JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
Two U.S. Army Medical Recruiting Battalions recently joined forces in order to show medical school pre-health advisors the benefits of choosing an Army healthcare career over the civilian sector, visiting staff at Brooke Army Medical Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.
Pre-health advisors from Dartmouth University, North Central College, Beaumont Health System, Western Michigan University School of Medicine, Farmingdale University, West Virginia Health System and the University of Vermont attended the event that highlighted the benefits of considering a U.S. Army Medical Department career in the Medical Corps.
BAMC is the only Level I Trauma Center within the Department of Defense and Commanding General Brig. Gen. George Appenzeller says the hands-on approach training method and integrated clinical faculty is instrumental in creating a rewarding learning environment. From both a leadership role and the responsibility of treating our nation’s warfighters and their families, Appenzeller ended his introductory briefing by saying “he never goes home thinking he’s wasted the day.”
As the educators toured the facilities, they took in what Army medicine has to offer like sponges. At the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research Burn Center, the educators were able to observe health care students in a learning environment.
The pre-health advisors also received insight about military programs available to their prospective students.
1st U.S. Army Medical Recruiting Battalion Educational Support Specialist, Dave Dormann talked about various scholarships like the Health Professions Scholarship Programs, or HPSP, and Army-sponsored test programs like March2Success. He added that BAMC’s own commander was a HPSP scholarship awardee.
The HPSP is one of the most comprehensive health care scholarships available. It offers full tuition, a generous monthly stipend for qualifying students, and the support of the U.S. Army health care team, one of the largest, most advanced health care networks in the world. The HPSP has scholarships in six key areas of health care with nearly 100 health care paths available in psychology, medical, optometry, dental, veterinary, and specialty nursing.
U.S. Army Recruiting Command's Maj. Gen. Frank Muth always stresses the importance of building bonds within the community. Educators and advisors are the “key that unlocks the opportunities for medical students to become military healthcare providers.”
When asked about the success of the education tour, 1st Recruiting Battalion’s commander, Lt. Col. Merbin Carattini, said what impressed him the most was “to see the reactions of the community partners who spent the day with the Army's best and brightest medical staff. They not only serve our nation's service members and their families directly, but also the American people through research and discoveries.”
1st U.S. Army Medical Recruiting Battalion educational support specialist Dave Dormann talked about various scholarships like the Health Professions Scholarship Programs and Army-sponsored test programs like March2Success. March2Success has added free full-length practice tests for the Medical College Admissions Test, or MCAT, the Dental Admissions Test, or DAT, as well as a variety of nursing tests. Students can take these exams as many times as they want to improve their scores when the time comes to take the actual exam.
“Pre-health Advisors found this information very interesting as a tool for them and their students," Dormann said. "The more practice exams the students take, the better they are with the actual exam. Advisors can use the results as a measure to help guide their students. This is our chance to build an even stronger bond with our schools by providing such a valuable tool. Educators and taxpayers alike are the shareholders of Army Medicine."