Hospital Education and Staff Development (HESD)

The U.S. Army has prepared top quality Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) for greater than 50 years. Today, USAGPAN produces the majority of active duty Army CRNAs and provides specialized training in field anesthesia to ensure that our graduates are qualified to deploy in times of war, civil disorder, and natural disasters or for humanitarian missions. This 3 year course of graduate education includes 1 year of didactic preparation prior to a 2 year clinical residency at a selected Army Medical Center.
 
Successful completion of this program now culminates in a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Northeastern University School of Nursing and qualification to take the Certification Exam for Nurse Anesthetists.
 
USAGPAN is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA).

USAGPAN students who choose Eisenhower Army Medical Center for their 2 year clinical residency attend several additional specialty clinical rotations to enhance their anesthetic knowledge. This Phase 2 program site provides classroom and clinical rotations within Eisenhower Army Medical Center. The student's education is supplemented by clinical rotations to Doctor's Hospital, Augusta, Ga., the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Augusta, Ga., the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Asheville, NC., Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, N.C., Palmetto Richland Hospital, Columbia, SC., and Martin Army Community Hospital, Fort Benning, Ga.
 
Additional information is available by visiting the US Army Nurse Corps Branch and the US Army Program in Anesthesia Nursing homepages.

Description: This two phased MOS producing course trains Soldiers in the skills and knowledge necessary to become a proficient entry level licensed Practical Nurse, MOS 68C. The training encompasses nursing for in/outpatient care, emergent and minor acute treatments, and casualty care management. The Soldier will be trained to the licensing standards of the Texas Board of Vocational Nurse Examiners. Additionally, the student receives specific training in military hospital field nursing, force medical protection, deployable medical systems and equipment and critical care.

Phase 2 affords the student the opportunity to acquire the skills necessary to be a Practical Nursing Specialist in a variety of community-based and acute care settings. This training includes: advanced anatomy and physiology; expanded use of principles in microbiology; integration of pharmacology and nutrition care; as well as pathophysiology of the body systems and its manifestations. Medication administration is an essential component throughout training. The nursing process provides the framework for the acquisition of knowledge and application of skills.

Special Information: 300-68C10 is a two phased MOS producing course. Soldiers must successfully complete both phases to be awarded MOS 68C.

Prior to awarding of MOS 68C, course students will be required to sit for and complete the NCLEX-PN examination. Practical Nurse course graduates must obtain licensure as either a Practical Nurse or a Vocational Nurse to maintain MOS 68C IAW AR 40-68, DA PAM 611-21, and MEDCOM Circular 40-14.

Headed by the Chief, Hospital Education and Training (C, HET), the 68 Delta Operating Room Specialist Course is a two-phased course. Phase I of the course is comprised of nine weeks of training conducted at the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School (AMEDDC&S). Phase II is comprised of didactic and hands-on training at one of 14 clinical training sites over a 10-week period.

A Senior Clinical Instructor (Registered Nurse) and a Primary Clinical Instructor (68D, OR Specialist) monitor the day to day operations and implementation of the course. They are responsible for ensuring that students meet course requirements in accordance to the guidelines set by AMEDD C&S, supported by C, HET and the Head Nurse, Operating Room.

During Phase II, students rotate through the Operating Room (OR) and Central Material Section (CMS). In the OR, students actually practice their skills during surgical procedures while maintaining basic aseptic techniques. Their rotation through CMS teaches them the proper techniques for assembling and sterilizing surgical instruments. Upon completion of the course, students are able to demonstrate entry level skills in both the OR and CMS as an Operating Room Specialist (OR technician).

During the 10 weeks of Phase II training, students rotate through a variety of surgical services. These services include Orthopedic, Vascular, Gynecology, Otolaryngology (Ears, Nose, Throat), Ophthalmology (Eyes), Plastic, Oral Maxillofacial and General Surgery. Students are required to do daily case studies on the surgical procedures they will encounter the next day. The case studies are used to evaluate the student’s comprehension of the surgical procedure.

In addition, daily evaluations of students’ performances are also obtained from their assigned staff member. These evaluations are essential in determining the student’s eligibility to graduate and should show a constant improvement in skills development over the 10 week period.

Students are also required to pass examinations while in Phase II. The examinations consist of instrument identification as well as written exams. The instrument identification exams are used to indicate the student’s ability to recognize instruments for particular services while written exams measure the student’s basic surgical knowledge. Students must have a cumulative grade point average of 75% to pass the course.

Students must maintain their Physical Fitness readiness while enrolled in the program. They attend physical training (PT) sessions three times a week. If a student arrives at Phase II and has not passed an Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT), he/she must attend PT five times a week and must pass the APFT to be eligible to graduate. Failure to meet academic or APFT requirements prohibits a student from graduating from the course.

Purpose of CNTP This program provides a discipline-specific structured clinical nurse transition program framework for new graduate Registered Nurses (RNs) entering the military health care system. New graduate RNs include Army Nurse (AN) Corps Officers and civilian employees. The current program is mandatory for all new graduate AN officers only. The program will provide evidence that the new graduate nurse has completed a nursing preceptorship program in anticipation of the State Boards of Nursing requirement for license renewal.

The program is structured to be a minimum of 24 weeks with the CNTP RN completing a total of 840 clinical hours of direct patient care and learning experiences.

Program Goals

Program Objectives
At the completion of the BG (R) Anna Mae Hays Clinical Nurse Transition Program (CNTP), the new graduate RN will:

About the Special Forces Medical Sergeant’s Course - Clinical Rotation Training (SOCT) at DDEAMC...

Objective
The primary objective of SOCT is to evaluate the Special Operations Medical Sergeant student’s ability to apply patient assessment/management/care skills in various clinical settings. The overall objective is to provide the SFMS student an environment in which he may apply his practical skills; the desired result is a confident, proficient and competent Special Operations Medical Sergeant.