CRNA school Army vs. Navy

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I'm a 30yo ICU nurse originally an ASN about to finish my BSN in the next few weeks. I'm strongly considering joining the military for the Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing. I've submitted information to be contacted by a recruiter. I don't have a military background. Does anyone know if the Army is the only branch that offers this program? For example, can you join the program and decide you would like to serve in the Navy and not the Army?

From what I know, the benefits of the program are great. You're salaried. It's a top program for preparation and it's paid for when you commit to 5 years of active duty. My alternative would be entering a civilian program, getting massive student loans, and entering an inferior and longer program (this is a DNP program in 30 months vs a Masters civilian program in 28 months).

Would I be able to adopt a child while in the program? If I'm married, can my spouse be deployed to at least a nearby area with me? While I'm in school, are there additional Army specific trainings/assignments/activities that I would have to complete or do I just go to school as a "civilian" and don't get into the Army stuff until I'm assigned to active duty?

I've got a lot of questions. If anyone that has been through the program or is in the program could respond, that would be greatly helpful. Thank you

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

Have you checked the USAGPAN website? It will answer many of your questions: USAGPAN

If you apply via Direct Commission as a civilian, you will commission into the Army and be an Army officer, not another branch of service. I went to Officer Basic with several people starting USAGPAN as Direct Commissions with ICU backgrounds. The program is VERY intense. I wouldn't suggest big life changes like adoption while in the program.

Is your spouse military?

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

Each military branch has NA training programs. The Army and the AF both now have direct entry programs to NA school for civilian applicants. All of the military programs are 36 months in length and you graduate with your DNP. Any civilian NA program that offers a doctorate should be at least 36 months also.

You will need to put as much of your social life on hold as possible during school. While in school,through a military program, that will be your full-time job you will move to school for the classroom portion and then move again for the clinical portion of NA school. Your family can move with you both times.

Your family does not go with you on deployments.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
The Army and the AF both now have direct entry programs to NA school for civilian applicants.

Do you have a link to the AF program that is via direct commission? I've only ever seen the info that's on USAGPAN for active duty AF to apply, not civilians.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
Do you have a link to the AF program that is via direct commission? I've only ever seen the info that's on USAGPAN for active duty AF to apply, not civilians.

This is a brand new program. It is about 2-3 months old. I don't know if any civilians even made into this next class. LtCol Alan Todd the clinical site director at USUHS is the one I heard from. USAF healthcare recruiters should be able to give civilians interested in the program more information.

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Thank you for the responses. I understand I'll be putting my social life on hold. NA school seems intense enough as it is and adding the military to it would only make it more so. Financially, it's kind of a no brainer. The training will be amazing and even the discipline is something that I would benefit from. The two biggest things holding me back are relinquishing control of the destinations of my life 8 years and the culture shock of a military setting. Fortunately or unfortunately (from a developmental point of view), I've never been exposed to an intense social setting like the military. The following orders won't be a problem. But based on stereotypical portrayal, peer interactions seem pretty heavy and, to put it lightly, every setting I've ever been in has always been kind of soft. I'm a first generation American so I don't really have any military experienced people around me to ask what that part of life was like for them. I've always kind of wanted to enter the military. Watching certain shows (Band of Brothers) always kind of lights this fire under me that makes me want to be a part of something like that, putting my hand on a wound and ripping my shirt off to turn it into a tourniquet. Not that my experience is going to be anything like WWII. Is the military aspect of this program anything like what I'm imagining? Does that loss of control of the direction of your life (deployments) feel anything like that or am I making it out in my head to be more intense than it is?

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
Thank you for the responses. I understand I'll be putting my social life on hold. NA school seems intense enough as it is and adding the military to it would only make it more so. Financially, it's kind of a no brainer. The training will be amazing and even the discipline is something that I would benefit from. The two biggest things holding me back are relinquishing control of the destinations of my life 8 years and the culture shock of a military setting. Fortunately or unfortunately (from a developmental point of view), I've never been exposed to an intense social setting like the military. The following orders won't be a problem. But based on stereotypical portrayal, peer interactions seem pretty heavy and, to put it lightly, every setting I've ever been in has always been kind of soft. I'm a first generation American so I don't really have any military experienced people around me to ask what that part of life was like for them. I've always kind of wanted to enter the military. Watching certain shows (Band of Brothers) always kind of lights this fire under me that makes me want to be a part of something like that, putting my hand on a wound and ripping my shirt off to turn it into a tourniquet. Not that my experience is going to be anything like WWII. Is the military aspect of this program anything like what I'm imagining? Does that loss of control of the direction of your life (deployments) feel anything like that or am I making it out in my head to be more intense than it is?

The military is rarely what people with no prior exposure to it expect it to be. The day to day job of a military CRNA for the most part is like working as a civilian CRNA. We do deploy on regular basis. There are good deployment spots (Qatar) and some really austere deployment spots. Deployments should be slowing down again by the end of next year though, and hopefully it will stay that way for many more years to come.

There is also the HPSP program for each of the services that would allow you to go to a civilian program and receive tuition plus a monthly stipend with a 3 year active-duty payback.

Each military service has its pros and cons, but the pay and benefits are virtually the same for each service.

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