339th RCS Health Professions tour cures curiosity about Air Force life Published March 28, 2008 By Staff Sgt. Nathan Richardson 339th Recruiting Squadron Public Affairs Detroit, Mich. -- Careers in the health care field are among the most prestigious and lucrative in society. Civilian organizations and military services alike invest heavily in trying to attract medical professionals to join their teams. In the civilian health care arena, "show them the money" is often the philosophy used to attract these valuable professionals, but, the Air Force's 339th Recruiting Squadron in Detroit, Mich., takes a different approach. It has found that "show them the lifestyle" is a more effective way to persuade health care professionals to take a serious look at Air Force careers, and it recently conducted the Fly-Away Health Professions Tour to do just that. The squadron gave select doctors, dentists, nurses and medical school students from Michigan a first hand look at the Air Force experience at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., March 13-15. Led by Master Sgt. Andrew Crawford, the 339th's Health Professions recruiting team, put 14 prospective Air Force applicants on an Air Force Reserve C-130 at snow-covered Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., for a three-hour flight to the South and warmer temperatures. During the flight, the group gained a unique view of flight operations with cockpit tours. They also garnered a deeper understanding of the Total Force concept from briefings delivered by Air Force Reserve aircrew describing how they move cargo and passengers around the world for not only the Reserve, but also active duty, Guard, and multi-service operations. Upon arrival at Eglin, the group was greeted by Maj. Laurie Worthy and Capt. Glinda Johnston, the event coordinators from the 96th Medical Group, who took them on a whirlwind tour of the base. After a first class reception at lodging and a relaxed dinner at the Eglin Officers' Club, the group was ready for the heart of the event the following morning. The 96th Medical Group commander, Col. Tama Van Decar, along with her senior staff, welcomed the group to the Eglin AFB hospital with a personal briefing about the scope and mission of Air Force health care professions. Each tour member was then escorted by a hospital staff member from their respective career specialty on a tour of the entire Eglin Military Treatment Facility allowing participants to see the first class quality of Air Force facilities and to ask candid questions of their Air Force health profession counterparts. The facility tour was followed by a working lunch consisting of a question and answer panel discussion that featured hospital staff members from a wide variety of health profession fields. Tour guests were encouraged to ask the panel members any questions they had regardless of the subject matter. The discussion covered topics such as follow-on medical training opportunities in the Air Force, pay comparisons, personal fulfillment, on-base family support programs and more. This session gave participants not only a deeper understanding of Air Force health care careers, but also the Air Force way of life. Following the hospital visit the group toured various base facilities, including the fitness center, skills center, auto hobby shop and base exchange to see the unique quality-of-life programs and facilities available to Airmen. Scheduled "free time" on base gave the guests time to soak in the Florida sun on the beach and to enjoy nine holes of golf before meeting at a local restaurant for dinner. Tour members returned to Michigan on day three aboard a KC-135 from the 434th Air Reserve Wing based at Grissom Air Reserve Base near Indianapolis, Ind. Attendees were once again treated to tours of the cockpit and of refueling boom operations, giving them an aviation experience few civilians ever get to see. Feedback from all attendees was positive and the experience will undoubtedly play a big role in their decisions about the Air Force as a career path, said Senior Master Sgt. Chris Edington. "A lot of work went into this, but it was well worth it," said the 339th RCS senior trainer and primary tour planner. "Seeing is believing. We knew an 'inside look' would give them greater insight into Air Force Health Professions and help them in their career decision." The sentiment was echoed by a tour guest in her post-tour critique comment, "This helped me more than any amount of words or pictures ever could." The 339th Recruiting Squadron plans to conduct similar events in the future in their ongoing effort to persuade highly qualified health care professionals to join the Air Force team.