USAGPAN 2021

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This thread is super early but I want to create a spot for USAGPAN 2021 applicants to share our journey! I’m mostly posting this thread now to spread the word about Iowa Central Community College’s Intro to Organic and Biochem online course - CHM 130. This option was a lifesaver (read: time and money saver) for me and I have to pay it forward. I checked with the Baylor liaison and the course fulfills the chemistry requirement. The only prerequisite is Intro to Chemistry I. I hope this helps someone and I’m looking forward to the upcoming application year!

I recently also found out about the virtual interview and the 16 hrs of shadowing that can be done at local hospital. I am not sure how this is going to happen because one of the local hospitals in my area recently laid off 250 people that included physicians, nurses, and other medical personnel since many there are not that many surgeries. Another hospital is only allowing essential staff in the OR. In addition, my recruiter advised me that I probably would be able to go to MEP until end of June or early July. Some MEPS locations are closed and some are limiting how many people can go at once due to corona. There are several applicants who are on the same boat as far as competing 16 hr CRNA shadowing.

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Hey everyone!

Is anyone else having trouble getting the hours verified or the DA 7653 completed? I was told by my recruiter that I only need one DA 7653 but need hours verified form by each hospital I have worked at. Since I am completing my hours as an ICU Travel Nurse, hospital supervisors/managers are telling me that their policy prevents them from filling out the forms. Other managers are saying something like, "Well since you're not here anymore, we can't attest to your ICU skills so we can't fill out the form." This is only a couple of hospitals. My contract usually lasted anywhere between 6 weeks here, 13 weeks there, 26 at another facility. My recruiter has asked me to go back at least 2 yrs. At least 2 hospitals have asked me to get my hours from HR.

Please advise! Thank you!

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On 5/15/2020 at 11:09 PM, MagicMAC said:

The DA Form 7653 is what you're looking for. And yes, it needs to be filled out by your current supervisor. Make sure they hand-initial and date EACH LINE. I've attached a copy that just has my general info on it ?

Are you working with a recruiter yet??? I'm thinking no -- otherwise you wouldn't be asking about that form! Make sure you contact one ASAP if you haven't already. Hope this helps!

DA Form 7653.pdf

Hey Patrick,

I am currently working with a recruiter. My question was do we have to have the DA Form 7653 filled out by all the hospitals we have worked at. I ask this because I am completing my hours as a travel nurse. Also, if you look at the hours verified form, there is a phrase that reverts back to the 7653 so I wasn't sure if a DA Form 7653 is needed by each hospital to accompany each hrs verification form or just 1 recent DA Form 7653 and hours verified form for each hospital.

Example:

Merit Health (most recent) = 1 DA 7653 plus hours verified form

Grady Memorial = hours verified form

Ochsner Medical Center (03/20-05/20) = hours verified form

Regional One Health (9/19-03/20) = hours verified form

St. Dominic's Hospital (11/18-11/19) = hours verified form

OR

Merit Health (most recent) = 1 DA 7653 plus hours verified form

Grady Memorial = 1 DA 7653 plus hours verified form

Ochsner Medical Center (03/20-05/20) = 1 DA 7653 plus hours verified form

Regional One Health (9/19-03/20) = 1 DA 7653 plus hours verified form

St. Dominic's Hospital (11/18-11/19) = 1 DA 7653 plus hours verified form

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Specializes in 1st Year Nurse Anesthesia Resident.

Hello all,

I’m an enlisted 68W\Health Care Specialist (medic) in the Alabama Guard. I’ve got 6 years TIS and graduated last August with my BSN. Started in MICU after school and quickly transitioned to our Cardiothoracic Surgery ICU recovering CABG/CEA/Vats patients primarily. Lots of vasopressor/vent management post-operatively. Background civilian side pre-nursing I worked as a scrub tech for four years, as well as about a year and a half doing 108 hours of call a month running in an ambulance as an EMT-B with a volunteer fire department.

I’m a 3.6 (ish) overall and 3.4 science GPA from UAB. Rocked the GRE with a 327 overall, will have enough hours to sit for my CCRN on June 28th so should have it by application deadline Aug 1. Didn’t have time to get a grad level science course between graduating last Summer and working as much as I do in the OR/ICU.

Had my interview yesterday with the Phase II Director, definitely the hardest interview I’ve ever been in but I think I did well. At this time my application is complete and submitted, all I’ve got left is to knock out my commissioning physical later this month for the Army’s application.

Hoping I’m competitive and looking forward to meeting you all on the other side. ??

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Specializes in Cardiothoracic ICU.

Thanks for sharing! Can you elaborate on how it was such a hard interview???

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Specializes in 1st Year Nurse Anesthesia Resident.

It was a mix of the expected performance based interview questions you’d get at any job interview and questions about the chapter given. Definitely know the chapter and be able to answer in relative depth. I won’t go into more detail than that to protect the integrity of the interview process.

1
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Specializes in CVICU.

Hey y'all!

Civilian applicant from Baltimore, MD. Application is submitted, just awaiting my GRE scores and then my Phase II interview.

After COVID cancelled my test dates twice, finally just decided to take it at home on July 1st. Wish me luck!

Super excited for the possibility to be future classmates. We got this ?

1
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41 minutes ago, itsnurseag said:

Hey y'all!

Civilian applicant from Baltimore, MD. Application is submitted, just awaiting my GRE scores and then my Phase II interview.

After COVID cancelled my test dates twice, finally just decided to take it at home on July 1st. Wish me luck!

Super excited for the possibility to be future classmates. We got this ?

Hey Baltimore! Have you gone to MEPS yet? Just wondering because I know they are limited. I was told by my recruiter that I had to take GRE first. My session was also canceled because of COVID. I took the GRE on June 20th but I scored a 299. So they said I have time to take again so my application can be more competitive. Just 1 pt away from 300. Well, I don't know if I can get everything done by August 1st, Virtual and MEPS.

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Specializes in CVICU.
1 hour ago, MICU-nurse23 said:

Hey Baltimore! Have you gone to MEPS yet? Just wondering because I know they are limited. I was told by my recruiter that I had to take GRE first. My session was also canceled because of COVID. I took the GRE on June 20th but I scored a 299. So they said I have time to take again so my application can be more competitive. Just 1 pt away from 300. Well, I don't know if I can get everything done by August 1st, Virtual and MEPS.

Hey! You are correct - can't go to MEPS until I take the GRE. My recruiter has me slotted for the second week of July. My station usually doesn't use MEPS (they work with some other outpatient facility to screen patients) but because of COVID using it again which stinks. Hopefully it'll be a smooth process.

And ahhhh, so close! You've got it. I think you still have enough time to crank it out - I would certainly try!

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Specializes in Cardiothoracic ICU.
On 6/18/2020 at 1:18 PM, MICU-nurse23 said:

Hey Patrick,

I am currently working with a recruiter. My question was do we have to have the DA Form 7653 filled out by all the hospitals we have worked at. I ask this because I am completing my hours as a travel nurse. Also, if you look at the hours verified form, there is a phrase that reverts back to the 7653 so I wasn't sure if a DA Form 7653 is needed by each hospital to accompany each hrs verification form or just 1 recent DA Form 7653 and hours verified form for each hospital.

Example:

Merit Health (most recent) = 1 DA 7653 plus hours verified form

Grady Memorial = hours verified form

Ochsner Medical Center (03/20-05/20) = hours verified form

Regional One Health (9/19-03/20) = hours verified form

St. Dominic's Hospital (11/18-11/19) = hours verified form

OR

Merit Health (most recent) = 1 DA 7653 plus hours verified form

Grady Memorial = 1 DA 7653 plus hours verified form

Ochsner Medical Center (03/20-05/20) = 1 DA 7653 plus hours verified form

Regional One Health (9/19-03/20) = 1 DA 7653 plus hours verified form

St. Dominic's Hospital (11/18-11/19) = 1 DA 7653 plus hours verified form

Sorry for the late reply! I'm even more sorry I don't have a clear answer for you. I am looking at my own hours verified form and see what you mean by its reference to the DA 7653. I wouldn't imagine you would need the skills form filled out by every single place you have worked but your most recent, but also see where an HR representative wouldn't be comfortable attesting to " has demonstrated the ability to perform the requisite nursing skills for the AOC per DA Form 7653." Maybe your recruiter would be OK altering the verbiage on the hours verified form for your past locations? I would hope your current/most recent manager wouldn't have a problem checking off the skills listed on the DA 7653 -- all those checkoffs are pretty standard to any employees orientation paperwork whether it be for a traveler or full time staff in my experience. Good luck!

On 6/20/2020 at 9:33 AM, Sulley360 said:

It was a mix of the expected performance based interview questions you’d get at any job interview and questions about the chapter given. Definitely know the chapter and be able to answer in relative depth. I won’t go into more detail than that to protect the integrity of the interview process.

I respect that 100%. Thank you for your response!

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Specializes in Cardiothoracic ICU.

Is anyone else having trouble finding a CRNA to shadow? The hospital I work at considers those shadowing as "visitors," so all shadowing is suspended until further notice because of Covid ?. My recruiter has been equally unsuccessful in arranging anything at military facilities... I this point I feel like I'm stuck! After working so hard to meet all the other application requirements, I will be devastated if THIS is what prevents me from applying ?

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On 7/2/2020 at 6:43 PM, MagicMAC said:

Is anyone else having trouble finding a CRNA to shadow? The hospital I work at considers those shadowing as "visitors," so all shadowing is suspended until further notice because of Covid ?. My recruiter has been equally unsuccessful in arranging anything at military facilities... I this point I feel like I'm stuck! After working so hard to meet all the other application requirements, I will be devastated if THIS is what prevents me from applying ?

Hey Magic,

I know (MODERATOR EDIT OF NAME) said alot of people were in the same boat. I myself didn't have any problems because I had done shadowing for another prospective school in March before COVID just in case I decided to go to a civilian school. I was able to use those hours as my shadowing experience. I do know most applicants are not allowed to shadow at their local hospitals. Now with these COVID cases on the rise again, many sx have been postponed once again.

I am having trouble getting managers to fill out my DA 7653 and verification of hrs. I am a travel nurse so I am being thrown from the hospitals to my agency and back to my hospital.

The hospitals say, "Well, technically you were their employee who worked here."

Agency is saying, "We are not Clinical Nurse Managers so we can't complete your forms". ?

Sorry that you are having issues with your hrs.

Lisa

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