Those who heal, those who serve: Do you have what it takes?

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Shawn Rhodes
  • 927th Air Refueling Wing
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Only a small percentage of Americans are healthy enough to join the armed forces, making it an elite group.

The 927th Air Refueling Wing, the reserve unit stationed at MacDill Air Force Base, is interested in finding the people who keep their communities that way - medical and health professionals who hold themselves to a high standard.

"Medical professionals are the backbone of a military unit," said Master Sgt. O'Shaman Parker, the health professions recruiter of the 927th ARW. "They make sure our folks are ready to serve and they also take care of us when we're deployed."

There are many reasons a health professions student or practitioner could benefit from the Air Force Reserve, Parker explained.

"In the reserves, you have a lot more control of your life than someone in active duty does," Parker said. "We recruit in our own community, and we want you to be able to serve your community when you're not serving your country."

Health professionals in the Air Force Reserve work in the hospitals and clinics in their towns, and then one weekend a month and two weeks a year they put on the uniform of an Airman and do what they love - keeping people healthy - for those who volunteer to serve their country, Parker said.

"You can still maintain a practice and serve in the Air Force Reserve," Parker said.

Other benefits for health professionals include the training all servicemembers receive in leadership, both in their jobs and in a deployed environment.

"Sometimes doctors just see patients all week, and never get a chance to use their initiative and intelligence to lead others," Parker said. "We expect our members to take on the roles of leader and supervisor, and we give them the tools they need to succeed both in the military and in their careers."

The Air Force Reserve also offers monthly stipends for resident physicians and a $160,000 student loan repayment for those in qualifying medical fields.

"Most medical students are dealing with massive debt," Parker said. "We can help offset that debt for more than a dozen medical specialties."

Parker is sending out the call for anyone in a health care profession in Central Florida who thinks they have what it takes to serve their community and their nation. He can be reached at (813) 828-5134, or by email at oshaman.parker.2@us.af.mil