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JOB DESCRIPTION

As a Medical Service Specialist (recently renamed Aeromedical Specialist), I spent the first four years of my career providing patient care to inpatients in a critical care setting. I was recruited for special duty flying aeromedical evacuation (AE) over the next 12 years, with the exception of a two year break.

I elected to leave AE and return to a medical treatment facility in 1998. Assigned to McConnell AFB in Wichita KS, I was initially assigned to the Family Practice Clinic but quickly placed in charge of the Medical Operations Squadron. This position put me in direct charge of all the frontline medics performing patient care. My last years at McConnell were spent as the Superintendent of the entire group. As the Medical Group Commander's #2 in charge of all enlisted personnel, I represented the medics best interests at all base-level meetings and oversaw daily (24/7) operations. I was also responsible for all training, resource management (manpower & money), and general well-being of all the medics on the base.

My final job was with the School of Aerospace Medicine at Brooks City-Base, San Antonio, TX. During my two years there, I was in charge of the Contingency Operations Division, which was responsible for training medics, public health, and bioenvironmental engineering students. This included novice and advanced courses for both officer and enlisted. The challenges with this position were varied and many.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

It is very difficult to summarize the accomplishments of a military career in a document intended for civilian industry. Here is my attempt to present a simple synopsis in non-military terms.

I began my 24 year Air Force career as an entry-level medic (apprentice) and after only two and one half years I advanced to become the primary trainer in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). This allowed me to develop my people skills and hone the skills required to recognize and assess problems, minor and emergent. I left the hospital setting to join the military version of the air ambulance service (aeromedical evacuation or AE) where I also rapidly advanced. My hard work and dedication was rewarded after only one year when I was selected to become a flight instructor. After only one more year, I was the recognized expert and advanced to the position of lead flight examiner in the Standardization/Evaluation section, or the quality assurance inspector for inflight medical care and safety. The remainder of my flying career was spent in the flight examiner position, becoming one of the recognized experts throughout the Air Force.

My years in aeromedical evacuation were invaluable in my development as a supervisor, manager, and leader. Nine of my ten years flying were involved with training and QA (Standardization/Evaluation) of aircrew members. While performing evaluations I had the reputation as "extremely tough, but always fair." This was the ultimate compliment to me! I learned a lot about how to handle people under stress and how to be exacting while remaining non-threatening. Another benefit of this job was that it put me in a position to perform on the executive level early in my career. I was directly involved with the strategic planning for worldwide AE.

The most rewarding period of my career was the five years spent as the Senior Enlisted member at McConnell AFB Medical Group in Wichita, KS. The opportunity to work at this level was both challenging and satisfying. Leading this facility to a multitude of awards and Department of Defense level recognition was a privilege as well as a continual learning experience that sharped my leadership and management abilities in many ways.

My last two years in the Air Force were gratifying in a very different way. I was able to work with young men and women that were brand-new to the military, and also lead the instructors that were interacting with these students on a daily basis. The satisfaction achieved through shaping these young members, and thereby shaping the future of the Air Force, was tremendous.

Overall, I had a very satisfying and rich career with many opportunities and experiences that the average person can only dream about. I was offered corporate level positions on several occassions but felt that my skills were better utilized in a "line" position where I could impact the daily operations and training. From the positions I accepted, I had a voice in strategic planning but could remain a positive role model for the younger folks beginning their AF careers.