US Army Nursing Anesthesia Program

The US Army Nursing Anesthesia Program was ranked # 1 in 2011, and offers free tuition in exchange for a 4.5 year active duty commitment upon graduation.

US Army Nursing CRNA Program

U.S. Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing
MCCS-HGE-NA / AMEDDC&S (ATTN: Anesthesia Branch)
3490 Forage Road
Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234

Contact Information
Joseph C O'Sullivan, CRNA, PhD, Program Director Academy of Health Sciences
MG Russell J Czerw, Major General, Commander, AMEDDC&S
ph: (210) 295-4769
fax: (210) 295-5164
email: joseph.osullivan@amedd.army.mil

Quick Facts

CRNA Degree offered
Master of Science in Nursing Anesthesia

Program Length
30 months

Credit Hours
60 semester hours for the didactic portion, 44 for the clinical practicum.

Starting Month
June

Application Deadline
July 1. Please note that Northeastern University admission selection is a separate and distinct application process. You must apply to both Northeastern University and the US Army nursing anesthesia program.

Cost of CRNA School at the US Army Graduate Program

Cost of Tuition:
*4.5 years of Active Duty Service Obligation (ADSO) upon graduation.

*If you worked in the VA hospital system before you were admitted to the CRNA program, you may return to a VA hospital upon graduation rather than serve on active duty.

In addition to receiving a full time salary as an Army officer, the army will pay for 100% of your tuition, books and supplies, and all travel expenses associated with off-site clinical experiences.

Upon graduation, you will receive both Board Certification Pay ($2,000 per year) as well as Incentive Specialty Pay ($15,000 per year) in addition to your normal pay and benefits. (These benefits will last for the duration of your 4.5 year commitment and will increase if you choose to extend your commitment beyond 4.5 years).

Class Size
Roughly 35-50

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CRNA Training

The primary goal of the US Army Nursing Anesthesia Graduate Program is to ensure that graduate nurse anesthetist are qualified to deploy in time of war, civil disorder, natural disaster or for humanitarian missions.

Realize that you are on active duty the moment you report for training and receive full salary and benefits commiserate to your rank. Active duty is a full-time commitment.

Phase 1 is 51 weeks long, is purely didactic and is presented in Fort Sam Houston Texas. Phase 2 is administered at 1 of 8 military hospitals (7 army and 1 air force) and 1 Veterans Administration hospitals. It consists of 73 weeks didactic and clinical experience.

Through the US Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing, students are instructed in a manner that encourages independent thought and critical decision-making during times of great stress, both physical and emotional. As the sole providers of anesthesia under many circumstances in the Army, nurse anesthetists have to rely on their skills and training, in consultation with the surgeons, to save soldiers’ lives.

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Program Requirements

Looking for something specific? Find CRNA schools categorized by their unique requirements.

Some CRNA schools require much more out of their applicants than others. See how the requirements at Hamot Medical Center Nurse Anesthesia School compare to most CRNA school’s requirements.

CRNA Program Requirements

Bachelor degree requirement
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

GPA:
Recommended overall GPA of 3.0 for the last 60 credit hours completed

Minimum GRE scores:
GRE within five years: Combined recommended score (verbal and quantitative) of at least 1000, on new version of GRE (295 any combination), plus score of 3.5 or higher on writing component.

CRNA Educational Requirements

Statistics
Biochemistry OR Organic Chemistry

Additional Requirements for Civilian Reservists

If you are a civilian or reservist, there is no "time on station" requirement because you will enter active duty specifically to attend the CRNA program. All requirements for your active duty appointment must be completed prior to the date you enter active duty (usually by February of the year school begins).
At least one full year of acute care experience but critical care experience is preferred.
You must meet the requirements for accession onto active duty as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps (see your nearest health care recruiter to find out what these requirements are). If you don’t meet the requirements for active duty, you may fail to be accepted, even if you meet all of the requirements for admission into the anesthesia program.

Additional Requirements for Active Duty Applicants

Two years "time on station" by date that PCS (Permanent Change of Station) is required.
Active duty applicants with at least one year experience in an acute care setting may be considered for admission contingent upon completing a distance learning didactic program and a structured critical care training program of approximately three months duration (usually conducted at an Army Medical Center).

US Army Nursing Anesthesia Program Website

CRNA School Performance

CRNA School Rankings - U.S. News & World Report (2011)
4.0 out of 5.0. Ranked #1 out of 107 CRNA programs.

*Please note: CRNA rankings are bias and subjective. Read disclaimer about how CRNA rankings are created.*

Accredited CRNA Programs are reviewed regularly.
US Army Nursing Anesthesia Program was last reviewed 05/2001. It was given 10 years accreditation and will be reviewed again 05/2011. This shows that the program is very stable.

CRNA Salaries

An average nurse anesthetist salary in Texas
Texas CRNA salaries are about the same as the national average and range from $140k-170k per year.

An average annual nurse anesthetist salary in the US is $163,467 (according to a 2008 study)