New nursing program needs Airmen Published Aug. 24, 2007 By Tyler Hemstreet Staff writer MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- The Air Force's Nursing Enlisted Commissioning Program is looking to fill 50 slots with Airmen who want to complete their bachelor's degree in nursing in two years or less. The new program, which awards up to $15,000 in scholarship money to those who qualify, has already filled slots for those who will start classes in the fall, but a second board has been assembled to fill the 50 slots for classes in the spring. Airmen thinking about applying for the program should have completed most or all of their prerequisite nursing classes before submitting an application, said education counselor Bruce Houseman, 62nd Mission Support Squadron. "The course will cover upper division classes, and it will be very intense for the person going through the program," Mr. Houseman said. "They'll be going to school full time -- even in the summer." Staff Sgt. Aline Ulloa, 62nd Operations Group, has already been accepted into the program. Sergeant Ulloa has been taking a full class load and working full time for the last year in order to complete all the prerequisites for the program. "For the past few years I've wanted to get into an enlisted program to get my nursing degree, and I've been working at it for a while," Sergeant Ulloa said. Sergeant Ulloa said she was filled with joy when she heard she had been accepted into the program. She will finish her prerequisites Oct. 1, then take a much-needed break until January. Afterwards she will start the NECP at Troy State University in Alabama where she will also be enrolled in the school's ROTC program. "I'm so excited that I just get to go to school, and I don't have to worry about finances because I'll still be active duty," Sergeant Ulloa said. The deadline for those interested in submitting an application for the NECP is Sept. 24. For more information, call 982-3149.