America's Hospitals Count on Veterans

Our freedoms were earned – and continue to be protected every single day – by the service of our nation’s veterans. Veterans Day is our opportunity to honor these brave men and women for their sacrifices. 

For veterans who want to continue serving others – but in a different capacity – America’s hospitals and health systems provide a great opportunity.  Many veterans, particularly former Army medics, Navy hospital corpsmen, Air Force medical technicians, and Coast Guard health services technicians, can make valuable – and life-saving – contributions to the patients and hospitals in their communities. 

Some hospitals may need help finding qualified veteran candidates, while some veterans need help translating their military experience for civilian credentialing requirements. The AHA’s Hiring Veterans Toolkit and other resources provide assistance for hospitals to successfully recruit, hire, and retain veterans in their workforce.

Others are also working to bring together veterans and hospitals. For example, the Atlas Health Foundation, an organization working to reduce health disparities for vulnerable populations, has announced that they will pilot a veterans hiring initiative with three systems that serve rural areas: Genesis Health System in Davenport, Iowa; The Heartland Health Alliance in Lincoln, Nebraska; and Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Meanwhile, the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association worked to support the creation of the Military Medics and Corpsman Pilot Program, a state workforce development initiative that connects veterans with hospital employment opportunities. Other programs like this are becoming available across the country.

This Veterans Day, we give our deepest gratitude to every veteran across our great land. We thank them for their military service, and not only for the sacrifices they’ve made, but the sacrifices of their families. We thank them for our freedom.