Prepared to serve

11/10/2014 11:50 AM

By Matt Hawkins

Whether they’re training for military duty after graduation or shifting gears after time in the armed forces, students in Bradley’s health care programs find the University’s program a unique launch to the rest of their careers.

Take, for instance, Katie Dorgan ’16, a nursing major from Tucson, Arizona. She spent four years Stateside as an Army laboratory technician. Now, she is one of approximately 70 veterans enrolled at Bradley. Following in the footsteps of her mother, a UnityPoint Health Methodist administrator, Dorgan is pursuing a post-military career in health care.

After completing the undergraduate degree, she will continue in Bradley’s nursing administration graduate program. With the skills she learns at the bedside, her long-term goal is to work at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“With my education and opportunity to see health care in a global atmosphere, I’ll be prepared to face the challenges in nursing,” she said. “My dream is to provide safe care to a world that needs help.”

Another student, 1^st Lt. Ryan Lynch DPT ’16, of Byron, Illinois, will launch a career in military health care after graduation. He entered the Army Reserve through ROTC as an undergraduate and will become a captain in the Medical Specialist Corps after graduation.

Lynch is building leadership skills through duties as the federal section student liaison for the American Physical Therapy Association and as DPT class president. Additionally, a collaborative environment has fostered strong bonds among classmates and faculty.

“The DPT program trains students to become well-balanced leaders and team players, which is essential in the military,” Lynch said. “Students put aside internal competition and work together as a team to promote a better learning experience for everyone.”

The Bradley experience still affects alumni like Dan Cluskey ’09. He spent four years as an Air Force clinical nurse before he shifted to civilian care in Omaha, Nebraska. The son of an Air Force veteran and a nurse, he entered Bradley “soft-spoken and terrified of public speaking” but college built confidence needed for career endeavors.

“Bradley’s size gave me the chance to stand out and get leadership experience,” Cluskey said. “Most importantly, instructors showed me strength of my abilities and that I could succeed. As I prepared to leave for the military, I was confident in my ability to lead and perform my professional duties competently.”

Cluskey spent most of his Air Force duty Stateside; however he spent six months near the Afghanistan combat zone. He called on Hilltop lessons as he faced battlefield dangers, intense stress and the military version of coordinated care gaining popularity in civilian health care.

“EHS faculty prepared me to answer my nation’s call to serve,” he said. “The talented faculty members helped me to become the nurse and professional that I am today.”