2024-2025 Academic Catalog

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Admission Process

Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist MSN

Must be a commissioned officer or service sponsored civilian in the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy or Public Health Service with an earned Bachelor’s (or Master’s Degree with a concentration in Nursing) from an accredited university

Academic Requirements:

  • USU Application
  • Original transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. Transcripts must show:
  1. Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale;
  2. Combined science GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale (chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, etc.);
  3. Grade of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better in a science course within the past 5 years from an accredited university. Anatomy, physiology, combined anatomy & physiology, pathophysiology, or pharmacology recommended, graduate level preferred, 200-400 level courses considered.
  4. Statistics course preferred within the past 5 years from an accredited university (may be taken at the undergraduate or graduate level)
  5. Competitive GRE Scores taken within the past 5 years
  6. Writing sample (details in application)
  7. Three letters of Recommendation:
  1. Chief Nurse/senior nurse executive (or another officer in direct chain of command)
  2. Immediate supervisor
  3. Graduate or doctorally prepared healthcare professional able to address applicant's scholarly and leadership potential in nursing and healthcare.
  • Interview required

Professional Requirements:

  • Minimum two years’ experience as a perioperative, ICU, Critical Care, Trauma, or ED nurse at the time of matriculation
  • Current, active unrestricted nursing license
  • Current CV
  • Current Basic Life Support (BLS)
  • Current Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
  • Current certification in your specialty area:
    • Operating Room Nurse (CNOR) or
    • Acute/Critical Care Nurse (CCRN) or
    • Board Certified Emergency Nurse (BCEN) or
    • Certification Inpatient Antepartum (RNC-IAP) or
    • Certification Inpatient Obstetrics (RNC-OB)
  • Current single page service-specific officer brief (e. g. SURF, ORB, OSR)

Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist DNP

Must be a commissioned officer or service sponsored civilian in the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy or Public Health Service with an earned Bachelor’s (or Master’s Degree with a concentration in Nursing) from an accredited university.

Academic Requirements:

  • USU Application
  • Current single page service-specific officer brief (e. g. SURF, ORB, OSR)Bul
  • Original transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. Transcripts must show:
  1. Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale;
  2. Combined science GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale (chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, etc.);
  3. Grade of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better in a science course within the past 5 years from an accredited university.  Graduate anatomy, physiology, combined anatomy & physiology, pathophysiology, or pharmacology preferred. 200-400 level courses considered;
  4. Statistics course preferred within the past 5 years from an accredited university (may be taken at the undergraduate or graduate level).
  5. Writing sample (details in application)
  6.  Three letters of Recommendation:

    1. Chief Nurse/senior nurse executive (or another officer in direct chain of command

    2. Immediate supervisor

    3. Graduate or doctorally prepared healthcare professional able to address applicant's scholarly and leadership potential in nursing and healthcare.

  • Interview required

Professional Requirements:

  • Minimum of two years’ experience as a perioperative, ICU, Critical Care, Trauma or ED nurse at the time of matriculation
  • Current, active unrestricted nursing license
  • Current CV
  • Current Basic Life Support (BLS)
  • Current Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
  • Current certification in one of the following specialty areas;
    • Operating Room Nurse (CNOR) or
    • Acute/Critical Care Nurse (CCRN) or
    • Board Certified Emergency Nurse (BCEN) or
    • Certification Inpatient Antepartum (RNC-IAP) or
    •  Certification Inpatient Obstetrics (RNC-OB)

Family Nurse Practitioner and Women's Health Nurse Practitioner DNP

Must be a commissioned officer or service sponsored civilian in the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy or Public Health Service with an earned Bachelor’s (or pre-licensure Master’s) Degree with a concentration in Nursing from an accredited university.

Academic Requirements:

  • USU Application with evidence-based writing requirement;
  • Current CV;
  • Current single page service-specific officer brief (e. g. SURF, ORB, OSR);
  • Competitive GRE scores (Verbal, Quantitative and Analytical);
    • Applicants with an Overall GPA and Science GPA of 3.5 or higher are not required to take the GRE
  • Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, showing:
  1. Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale;
  2. Combined science GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale (chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, biology, microbiology, genetics, etc.);
  3. Grade of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better in a science course within the past 5 years from an accredited university: anatomy, physiology, combined anatomy & physiology, biochemistry, organic chemistry, or pathophysiology; graduate level preferred, 200-400 level courses will be considered;
  4. An undergraduate or graduate statistics course from an accredited university is highly recommended
  • Current, active unrestricted nursing license
  • Current Basic Life Support (BLS)
  • Recent direct patient care recommended;
  • Shadow an FNP or WHNP (as applicable) for a minimum of 20 hours. Contact your chief nurse/senior nurse executive for guidance and direction if needed. Have your Shadow Nurse fill out the shadow questionnaire form and submit it along with your letter of recommendation.
  • Applicants may be required to complete an interview with the faculty
  • Three letters of recommendation with unconditional endorsements of the applicant for admission:
  1. Chief Nurse/senior nurse executive (or another officer in direct chain of command)
  2. Immediate supervisor
  3. APRN in the specialty for which applying

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner DNP

Must be a commissioned officer or service sponsored civilian in the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy or Public Health Service with an earned Bachelor’s (or pre-licensure Master’s) Degree with a concentration in Nursing from an accredited university.

Academic Requirements:

  • USU Application with evidence-based writing requirement;
  • Current CV;
  • Current single page service-specific officer brief (e. g. SURF, ORB, OSR);
  • Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, showing:
  1. Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale;
  2. Combined science GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale (chemistry, biochemistry, organic chemistry, anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, biology, microbiology, genetics, etc.);
  3. Grade of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better in a science course within the past 5 years from an accredited university. Anatomy, physiology, combined anatomy & physiology, pathophysiology, or pharmacology graduate level preferred, 200-400 level courses considered;
  4. Competitive GRE Score; *Applicants with an Overall GPA and Science GPA of 3.5 or higher are not required to take the GRE
  5. Statistics course preferred within the past 5 years from an accredited university (may be taken at the undergraduate or graduate level).
  • Current, active unrestricted nursing license
  • Current Basic Life Support (BLS)
  • Recent direct patient care recommended
  • Applicants are required to complete an interview with the faculty
  • Shadow a PMH Nurse for a minimum of 20 hours. Contact your chief nurse or senior nurse executive for guidance and direction, if needed. Have your Shadow Nurse fill out the shadow questionnaire form and submit it along with your letter of recommendation.
  • Three letters of recommendation with unconditional endorsements of the applicant for admission:
  1. Chief Nurse/senior nurse executive (or another nursing officer in direct chain of command)
  2. Immediate supervisor
  3. APRN in the specialty for which applying

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist DNP

Must be a commissioned officer or service sponsored civilian in the U.S. Navy, Army, Air Force, or Public Health Service with an earned Bachelor’s (or Master’s Degree with a concentration in Nursing) from an accredited university.

Academic Requirements:

  • USU Application with evidence-based writing requirement;
  • Current CV;
  • Current single page service-specific officer brief (e. g. SURF, ORB, OSR);
  • Target GRE Scoring: Combined Verbal and Quantitative score of 297 or higher; Analytical Writing score of 3.5 or higher;

** The GRE test is optional for applicants with an overall GPA and Science GPA of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale. **

  • Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, showing:
  1. Overall GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale;
  2. Combined science GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale (chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, etc.);
  3. Grade of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better in a non-nursing Biochemistry, Physiology or Pathophysiology course from an accredited university within the past 5 years. Graduate level is preferred, undergraduate courses considered;
  4. Grade of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better in a Statistics course from an accredited university. Graduate level is preferred, undergraduate courses considered but undergraduate physiology and pathophysiology nursing courses will NOT be accepted;
  • An unencumbered license as a registered professional nurse and/or an APRN in the United States or its territories or protectorates,
  • At least one year of full-time experience as a RN in a critical care setting in a military or civilian hospital. Critical care experience must be obtained in a critical care area within the United States, its territories, or a US military hospital outside of the United States. During this experience, the registered professional nurse is to have developed critical decision-making and psychomotor skills, competency in patient assessment, and the ability to use and interpret advanced monitoring techniques. A critical care area is defined as one where, on a routine basis, the registered professional nurse manages one or more of the following: invasive hemodynamic monitors (such as pulmonary artery catheter, CVP, arterial); cardiac assist devices; mechanical ventilation; and vasoactive infusions. Examples of critical care areas may include but are not limited to: Medical or Surgical Intensive Care, Pediatric Intensive Care, and Neonatal Intensive Care. Those who have experiences in other areas may be considered provided they can demonstrate competence with managing unstable patients on a routine basis with invasive monitoring, ventilators, and critical care pharmacology. For example, a military nurse who worked in an ICU at a military hospital for 6 months and then deployed to Kandahar and worked in critical care or trauma for 7 months may possess the necessary one-year experience requirement to apply.
  • CCRN certification preferred, not required;
  • Shadow a CRNA for a minimum of 20 hours. Shadow hours are documented on the RNA Program Shadow Experience Evaluation Form and submitted with the application;
  • Applicants are required to complete an interview with USU the faculty, if invited;
  • Current Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS);
  • Current Basic Life Support (BLS);
  • Current Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS);
  • Three letters of recommendation with unconditional endorsements of the applicant for admission:
  1. Chief Nurse/senior nurse executive (or another officer in direct chain of command)
  2. Immediate supervisor
  3. CRNA

Nursing Science PhD

Nurses from the uniformed services have priority for admissions. Nurses employed in federal agencies are also eligible for admissions on a space available basis.  Must have an earned Bachelor’s (or pre-licensure Master’s) Degree with a concentration in Nursing from an accredited university.

 

Academic Requirements:

  • USU Application;
  • Clear and succinct statement of the applicant's reason for PhD study and a match to faculty programs of research;
  • (Optional) in addition to the statement of application, applicants may submit an essay, term paper, thesis, or published article, or professional report to demonstrate their ability to communicate logic and concepts.
  • Current CV;
  • Current nursing license or eligibility for licensure in any of the 50 states or territories;
  • Current single page service-specific officer brief (e.g. SURF, ORB, OSR);
  • GRE not required if GPA > 3.5;
  • Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attending, showing:
  1. Undergraduate and/or Graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale;
  2. Undergraduate or graduate level statistics course within the past 5 years is strongly recommended.
  • Three letters of recommendation from professors or others who can accurately describe the applicant's potential for success in a research doctoral program. Prefer that at least two of the letters are from nurses prepared at the PhD level. LOR template available by emailing gsn-admissions@usuhs.edu.