The Nurse Summer Training Program (NSTP) is a clinical elective offered at Army hospitals in the United States and Germany. NSTP is a paid elective attended during the summer between the junior and senior year of college. It gives you the opportunity to develop both your leadership and nursing skills. It will introduce you to the Army Medical Department and the roles and responsibilities of an Army Nurse Corps officer.
You'll report to an Army hospital for clinical training, working in areas like medical-surgical wards, intensive care units, and emergency departments. Emphasis is placed on hands-on experience. You'll be supervised by your preceptor, an experienced Army Nurse Corps officer who will work with you one-on-one throughout the training.
You'll receive clinical experience in such areas as patient assessment, the planning of patient care, nutrition maintenance and feeding techniques, range of motion and mobility, medication administration, emergency procedures, and special techniques such as intravenous (IV) therapy and colostomy care.
Regular coaching sessions are scheduled to help you evaluate your progress, develop problem-solving techniques, and discuss individual learning needs. NSTP will provide you a brief preview of the real world of nursing, develop your professional skills, and give you valuable insights into your own abilities and what will be expected of you as a professional nurse.