Program Director: COL Steven Kertes, DNP, CRNA

The D.N.P. in Nurse Anesthesia is a U.S. Army affiliated program. The U.S. Army has prepared Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) for nearly 50 years and their students have earned graduate degrees through university-based affiliations since 1981. The U.S. Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing (USAGPAN) produces virtually all active duty CRNAs and has averaged 28 graduates per year for the past ten years. The USAGPAN program is fully accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) and will be included in the LHSON D.N.P. program accreditation currently held by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The USAGPAN historically ranks among the nation’s top nursing anesthesia programs and is currently ranked 8th out of 113 accredited programs by U.S. News & World Report.

The USAGPAN is a rigorous 2-phase 36-month program, with phase 1 consisting of 52 weeks of didactic instruction at the U.S. Medical Center of Excellence (MEDCoE), Joint Base San Antonio, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Phase 2 consists of 97 weeks of didactic and clinical instruction conducted at select Medical Treatment Facilities affiliated with the Army, Department of Defense, Veterans Administration, and private sector. Among the current sites utilized for clinical instruction are Brooke Army Medical Center, Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center, Womack Army Medical Center, Madigan Army Medical Center, Tripler Army Medical Center, and Memphis VA Medical Center. The overall program credit hours total 122 taught by a combined cadre of 37 highly qualified faculty.

The U.S. Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing matriculates Army and VA registered nurses. Graduates of the Baylor-USAGPAN will  serve as Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, CRNAs, in their respective agency. The U.S. Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing students are educated in a manner that encourages independent thought and critical decision-making skills during times of great stress, both physical and emotional. As the sole providers of anesthesia under many circumstances in the Army, CRNAs need to rely on their skills and training to save the lives of soldiers and beneficiaries.

Admission Requirements

Candidates seeking admission to the USAGPAN must meet the following minimum qualifications:

1. BSN or MSN degree from a CCNE, ACEN or NLN CNEA accredited program (U.S. programs only); Official transcripts must be submitted for all degrees and course work
2. GRE within five years: competitive combined score, writing 3.5 required, submit official score reports to Baylor Graduate School, Waco, TX, CEEB code: 6032 or select Baylor University in Waco, Texas in the “Graduate” category
3. BSN or MSN GPA of 3.0 and an overall science GPA of 3.0
4. Undergraduate or graduate statistics course
5. Current Within 5 Years - Undergraduate or graduate course in Biochemistry or Organic Chemistry; online or in-residence programs are accepted (no lab required)
6. At least one year of experience as a Registered Nurse in a critical care setting¹
7. An essay or formal letter on your Goals and Objectives
8. Curriculum Vitae or Resume
9. Letters of recommendation: three required²
10. Interview: Qualified applicants must attend a 2-3-day shadow/interview before August 1st. Coordinated through your Army Medical Recruiter or VA liaison
11. Direct Accessions: Direct Accession Applicants must work with an Active Duty U.S. Army Medical (AMEDD) Recruiter to be considered for an appointment onto active duty. To request an “Active Duty Medical (AMEDD) Recruiter” near you, call (888) 550-2769 or go to: https://www.goarmy.com/locate-a-recruiter.html.

¹

Critical Care experience – As defined by the Council on Accreditation (COA), Critical care experience must be obtained in a critical care area within the United States, the territories, or a U.S. Military hospital outside of the United States. During this experience, the registered nurse is to have developed critical decision making and psychomotor skills, competency in patient assessment, and the ability, to use and interpret advanced monitoring techniques. A critical care area is defined as one where, on a routine basis, the registered professional nurse manages one or more of the following: invasive hemodynamic monitors (such as pulmonary artery catheter, CVP, arterial); cardiac assist devices; mechanical ventilation; and vasoactive drips. The critical care areas are typically intensive care units. Examples of critical care units may include but are not limited to: surgical intensive care, cardiothoracic intensive care, coronary intensive care, medical intensive care, pediatric intensive care, and neonatal intensive care. (COA Standards pg. 35) Those who have experience in other areas may be considered provided they can demonstrate competence with invasive monitoring, ventilators, and critical care pharmacology.

²

Letters of Recommendation, three required – processed through the application portal

1. Supervisor
2. Peer / professional colleague
3. Post Shadow/Interview Letter from CRNA Faculty (sent internally by the writer)

CCRN is preferred, but not required.

Additional Application Details

Transcripts - Official copies required from all schools attended as noted below:

• All degree-earned transcripts
• Transferred coursework applied to Nursing Degree(s) (submit transcript from original school)
  • Electronically sent to Baylor Graduate School at: Grad_Transcripts@baylor.edu, or
  • official copies by U.S. Mail to:
    Baylor University
    Graduate Admissions
    One Bear Place #97264
    Waco, Texas 76798-7264

Direct Accession applicants: Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON) admission is a separate and distinct admission process.  You must be selected for both an Army active duty appointment (Direct Accession) and selected for admission to the USAGPAN program by Baylor University LHSON.

Curriculum

The sequence for the program is:

Plan of Study Grid

Phase 1/Year 1
Summer		Hours
MNUR 6411	Biochemistry for Nurse Anesthesia	4
MNUR 6612	Advanced Anatomy and Physiology I for Nurse Anesthesia	6
MNUR 6513	Advanced Pharmacology for Nurse Anesthesia I	5
MNUR 6321	Health Care Informatics	3
	Hours	18
Fall
MNUR 6514	Advanced Anatomy and Physiology II for Nurse Anesthesia	5
MNUR 6631	Introductory Concepts and Principles of Anesthesia Practice	6
MNUR 6422	Research and Statistical Methods	4
MNUR 6132	Clinical Concepts of Nurse Anesthesia Practice I	1
MNUR 6233	Regional Anesthesia and Point of Care Ultrasound I	2
	Hours	18
Spring
MNUR 6415	Advanced Pharmacology for Nurse Anesthesia 2	4
MNUR 6735	Anesthesia for Surgical Procedures and Special Populations	7
MNUR 6434	Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnosis	4
MNUR 6323	Research Evidence into Practice	3
MNUR 6136	Clinical Concepts for Nurse Anesthesia II	1
MNUR 6237	Regional Anesthesia and Ultrasound Science 2	2
	Hours	21
Phase 2/Year 2
Summer
MNUR 6344	Leadership in Advanced Practice Nursing	3
MNUR 6371	DNP Scholarly Project 1 (Design and Ethical Consideration of Practice Application)	3
	Hours	6
Fall
MNUR 6342	Healthcare Management	3
MNUR 6V01	Clinical Practicum and Role Development 1	11
	Hours	14
Spring
MNUR 6341	Professional Aspects of Nursing Anesthesia	3
MNUR 6343	Health Policy and Law	3
MNUR 6V02	Clinical Practicum and Role Development 2	11
	Hours	17
Phase 2/Year 3
Summer
MNUR 6372	DNP Scholarly Project 2 (Applying Practice Knowledge Implementation/Outcomes)	3
	Hours	3
Fall
MNUR 6V03	Clinical Practicum and Role Development 3	11
MNUR 6373	DNP Scholarly Project 3 (Dissemination of Practice Inquiry)	3
	Hours	14
Spring
MNUR 6V04	Clinical Practicum and Role Development 4	11
	Hours	11
	Total Hours	122