The window for active-duty enlisted airman to apply to become nurses and earn their commissions as second lieutenants has opened, the Air Force said in a release Friday.

Airmen have until Feb. 21, 2020, to submit their applications — including video interviews — to the Nurse Enlisted Commissioning Program, the Air Force said. The applications should be submitted through myPers, which will have instructions for the video interview and questions.

“Qualified, dedicated nurses are critical to the military and civilian communities,” said Master Sgt. Michael McCabe, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Nurse Career Management Branch at the Air Force Personnel Center. “Candidates go through screening to identify those who are ready for the responsibility and highly likely to succeed in the school and career field.”

Under this program, enlisted airmen can earn a baccalaureate degree in nursing at a college or university that has an Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps detachment, or that has a cross-town agreement with a nearby school that has an ROTC program. Applicants attend school in residence, year-round, for up to 24 consecutive months, including summer sessions.

The selection board is scheduled for late April, the Air Force said. Airmen who are selected by this board will start their school in fall 2020.

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After completing their degrees, passing the National Council Licensure Examination and receiving their nursing licenses, airmen will be commissioned. They will then attend Commissioned Officer Training and the Nurse Transition Program and move to a final assignment location.

The requirement to submit a video interview with an airman’s completed application is new this year, the release said.

To be eligible, the release said, an applicant must be a U.S. citizen and have attained the rank of at least airman first class. The applicant should have no more than 10 years total active federal service as of July 30, 2020, although the Air Force could grant a waiver. And an applicant must meet time-on-station and retainability requirements, possess current security clearances and be qualified to serve anywhere in the world. To qualify, candidates must be able to complete the requirements to be commissioned by age 42.

Also this year, the Air Force has tightened the rules so that fewer candidates will be interviewed. Chief nurses now will only interview candidates who have been confirmed as eligible.

“In the past, airmen could schedule an interview before confirmation of eligibility,” McCabe said. “This year, the team here will verify package completion and eligibility, then notify both the airman and chief nurse at that location that they may proceed with the interview.”

Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.

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