You’ve paid your dues. You wore the uniform, served your country at home or abroad. Maybe you saw combat. Maybe you deployed on a humanitarian mission. Maybe you were enlisted, maybe you were an officer.
One thing that is not a maybe is the fact that you are now entitled to GI Bill benefits. First created in 1944 to help veterans receive an education that they will be able to use in civilian life and modified in 2008, these benefits aren’t a gift from the nation, but an acknowledgement of your sacrificing years of your life to the nation.
Time to use them is limited, however. Depending on what status you have under the GI Bill those benefits can go away in as little as ten years from your discharge. Without them you lose access to thousands of dollars per semester of funds you can put towards obtaining the education you can use to get ahead.
One military field that can particularly benefit from GI Bill participation is the medical field. Regardless of whether you were enlisted or officer, or whether you are looking towards your ETS or already out, the GI Bill can take you to the next step in a medical career, from entry level to the top. Here’s a short list of possibilities. (Note: All programs listed will be online programs through accredited schools so as to make this list as useful for deployed active duty soldiers as for post-DD214 veterans.)
Bachelors:
Health Information Management is the practice of collating health care data in order to analyze it to detect trends, predict future needs or possibilities, and create managed care plans that improve health outcomes. This profession can be entry level for veterans who have not had previous experience in the health field or who already have experience but lack civilian credentialing.
Programs:
University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Medical Laboratory Science is the use of laboratory equipment to analyze medical specimens. Through this work MLS personnel are able to positively identify a host of illnesses and medical conditions, allowing doctors to target their treatment to the specific needs of patients. This can also be an entry level job for veterans who have not previously worked in health care as well as those who already have experience.
Programs:
Radiography is the practice of using various imaging equipment to get an inside look at the human body through non-invasive procedures. This primarily includes taking X-rays but can also involve MRIs, PET scans, and etc.
Programs:
Health Administration involves the management of healthcare systems, hospitals, and similar health related structures. Unlike the other fields mentioned so far, this involves maintenance of hospital operations rather than patient care and is open to individuals who don’t have any previous health care experience as well as those that do, and makes a good potential post military career for many senior NCO veterans.
Programs:
Southern New Hampshire University
Dietetics is the discipline that balances human nutritional needs and lifestyle goals to improve the health of patients. Dietitians create meal plans and exercise programs, then monitor them with the patient to help control many diseases or syndromes through diet rather than pharmaceuticals or surgery.
Programs:
University of Northern Colorado
Masters:
Master of Science in Nursing programs are post graduate programs that prepare registered nurses for career advancement. Veterans who have spent their military career in nursing can take their leadership skills into an MSN program and emerge as nurse educators or nursing staff managers.
Programs:
Adult-Gero Primary Care nurses are specialists in the field of adult healthcare. They specifically provide preventative care and diagnose routine illnesses, treat common diseases, and help create lifestyle advice for anyone post-adolescent to centenarian.
Programs:
Family Nurse degrees provide nurses with a grounding specifically in family centered holistic health practices. These veteran nurses provide diagnosis, treatment, and life-style advice specifically based in an understanding of the family environment of patients as well as coordinating care of chronic illnesses with specialist physicians.
Programs:
In addition to Family Nursing, some nurses specialize their learning to become proficient in one aspect of family care. These specialists become experts on matters such as childbirth, pediatrics, or women’s health. These specializations allow practicing nurses to focus on particular aspects of nursing that they prefer.
Women’s Health – University of Cincinnati
Nurse Midwife – Bethel University
Pediatrics – Maryville University
Pharmacists are an often overlooked part of medicine. Considered by some to be mere pill counters, pharmacists have to become subject matter experts in regards to side effects, drug interactions, and medication therapy management. The detail oriented mindset of military pharmacists translate well to the specific needs of top level civilian pharmacists.
Programs:
University of Southern California
Health Information Management is not just a bachelor level profession, it operates at higher levels as well. For those already engaged in health informatics during their military career, a Masters can be the edge that puts them at the top of the field in civilian life.
Programs:
University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Health Administration is also something that extends past the bachelor level. For those whose service had included management and leadership in the healthcare setting this is the degree to pursue to put those skills into a civilian context.
Programs:
Southern New Hampshire University
University of Southern California
Regardless of what your specific background was in the military there are options within the medical field for you to explore as you approach ETS or as you file your DD214 in your home office. If any of the above programs look interesting to you, connect with the VFW or American Legion to ensure you know how to fill out the required forms and check into additional benefits and get enrolled. If the above degrees didn’t seem that interesting after all, there are other options as well. The important thing is that you have a limited time to use the GI Bill benefits that make it possible to pursue any of these options. So roll out, veteran, and make it happen.
