MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.--Nearly 100 Sailors from all over Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton attended the Enlisted to Officer Symposium held at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 19.

The event was hosted by the hospital's Nursing Professional Development Committee to help any enlisted Sailor wanting to become an officer, both in medical and non-medical fields. Stations were set up with officers, who were prior enlisted, to answer questions and give tips about how to apply for the various commissioning programs that the Navy has available.

"Applying to become a Naval officer can be a daunting process for many enlisted Sailors and we wanted to help with that," said Lt. Tabitha Shannon, a Navy nurse and organizer of the symposium. "We wanted to help them gain insight into different commissioning routes and build confidence to apply."

Petty Officer 2nd Class Elizabeth Brea, a hospital corpsman in the NHCP Patient Administration Department, attended the symposium to find out more about becoming a nurse through the Medical Enlisted Commissioning Program. "Although I'm familiar with the instruction and sample folders, I learned about many more resources available to help me with my application process," said Brea. "Now I just have to take the first step for the rest of my career."

Petty Officer 2nd Class Anderson Miller, a religious program specialist with Combat Logistics Regiment-15, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, came to learn about the Sailor to Admiral-21 Program and to get some guidance on how to become an intelligence officer. "I learned about how to put together my package and some of the things that the boards look for during the selection process. The chance to talk with these officer's was a big help."

Also in attendance were two medical officer recruiters from Navy Recruiting District San Diego who had both also been prior enlisted. "Not only can we share our own personal experience of going through one of these programs, but as recruiters we have the latest knowledge on availability, incentives, pays and timelines of the different programs," said Lt. Cmdr. Derrick LeBeau, a Nurse Corps officer and medical officer recruiter at NRD San Diego. "I wish that someone had set up an event like this when I was a young Sailor. It would have made deciding what I wanted to do with my career much easier. And that's what I've seen today, that many of these young Sailors may not be ready to sign the dotted line, but they now have the knowledge to prepare them for the future."

Lt. Shannon and the NPDC are planning on doing more events like this in the future. In addition, they are coordinating with the NHCP Command Career Counselor to have some smaller, more focused sessions.

Anyone who missed the symposium and would like more information about becoming an officer can read OPNAVINST 1420.1B or contact the NHCP CCC office at (760) 725-1523.


For more news from Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, visit www.navy.mil/.