FORT HOOD, Texas--Variety was the name of the game for this year’s Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center’s annual Education Fair at the hospital here December 7.
Two dozen various schools, universities and employment organizations offered information on education and career opportunities in healthcare and healthcare-related fields to more than 300 service members, DA civilians and military spouses who attended the CRDAMC Education Fair Dec. 7.
“I am pleased with the turnout we had. Knowledge is key and our goal was to give a plethora of information to as a many people as possible,” said Maj. Blesilda Spratley, nurse educator at CRDAMC. “We held our first education fair last year as a means to help our Soldiers discover how their military education and experience could translate into college degree or a career in the civilian sector. This year, we had the same valuable information on education and employment opportunities for our medics and nurses, but we expanded the fair to include more information about many other career fields such as pharmacy, radiology, logistics, hospital administration and medical maintenance.”
Spratley added that they just didn’t focus on healthcare-related fields but also featured schools and organizations that offered programs and benefits to those looking to transition to other fields.
One such school at the fair was Columbia Southern University, Orange Beach, Alabama which offers online degree programs in areas such as occupational safety and health, fire administration, criminal justice, business administration, human resource management, health care administration and more.
Regardless of what they want to do, Carl Childs, military outreach manager for CSU, said he believes everyone can benefit from education fairs and events.
“Nowadays, the uniform alone won’t get a Soldier the job. They have to have credentials. At CSU, we want to help them anyway we can whether it’s utilizing their benefits while they’re in or when they transition out of the military,” Childs said. “Education fairs like this are great for me as it allows me to reach a lot of people. We aim to change the life of Soldiers one student at a time, so even if I can impact the life of one student today, it’s been worthwhile for me.”
Kyle Chapman from the Texas Tech University School of Nursing said the education fair is a win-win event for vendors and attendees.
“One of the programs my school offers is the ‘Vet to BSN’ transition. This is great for me as I can directly reach a couple hundred of the 68W (combat medics) and 68C (practical nursing specialist) who are ideal candidates for our program,” Chapman said. “I have lots of information on our other programs that can benefit Soldiers, their spouses, parents of high school students and anyone else who wants to go into nursing.”
Master Sgt. Yolanda Porter who works in CRDAMC’s patient administration attended both fairs, and said she found both of them to be worthwhile.
“There’s so much information out there about the education and employment benefits and programs available to Soldiers. And it’s changing all the time. Here you can get all the information you need in one stop,” she said.
Being able to meet face-to-face with representatives from the different schools and organizations is what appealed to Pfc. Malco Ortega, from the CRDAMC Women’s Health Clinic.
“It’s one thing to read about a school and what they offer. But here I can get immediate answers to my specific questions and get a live person to be able to contact for more information. It’s much more personable to meet and talk to them,” he said.