Written on July 26, 2010 at 3:01 pm by

Medical Monday: Army Medical Careers for Civilians

Filed under DoD News {6 comments}

By Dr. Joseph Harrison, Jr, retired USAF Medical Service Corps Officer and Chief, Civilian Human Resources, Recruitment and Retention, for the US Army Medical Command.

In May 2008, the United States Army Medical Command (MEDCOM), Civilian Human Resources Division, Recruitment and Retention (R&R) Branch established a successful, proactive recruitment program to identify and attract civilian healthcare professionals to supplement enlisted military staff. The development of this program speaks to MEDCOM’s dedication to improving access to healthcare for U.S. soldiers and their families.

Past efforts to increase awareness of MEDCOM opportunities included job postings on .gov and .mil websites. The process was simple – candidates would search the job website, apply for jobs, go through the rating and ranking process, get referred and selected.

This approach, however, did not yield desired results. Many job seekers were unaware of job postings on the aforementioned sites. Furthermore, a majority of targeted health care candidates are passive job seekers, meaning they are not actively searching for new employment opportunities.

However, MEDCOM is now on the road to successful recruitment of qualified health care professionals to serve the medical needs of U.S. soldiers and their families.

Dr. Joseph Harrison, Chief, Civilian Human Resources, Recruitment and Retention, for the US Army Medical Command

Four full-time career consultants are employed at the corporate level, the R&R Branch. MEDCOM recruiters develop and execute plans to maintain a highly visible recruitment program, refer applicants to immediate and future job openings, and focus efforts on hard-to-fill medical occupations.

Additionally, the R&R Branch has teamed with a new contractor, Agency MABU, to establish and launch Civilianmedicaljobs.com, a website specifically designed to provide information and collect applications to the Army Medicine Civilian Corps.

Career opportunities exist in Army hospitals across the U.S. and abroad, and a substantial number of new clinics are being established to meet the increasing medical needs of the military family. A major increase in outreach efforts is necessary to secure the staff demand.

Civilianmedicaljobs.com, along with supporting marketing efforts, has tripled the number of applicants to the Army Medicine Civilian Corps. Colleague support, however, is crucial to increase visibility of current and future career opportunities. Former and current military counterparts are encouraged to share the information provided in this blog with others.

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  • W.L. Kuehr

    Great! Thanks for your efforts.

  • Jeff

    Very Nice – Spread the word!

  • Bernette

    Thanks for the information. I will forward.

  • Min Lopez

    Awesome! This is great support for our civilian workforce.

  • Anthony Jones

    Thanks Dr. Harrison and your team at providing “Hope” to the many viable candidates who have become disillusioned about obtaining a job within the Federal Service. May your visions continue to “keep hope alive”. I will pass this useful information to others.

  • jennifer.cragg

    Anthony, thanks for visiting DoDLive.mil and for posting your comment. I will forward your comment to Dr. Harrison. V/r, LT Jennifer Cragg

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