The Navy Nurse Candidate Program selects only 60 nursing students a year, and Michaela Dwyer, a rising senior at Immaculata University, is among the elite students selected this year. From Glenside in Montgomery County, she has been thinking about the program since her high school days at Bishop McDevitt.

After completing the lengthy application process, conducting interviews, and passing the MEPS (the extensive military physical), she finds herself excited and prepared.

With such a small percentage of students accepted into the program, Dwyer’s dedication to her studies is already paying off.

“Ever since my freshman year, I knew nursing came first and nothing else can get in the way of that,” she said.

When Dwyer graduates in May 2021 with her B.S.N. and passes the NCLEX-RN (the nurse licensing exam), she will attend Officer Development School in Rhode Island for five weeks. Because she will have earned a bachelor’s degree, she will automatically be an active duty commissioned officer with the Navy. Once she completes five weeks of officer training, she will head to a nurse duty station, where she will hone her skills in the medical-surgical unit for four years.

From there, she can select a specialty and stay stateside, deploy overseas, or serve on one of two Navy hospital ships. Although she has time to decide, she is leaning toward overseas service or working on a hospital ship.

If she becomes a career Navy nurse, Dwyer can further her nursing career and can train in a particular medical specialty. She is considering a future career as a nurse practitioner with a specialty in pediatric, emergency, or psychological care. According to Dwyer, critical care nursing is a vital specialty for the Navy — working with veterans and active duty military members and their families.

She is gaining experience, which includes her recent clinicals at the VA Medical Center in Coatesville and at Saint Christopher’s Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia. She recognizes that she learns best in a clinical environment and is grateful for the excellent education she has received at Immaculata.

“I am thankful every day that I picked Immaculata because it does give you the individual attention. You’re not just a number,” she said. “And everyone here wants to see you succeed – classmates, professors, everyone.”

“I am so proud of Michaela for being one of only 60 students chosen for the Navy Nursing Program,” said Dr. Sharon Barnes, assistant professor of nursing at Immaculata. “Michaela’s strong work ethic and wonderful personality will serve her well in the program and throughout her career.”

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