A couple of our nursing Cadets were featured on the university’s Inside EWU webpage for their efforts to help administer the COVID-19 vaccine to the public in the Spokane area. Here is an excerpt:
A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, Eastern Washington University students continue to show they are Eagle Strong by supporting the ongoing and ever changing public health efforts. EWU ROTC nursing cadets are taking action to help our region recover by administering vaccines to educators and volunteering at vaccine sites. [Inside EWU]
You can read more at the link, but we appreciate the university reporter Miranda Reed for reaching out and writing the article about our outstanding nursing Cadets. EWU Army ROTC offers nursing scholarships to incoming and current students at Eastern. If you are looking to become a health care professional while serving your country and making an impact locally consider enrolling into an ROTC course. More details about our nursing program and the scholarships available can be read at the below link. Eagle Strong!
This week the Eastern Washington University (EWU) Army ROTC battalion conducted a contracting ceremony for Cadet (CDT) Olivia Roble. CDT Roble is a second year Cadet at EWU who is originally from Auburn, Washington. In high school CDT Roble applied for an Army ROTC National Scholarship to help her achieve her dream of becoming a nurse. CDT Roble was selected for a National Scholarship that will pay for four of the five years required for a nursing degree. After finishing her first year at EWU, she became eligible this year to contract into the U.S. Army and activate her scholarship benefits.
EWU Army ROTC Cadet Olivia Roble, (right) prepares to take the Oath of Enlistment administered by Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Stafford (left).
During the ceremony Cadet Roble was given the Oath of Enlistment by Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Stafford, the Professor of Military Science for the EWU Army ROTC program.
EWU Army ROTC Cadet, Olivia Roble takes the Oath of Enlistment.
The contracting ceremony was a special moment for CDT Roble since her dad, a retired Coast Guard veteran was on hand for the event. After taking the Oath of Enlistment, her father placed the EWU patch on her right shoulder sleeve signifying her as being a contracted Cadet.
EWU Army ROTC Cadet, Olivia Roble receives a hug from her father after contracting into the U.S. Army to become a nurse.
Contracting into Army ROTC activated CDT Roble’s scholarship benefits which include:
Full tuition and mandatory fees (or $10,000 annually for room & board)
$1,200 annually for books and supplies
A monthly stipend of $420
Ability to apply for Army sponsored internships
Opportunity to attend advanced military training
EWU Army ROTC Cadet, Oliva Roble (center) is contracted for contracting into the Army by fellow Cadets, Cierra Neumann (left) and Isabell Pannell (right).
Cadet Roble is part of the largest Army ROTC nursing program in Washington State and the Inland Northwest. If you want to become a future Army nurse like Cadet Roble, EWU ROTC can help get you there. We have scholarships available to qualified applicants. You can read more about how to become an Army nurse by clicking the below tab or contacting the Army ROTC office at rotc@ewu.edu .
A couple of our Eastern Washington University (EWU) Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Cadets were featured this week on the official Army website. Cadets Sarah Mullen and Josiah Bryan were featured in an article about their nursing internships this summer:
EWU ROTC Cadet Sarah Mullen during her internship at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
Summers during college usually invoke images of beaches, seeing old friends, or perhaps even working a summer job. As members of Eastern Washington University’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and Nursing program, summers are much different, much more challenging, and much more rewarding.
Cadets Sarah Mullen and Josiah Bryan successfully completed the U.S. Army’s Nurse Summer Training Program (NSTP) at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and the William Beaumont Army Medical Center. NSTP is a competitive internship program where Cadets train with Army Nurse Corps Officers in Military Medical Centers, giving them work experience unlike any other, and usually their first exposure of working in a military medical facility. These experiences serve as an introduction to military healthcare, practices, organizational structures, and other nuanced cultural aspects not typically seen in civilian hospitals. [Army.mil]
You can read the rest at the link, but nursing is currently our top degree program within EWU ROTC. For anyone looking for more information about our Army nursing program I highly recommend clicking the link below:
Finally, thank you to our EWU ROTC Assistant Professor of Military Science, Captain Colton Crawford for writing the article and the Cadet Command Public Affairs Office for selecting it for publication.
One of our top degree programs in the Eastern Washington University (EWU) ROTC battalion is nursing. Due to the high number of nursing Cadets, the Fighting Eagle Battalion is one of the few ROTC units that commissions Army nurses. While discussing an Army nursing career with prospective students a question that often comes up is what are the benefits or Army nursing compared to pursuing a civilian nursing career?
Being an Army nurse or a civilian nurse are both extremely rewarding career paths, but when comparing the benefits, being an Army nurse does have some major advantages. Besides the financial support the ROTC program provides to nursing students, the Army also provides superior pay and benefits when compared to a civilian nursing career. When Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is included an Army nurse generally has high starting pay. You can research the BAH rate for different Army locations at this link. The Army also provides a robust retirement package that features a fixed pension, a 401k like program, and lump sum options when servicemembers become full retirement eligible after 20 years of service. See the below chart for a full comparison of Army and civilian nursing careers.
Army Nurse
Civilian Nurse
Starting Pay
$61,255.08
-1/3rd non-taxable!
$69,830.40
-Income fully taxed
Pay After 4 years
$100,375.28
-1/3rd non-taxable!
$92,196.00 (average)
-Income fully taxed
Retirement
Eligible for pension of 40% of base pay at 20 years of service. Pension of ~$50,000 begins immediately upon retirement from military service (based on 2022 data). Government matching up to 5% of contributions from base pay into the Thrift Savings Plan (similar to 401k). Also eligible for Social Security at age 62.
Social Security eligible at 62 or older. Possible hospital 401k plan, but cannot draw benefits until 55 or older and there isn't a guarantee of returns on investments.
Pay Raise
Automatic annually until 4 years. Automatic every two years after. No negotiation or actions required.
Determined by hospital
Paid Leave
30 days per year
14 days per year
Paid Sick Leave
Unlimited
Limited
Medical/Dental
Free
Possible discounted rate depending on hospital
Moving Expenses
Free
At own expense
Facilities
Free access to golf course, large gyms, shopping mall without sales tax, commissary (grocery store) with reduced prices, etc.
Facilities paid at own expense
Life Insurance
$400,000 term policy for $27 a month
At own expense
Job Security
Keep rank and seniority no matter where you move
Seniority could be lost if moving to another hospital
Travel
Opportunity to be stationed around the US and internationally
Limited to the US
Something that can’t be quantified is the feeling of service to the United States and the high level of leadership training Army officers receive. If Army nursing is something that interests you, please review our EWU ROTC nursing webpage for more information about our program.
Two of our outstanding Eastern Washington University ROTC nursing cadets were featured this week on the official US Army website Army.mil. An excerpt from the article can be read below:
Cadet Hayley Primm, from Eastern Washington University in Korea.
Cheney, Wash — When someone asks Candace Madriaga and Hayley Primm what they did over the summer, the two Eastern Washington University (EWU) Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Cadets can enthusiastically say that they had a summer very different from their fellow college students.
That is because both Cadets participated in the Army’s Nurse Summer Training Program (NSTP). The NSTP only accepts the top ROTC applicants to complete a four-week training event where Cadets are assigned to Army hospitals throughout the U.S. and overseas. The NSTP introduces Cadets to the Army Medical Department (AMEDD) and to the roles and responsibilities of an Army Nurse Corps Officer.
Under the supervision of an experienced Army nurse, the Cadets obtain invaluable hands-on experience. This one-on-one experience allows them to hone their clinical skills, develop their problem-solving techniques, and become comfortable with developing their professional skills as a member of the U.S. Army Healthcare Team. [Army.mil]
The rest of the article can be read at the above link, but the EWU ROTC program places Nurses into the Army each year. As a general rule, EWU ROTC Nurse Cadets complete their first two to three years of nursing and ROTC pre-requisites on Eastern’s Cheney campus. Nursing Cadets then complete their final two years at the Washington State University College of Nursing in downtown Spokane. The WSU College of Nursing reserves seats in each class for EWU ROTC nurses that achieve their admissions standards.
Cadet Candace Madriaga pictured on the right with her nursing mentor at Madigan Army Medical Center.
More about EWU ROTC’s nursing program can be read at the below link:
Finally great job by our Assistant Professor of Military Science, Captain Greg Benjamin for writing, submitting, and then having his article selected for publication on Army.mil.
World War II 
