USAGPAN 2019

TU RN, DNP, CRNA · Jun 28, 2018

Hey everyone:

This thread has been most helpful to me and I thank you all for your information and insight on the program. I have just completed my Baylor application (civilian) and am waiting on my recommendation letters to be sent. The Baylor program coordinator emailed me today saying the Army is eager to look at potential candidates for an interview as soon as possible, so I was encouraged by that. I feel confident about about my application given some of the insight on here about others who have been told their credentials are competitive (though I'm sure every cohort sees different deviations in credentials, and commensurately askew are the criteria for what is competitive). I have been a nurse for 5 years, the last 3 in a general Medical/Surgical/Trauma ICU in Philly. I'm CCRN certified, have 316 V+A GRE/3.5 AW, taken two semesters of Orgo in college, but am sadly handicapped by a 3.27 GPA (lot of **** going on for me personally in college). Regardless, I look forward to the application process and the growth I'll experience win/lose/draw.

I just read the message from Crj8999 about going to MEPS and then interviewing afterwards. Quick question: if a person applies and is offered an interview, and MEPS apparently takes place before that, aren't you pledging in to the Army prior to knowing whether or not you're accepted to USAGPAN? What does the timeline look like after the August 15th deadline for competitive candidates?

Thanks for all info and best of luck to all of you!

pkstien · Jun 28, 2018

Hey everyone:
This thread has been most helpful to me and I thank you all for your information and insight on the program. I have just completed my Baylor application (civilian) and am waiting on my recommendation letters to be sent. The Baylor program coordinator emailed me today saying the Army is eager to look at potential candidates for an interview as soon as possible, so I was encouraged by that. I feel confident about about my application given some of the insight on here about others who have been told their credentials are competitive (though I'm sure every cohort sees different deviations in credentials, and commensurately askew are the criteria for what is competitive). I have been a nurse for 5 years, the last 3 in a general Medical/Surgical/Trauma ICU in Philly. I'm CCRN certified, have 316 V+A GRE/3.5 AW, taken two semesters of Orgo in college, but am sadly handicapped by a 3.27 GPA (lot of **** going on for me personally in college). Regardless, I look forward to the application process and the growth I'll experience win/lose/draw.
I just read the message from Crj8999 about going to MEPS and then interviewing afterwards. Quick question: if a person applies and is offered an interview, and MEPS apparently takes place before that, aren't you pledging in to the Army prior to knowing whether or not you're accepted to USAGPAN? What does the timeline look like after the August 15th deadline for competitive candidates?
Thanks for all info and best of luck to all of you!

First of all, welcome to the thread, and best of luck to you on your application! Let me start by mentioning that I am also a fellow applicant for FY2019, so I am no expert. But to me it sounds like you are a competitive applicant, and you have a great GRE score. In regards to your GPA, I feel like they have accepted students in the past with lower GPAs. In my phase 2 letter of recommendation, they specifically calculated my science GPA, so that seems to be the most important aspect to them! If your science GPA still isn't that great, I'm sure they will ask you about it...but your experience and other qualities should make up for it!

Regarding MEPS, I actually completed my phase 2 interview BEFORE completing MEPS. I thought I had to do MEPS before the interview, but I am proof that that isn't necessarily the case! I am completing MEPS next week though. Since I haven't completed MEPS, I can't fully answer the question about whether you're "pledging" into the Army or not, but I was told by my recruiter in the past that it's pretty much an all or nothing process- you need to get into USAGPAN/Baylor to then become a commissioned officer in the Army.

As for a timeline, I have been told by Baylor that we should expect to hear sometime in mid-September about acceptance into the program. The Army accession board is a distinct process and would happen sometime in October. I asked LTC Adams (deputy director of the program) about this, and he said typically you'll be selected for active duty as long as you meet the height/weight requirements, are healthy, and lack any criminal activity/history. I hope this helps!

CCURNCO · Jun 28, 2018

Hey everyone:
This thread has been most helpful to me and I thank you all for your information and insight on the program. I have just completed my Baylor application (civilian) and am waiting on my recommendation letters to be sent. The Baylor program coordinator emailed me today saying the Army is eager to look at potential candidates for an interview as soon as possible, so I was encouraged by that. I feel confident about about my application given some of the insight on here about others who have been told their credentials are competitive (though I'm sure every cohort sees different deviations in credentials, and commensurately askew are the criteria for what is competitive). I have been a nurse for 5 years, the last 3 in a general Medical/Surgical/Trauma ICU in Philly. I'm CCRN certified, have 316 V+A GRE/3.5 AW, taken two semesters of Orgo in college, but am sadly handicapped by a 3.27 GPA (lot of **** going on for me personally in college). Regardless, I look forward to the application process and the growth I'll experience win/lose/draw.
I just read the message from Crj8999 about going to MEPS and then interviewing afterwards. Quick question: if a person applies and is offered an interview, and MEPS apparently takes place before that, aren't you pledging in to the Army prior to knowing whether or not you're accepted to USAGPAN? What does the timeline look like after the August 15th deadline for competitive candidates?
Thanks for all info and best of luck to all of you!

Don't stress about your grades too much, they take other factors into consideration as I've mentioned earlier in this thread. You meet the requirements and your experience will be an asset. Regarding MEPS, you are by no means making a commitment to the Army at that time. You are only %100 committed after taking your Oath of Office and signing your contract when you commission, which is the very end of this process, just before going to officer's basic. Even after being accepted into the program and claiming your seat in the class, you are still not committed to the Army at that time (though I hope that you would hold to that commitment should you accept a seat). It's actually very hard to become an officer in the military. Rest assured that once you commit to USAGPAN, the Army wont pull a quick one on you and assign you to something else. They need CRNA's and qualified candidates to fill the future needs of the Army. My situation has been very complicated, and the Army has gone out of their way to find a creative solution while guaranteeing (in writing, in multiple documents) that I have not only been guaranteed a seat in next year's class, but also have orders to attend next year's class. Though we will be at the disposal of the Army, they will do their best to take care of you.

Will all of that said, welcome and best of luck! I hope this helps and please let me know if you have further questions.

TU RN, DNP, CRNA · Jul 2, 2018

Thanks for the information pkstien and CCURNCO. Little update: got an email today from LTC Adams about setting up a Phase 2 interview. Very encouraging indeed, albeit mildly anxiety-provoking. 3 days huh? Should be interesting. What were your experiences like?

pkstien · Jul 3, 2018

First of all, there is a great past thread entitled "USAGPAN 2018" that contains others' experiences at their phase 2 interviews! I read those ahead of my own interview, and I would say my interview was fairly similar to what they had experienced in the past.

I do not live near any of the phase 2 locations, so I was flown out to Fort Hood in Texas. I stayed at a hotel that was within walking distance to CRDAMC. The phase 2 director contacted me prior to my interview and asked for a few materials, including my resume, GRE scores and transcripts. He also provided me with a chapter to read from an anesthesia textbook. Mine covered pharmacology. I was instructed to read it ahead of time and would be expected to answer a few questions related to the chapter. It seems as if others have been asked to read a chapter from a textbook in the past as well.

Over the course of the three days, most of your time is spent shadowing a SRNA and/or CRNA. I followed the same student the entire time, as the other SRNAs were on out rotations or on leave. The SRNA I followed was in the third year of the program. I was basically there from 0500-1500 or so on the the first two days, and was able to watch her set up her room before the cases started, watch her during the cases, and see what she did to prepare for the following day. I saw a variety of procedures, from a c-section, to several tonsillectomies and a procedure that required the use of a Da Vinci robot which I had never seen before and was cool to see in action! I was able to see a variety of airways and types of sedation used throughout these cases. It was a great time to also ask questions!

In addition to shadowing the SRNA, I also got a chance to meet the two CRNAs that would be interviewing me, as they were the faculty overseeing the SRNA during her cases. One of these CRNAs was the phase 2 director that I had emailed with a few times prior to the interview. It was nice because I saw how they instructed the student, and I was also able to get to know them before the formal interview. Both of them did ask me a few interview-like questions throughout my shadowing experiences, so they also got to know me ahead of time as well.

On day three, I watched the SRNA perform one case and then had my interview afterwards. I'm not sure how long it lasted, possibly 30-45 minutes. They reviewed my materials that I had given to them ahead of time, and asked a few questions related to my resume and transcripts. They emphasized the significant commitment that you would make by being in USAGPAN, as it is a total of eight years between the program and the five year commitment following completion of the program. At the end of the interview, they told me that they would recommend me to the program! They sent me a copy of the letter of recommendation the following day, and sent it directly to LTC Adams.

Overall, it was a great experience as you get to witness the day in the life of a SRNA that's currently in the program. It does seem pretty challenging, but I'm still very excited about it!

TU RN, DNP, CRNA · Jul 11, 2018

pkstien: Again, thank you for your very helpful and relatable input on this thread. Congratulations on your recommendation and best of luck to you in the USAGPAN! I have indeed checked the USAGPAN 2018 thread and it has also given me a lot of insight into this interview process. :up:

I will be attending my phase II interview (ie, the moment of truth) next week. It truly does seem, according to the pertinent documents I received, that such a huge emphasis is placed on not only your own - but your family's readiness for this process. I'm sure I'm not the only person whose wife (or husband/SO) has needed some convincing :laugh: I remember a PM conversation I had with some USAGPAN graduate a while back, but sadly it doesn't seem to have taken place here on allnurses.com and I can't locate the exact convo... What I do remember though is that the individual seemed to give me a very positive vibe about how his family experienced "military life," although he did feel some small regret for his small child (at the time) who had to change schools. I'd be glad to PM with others interested in the USAGPAN who have family questions, as I've had to approach this with my own wife (no children yet + I'm definitely in need of ongoing support in this department, please believe it :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: )

pkstien · Jul 23, 2018

Hello everyone, the waiting continues. I received an email last week saying that we will be notified in September! How exciting! I have completed MEPS and it went smoothly. How is everyone else coming along? I'm curious how many people applied this year. Compared to the thread last year, it seems like there's less interest this year but of course not everyone posts on allnurses.com!

Bhebe55 · Aug 6, 2018

Just finished my Phase Two interview at Fort Hood. Got a letter or recommendation.

bec16, BSN, RN · Aug 21, 2018

I have completed my interview, finished up my application, and I am anxiously awaiting hearing something from the program soon! Good luck to everyone!

Bhebe55 · Aug 21, 2018

Same here. The wait is killing me. Anyone heard how many applied? Doesn't seem to be as many people talking about the program this year. Hope to see you all soon as classmates and fellow officers.

bec16, BSN, RN · Aug 21, 2018

I haven't heard how many applied. I wish I could know. I wonder if it's possible that we could hear before September 1.. I doubt it, but I can't help but hold out hope

Bhebe55 · Aug 21, 2018

From what I read the selection board doesn't meet until the end of August so I doubt we will hear any earlier than Sep 1-10. Are you a direct commission or active duty?