Dr. Ada Sue Hinshaw, Dean
Ada Sue Hinshaw
PhD, R.N., FAAN

Dean, Graduate School of Nursing


Established by Congressional action in 1993, the Graduate School of Nursing’s mission is to prepare nurses at the graduate level. Our faculty and staff have an exceptional blend of experience in the military and/or the federal health care systems, and are prepared to provide a distinctly different educational experience. Our “signature curriculum” is uniquely designed to prepare nurses for practice and research roles in support of Active Duty members of the uniformed services, their families and all other eligible beneficiaries.
If you are a commissioned nurse corps officer or a nurse in the federal system with a commitment to our Nation’s health and well being then the USU GSN is the right place for you! Our graduates are prepared to contribute to peacetime health care delivery systems, military health in support of combat operations, and civil disasters and humanitarian missions. Our curriculum is unique in that it will prepare you for nursing practice and research to support the needs and interests of the military and federal health care system. The GSN’s “signature curriculum” has three research foci: 1) Operational Readiness in a Changing Environment, 2) Population Health and Outcomes, and 3) Clinical Decision-Making in the Federal Health Care System, with cross cutting emphasis on patient safety, force protection, and international health.


The Graduate School of Nursing is accredited by the NLNAC, CCNE, and COA and offers Masters and a Doctoral Degrees.  The Masters program options include Nurse Anesthesia, Nurse Practitioner (family health and psychiatric mental health), and Clinical Nurse Specialist (perioperative) tracks.  The PhD program, established in 2003, has a research-intensive focus within the areas of population health and outcomes, operational readiness, and clinical decision making. The Graduate School of Nursing is committed to promoting clinical excellence, and furthering research and scholarship in healthcare. Located within the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), the school enjoys interdisciplinary relationships with medicine, public health and other health related professions.


GSN students include uniformed officers from the Army, Navy, Air Force and US Public Health Service as well as nurses working in a variety of federal agencies (AHRQ, HRSA, VA, NIH). Our graduates are prepared to foster growth and development of junior nurses, provide clinical expertise, support teaching and conduct clinically relevant research.
USU is the university of choice for military and federal nurses seeking to develop clinical expertise, enhance administrative acumen, and accomplish scholarly inquiry in their quest for growth in the profession of nursing.

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