I'm really interested in nursing as a career, but I'm also considering attending the Naval Academy. Does the academy offer any programs or support that would let me study nursing while I'm there?
At the United States Naval Academy (USNA), the focus is primarily on technical majors with heavy emphasis in science, mathematics, or engineering disciplines. While the Academy doesn't currently offer a specific nursing program, they do offer a comprehensive "Underserved Communities Systems Support" major, which could potentially be paired with off-campus coursework for someone interested in healthcare.
After you graduate, if you're interested in pursuing nursing further, there are routes through the Naval commissioning program that can set you on path to become a nurse. The Navy has the Medical Service Corps In-service Procurement Program which assists enlisted members in earning a commission as a nurse. Typically, the way it works is that after serving your commitment to the Navy upon graduation from the Naval Academy, you can apply to college nursing programs as a civilian, or you could apply to military-sponsored graduate medical education programs.
Remember, though, that the primary purpose of the Naval Academy is to prepare midshipmen to become officers in the U.S. Navy or Marine Corps, so while you could certainly take classes related to healthcare and work in a healthcare-focused field post-graduation, the focus throughout your time at the Academy is going to be on broader leadership, discipline, and technical skills relevant to serving in the Navy or Marine Corps.
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