Posted on Jul 11, 2021
Veterans Face Roadblocks Moving From Military To Civilian Health Care Jobs
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HM: Hospital Corpsman
Medical
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Jobs
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel our military is more qualified than many in the civilian field and have a passion to save lives because of what we have endured. This issue is another way to marginalize superior military performance and I hope that laws or entities will balance this out
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PO2 Robert Kelly
I was trained as a cardio-pulmonary tech at NNMC Bethesda 31 years ago, best damn training in the country then, or ever, period. I’ve been working in cardiac cath labs for 30 years and still love it, still appreciate the training I received. However, every year gets harder and harder for prior service members as health care stratifies and moves away from patient centric focus to further and further specialization with higher degee requirements over hands on training and ability. I work with young people coming right out of school with masters degrees and zero experience never even touching another human being. It makes me sad. Nothing in life is so stressful it can’t be fixed with human decency and compassion. Lawyers, liability avoidance and an over dependance on algorithms are the root of everything wrong in healthcare today. Oh and specialization is for insects not humans.
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PO2 Bill Stuntz
PO2 Robert Kelly - I trained as a CP tech in San Diego in 1976-77, transferred to Bethesda & spent 4 years there as a working CP Tech & clinical instructor - PFT, bronchoscopy, cardiac & pulmonary stress testing, echo, EKG/Holter, cath lab, open heart monitoring, cardiac arrest team, blood gasses, A-lines, Swan-Ganz, cranial pressure lines, etc. When I got out, nobody in Columbus, OH was interested in someone with my wide range of skills. The best job I could find was as a Respiratory Therapist running ventilators in ICU/CCU/SICU/NICU & pushing an IPPB machine, drawing ABG's, & cardiac arrest team. And helping to torture terminal patients for an extra month or 2 before they mercifully passed away. For many of those patients & their families, I don't feel like I did them any any favors, no matter how gently/compassionately I tried to treat them. I couldn't take it any longer after 4 years. I've been working as a PC tech since 1988. When THOSE patients die, I can usually resurrect them with a new HD, more RAM, or even just a fresh install of Windows. & NO emotional attachment/stress.
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About time the transition was made easier! The “hoops I had to jump through” to utilize my training and experience to basically start at ground level as a civilian was horrible some 30 years ago..
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About time the transition was made easier! The “hoops I had to jump through” to utilize my training and experience to basically start at ground level as a civilian was horrible some 30 years ago…
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
PO3 Monica Zink Davenport Sorry it was so Challenging for You Doc! Always glad to Hear when Improvements are made in the System.
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