Non-Traditional
Duty Calls:  Army Hospitals Need Civilian Health Professionals

Looking for a way to be all you can be without actually joining the military? You may want to consider working as a civilian health professional at one of the US Army's many healthcare facilities worldwide.

From audiologists to veterinarians, there's an ongoing demand for civilian healthcare workers who can support America's Army in hospitals and clinics located throughout the continental US, Hawaii, Alaska, Europe, and the Pacific.

Such a career can be rewarding and challenging, says Darla Callaghan, chief of the Medical Cell, which recruits health professionals for civilian medical positions with Army facilities. In many Army hospitals, health professionals have the opportunity to work with state-of-the-art equipment and technology, she says. In addition, opportunities for professional growth and advancement are plentiful at Army facilities.

According to Callaghan, the Medical Cell is currently focusing its recruitment efforts on nurses, pharmacists, family practice physicians, occupational therapists, physical therapists, psychologists, social workers and radiologic technologists, although there is a need for other types of professionals as well. For most positions, the Medical Cell recruits experienced and qualified professionals who can "hit the ground running," she says.

Some civilian health professionals choose to work at several different Army facilities during the course of their careers. "The world is their stage," Callaghan says. Other civilian health workers, like hospital administrator Sandra Anderson, find their niche at one Army facility. Anderson, who has worked at Ireland Army Community Hospital in Fort Knox, Kentucky for 33 years, says Army hospitals offer at least one clear advantage over private sector hospitals: they are not revenue-based. This makes Army hospitals quite attractive to health professionals who are disillusioned with the insurance and billing hassles of the private sector, Anderson notes. "We have the ability to do the right thing for the patient at the right time, and to do it appropriately. We make decisions based solely on the need of the patient and not on external forces, and that is a big advantage for anyone in medical care today," Anderson says.

The benefits packages that government employees receive -- from a healthy retirement plan to a generous amount of paid leave -- help attract health professionals to Army hospitals, too, Anderson says.

Perhaps the most important reason health professionals choose to work for Army hospitals, however, is the "sense of patriotism" they get from caring for active duty and retired soldiers and their families, Anderson says. "It doesn't really mean much during peacetime. You forget what it's all about. But when we go to battle and see firsthand the sacrifices being made to keep us free, we're proud to be a part of that," she says.