When Dr. Thomas Scandalis became dean of Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences, he quickly noticed one group stood out as hard-working self-starters: it was those who had served or planned to serve in the military. For six years, the university has focused on attracting veterans or those seeking commissions as a military medical officer. Their efforts are making a difference on and off campus.
Scandalis spent four years as an Army combat medic in a battalion aide station. Then he made “the natural career transition from taking care of soldiers on the field to taking care of athletes on the field” in academic and sports medicine. In his present-day role, he always has consideration for those who have served in the military.
“We want them to be as useful in the medical sector as they were in the military field,” he explained.
PNWU has a reputation for being a military-friendly campus because of various supportive offerings, including a veterans club. There is also special attention given to medical school applicants who have been through the military academies.
The university’s team is comprised of military leadership on all levels, from incoming students to the COO. They are uniquely committed to producing medical professionals, particularly in rural and medically-underserved areas throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Veterans are a natural fit for these programs because they “already have discipline, commitment, and resiliency — qualities medical students need to be successful. We always have students that struggle, but it usually isn’t those with a military background. Veterans have that strength and perseverance. They are already leaders, the best and the brightest,” according to Scandalis.
Every year, four to 10 graduating students become commissioned officers through the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) that offers paid medical education in exchange for service as a commissioned medical officer.
“They wear their Class A uniforms under their graduation gowns. Midway through the ceremony, they are brought up on stage in uniform and sworn in. Every year they get a standing ovation,” Scandalis added.
HPSP graduates serve in military clinics or hospitals around the world, taking care of service members and families across various duty station. Scandalis says, “being in the military helps them know what military families are going through. It’s a natural connection between military medical officers and the families they serve.”
And students at PNWU support military families even before graduation.
“Students from the military veterans club put on an annual Mud Run to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. We have vets from the community that help organize and run it, then they give the proceeds to WWP,” Scandalis said. “We want to be a place where people who have served and are planning to serve can find a springboard to the rest of their career.”
One graduate of the HPSP is retired Col. Marc Cote, assistant dean for clinical education at PNWU.
“The camaraderie that develops among those who serve in the military has many similarities to the relationships that medical students develop among their class and school. I’m proud to look around our university and know that PNWU has faculty, staff and students enlisted and officer veterans who served or continue to serve unselfishly in many different environments. They are strong and vibrant. They will do anything to care for a comrade,” he said.