Health care professionals visit BACH to learn of opportunities in Army Medicine

By Maria YagerApril 8, 2019

BACH
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- Health care professionals considering careers in the Army recently visited medical facilities on Fort Campbell to learn more about Army Medicine. The visit was part of a new initiative by recruiters at the U.S. Army Medical Recruiting Center Nashville to give interested health care professionals a first-hand look into the military health system.

The team visited Blanchfield Army Community Hospital's emergency center, primary care and specialty clinics to learn about the military health system's delivery of care. More than 2,000 active-duty Soldiers and civilian health care professionals work for Army Medicine on Fort Campbell and at Screaming Eagle Medical Home in Clarksville, Tennessee supporting the medical readiness of Soldiers and caring for Soldiers, retirees and family members.

"It's kind of hard to tell someone about military medicine just by words. So it's easier to show them and let them talk to their counterparts in a hospital so they can actually see that this looks like any other hospital that they'll see on the outside," said Sgt. 1st Class Jemaane Faulks, a health care recruiter from the Nashville center. "We wanted them to see that the Army has state-of-the-art medical equipment and advanced training."

Blanchfield provides primary and specialty care and is accredited by the Joint Commission, which accredits and certifies nearly 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the U.S. Medical specialties include women's health, behavioral health, orthopedics, urology, traumatic brain injury, surgery and physical therapy and occupational therapy.

After the hospital tour the group visited the Alfred V. Rascon School of Combat Medicine, a medical simulation training center on Fort Campbell where Soldiers get hands-on instruction on the latest battlefield trauma and critical care techniques. There, Soldiers train and then practice performing combat medical interventions under realistic high-stress battlefield conditions.

"I really enjoyed [Medical Simulation Training Center]. That's probably been my favorite part of today," said Harley Pennington, a nurse practitioner from Nashville preparing to serve in the Army. "I have some orthopedic trauma background as a nurse so this is kind of my stomping ground."

The Army is always in need of health care professionals to serve and offers a number of incentives to qualified applicants.

The Health Professions Scholarship Program provides qualifying students full tuition for any accredited medical, dental, veterinary, psychiatric nurse practitioner, psychology or optometry program, plus a monthly stipend of more than $2,000.

The Army Loan Repayment Program is a special incentive the Army offers to highly qualified applicants entering the Army. Under the program, the Army will repay part of a Soldier's qualifying student loans.

"I've seen that it's made a difference in a lot of the physician's lives as far as loan repayment, helping them pay for school, helping them establish financial stability, and preparing them and giving them a stepping stone toward their future," said Maj. Pauline Harris, a medical logistics officer and officer in charge of the Nashville healthcare recruiting station.

To learn more visit www.goarmy.com

Health care professionals visit BACH to learn about career opportunities in Army Medicine