LHSON and Army Partnership Prepares Anesthesia Nurses

The U.S. Army and Baylor University boast a long and proud history in health-related graduate education. This tradition continues with the five-year renewal of a program at the Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON) in cooperation with the United States Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing (USAGPAN).

The program, which operates at the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence (MEDCoE), educates and prepares individuals to become independent Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs). Upon graduation, Army CRNAs will serve a minimum of five years as officers in the Army Nurse Corps with the option to stay in and continue to serve while increasing in rank as well as responsibility as respected members of the military healthcare team.

Baylor’s CRNAs provide full-spectrum anesthesia in their respective Army and VA hospitals across the continental United States, with Army CRNAs serving anywhere in the world they are needed.

“For more than 65 years, Baylor has been honored to serve our country through health-related educational programs, like USAGPAN, in partnership with MEDCoE,” said Linda Plank, Ph.D.,  dean of Baylor’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing. Several LHSON programs are ranked by U.S. News & World Report in its 2023 Best Graduate Schools report. LHSON’s USAGPAN is among the top nursing anesthesia programs in the nation, ranked No. 8 nationally.