the length of time in training, whichever is greater, not to exceed the ADSC for program completion. Time spent in the educational or training program cannot be used to satisfy any existing ADSC and members serve this ADSC after fulfilling all previously existing ADSCs. NOTE: Revision/update to AFI 36-2107 is currently in coordination
Q. Is this program available to Reservists or ANG? A. No, this is an active duty program only. Contact CMSgt John Harrison for Reserve program information (john.harrison@afrc.af.mil) or contact SMSgt Jerilyn Farrar for ANG program information (jerilyn.farrar@ang.af.mil). Q. I m an officer interested in crossing into nursing. Can I apply? A. No, this is an enlisted commissioning program. We are researching the possibility of retraining for officers in light of the current force shaping initiatives and the nursing shortage, but currently we do not have a program.