A Healthy Career Choice
Why veterans without medical training are getting jobs in the growing health care industry.
By Amanda Gillooly

In the health care field, a company is only as successful as the team dynamic its employees enjoy, and Deborah Meyer said this inalienable fact is one reason veterans are sought-after members of the WellPoint family.

“(Our operations) are spread from one coast to the next,” said Meyer, who is the talent acquisition senior consultant for WellPoint, the nation’s leading health benefits company. “When we’re all coming from the same page, it’s a positive reinforcement. Much like the military, they need to work together.”

Meyer is one of several administrators in the industry who say that at a time when the majority of growing careers are in health care, veterans have become a cornerstone to their company’s burgeoning ranks. Besides teamwork, veterans’ leadership, work ethic and, in some cases, their directly relatable hands-on training, make them attractive hires for health care companies.

A Matter of Character
As a recruiter for WellPoint, Meyer said she often seeks out veterans for myriad jobs under the corporate umbrella – most often for skilled nursing positions.

She said that for WellPoint, former military men and women have the personal qualities that often bleed over into their corporate jobs. The company’s core values include integrity, accountability and teamwork – attributes that are not lacking in America’s veterans.

“Former military personnel are goal-oriented,” Meyer said. “They are able to identify an objective and work hard to make sure it is accomplished.”

Marla Storm, human resources manager at McKesson U.S. Pharmaceutical, couldn’t agree more.

She said the leadership ability and “ability to hit the ground running” make former military men and woman attractive to McKesson, the nation’s largest health care services company.

“We have found that veterans are not only strong leaders, but they also perform exceptionally well as team members, valuing diversity, and working efficiently with available resources,” she said. “The McKesson culture is greatly influenced by the company’s ICARE principles – integrity, customer first, accountability, respect and excellence – and military veterans come from an environment where these values are also emphasized.”

VA Values Veterans
Darren Sherrard, marketing and advertising program manager for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Veterans Health Administration, said there are obvious reasons ex-military men and women are attractive candidates for jobs there.

“There is a sense of belonging that you don’t always get,” he said of how veterans are able to seamlessly transition into their jobs at the department. “To be successful you kind of have to have an understanding of its patients and its customers. And veterans do.”

The military lifestyle often adds another dimension to the candidate’s appeal, he added. “The nature of military life means many of these candidates are generally healthy, smart and patriotic,” Sherrard said.

For these reasons and many more, Sherrard said about 30 percent of the employees at the VA are former military personnel.

More Than Nurses
Sherrard said the job titles of the veterans who work at the VA cover a broad spectrum of duties. “While 30 percent of the VA are veterans, not all of them are in health care specifically,” he said.

He said most have hands-on, relatable experience that helps them easily adapt to circumstances and business practices. For example, Sherrard said he finds that veterans are often a great fit for traveling nurse positions. These nurses, he said, are independent contractors who work for 13-week periods at various VA health care providers.

Storm said McKesson also offers veterans variety.

“McKesson offers a variety of career opportunities for military veterans appealing to multiple backgrounds and specializations,” she said. “Leadership and development opportunities are available in areas varying from distribution centers to field sales positions to corporate offices, with opportunities in areas such as technology … or finance.”

Meyer said WellPoint is no different. She said veterans are often hired as business analysts and project managers, in addition to more care-oriented positions in the company’s various health care endeavors.

She said these positions require analytical and organization skills, as these employees often track data for all aspects of the company’s operations – creating spreadsheets, reports and, when possible, using that info to identify ways to improve operations at the company.

Making the Transition
Eaton Dunkelberger said his quick climb up the corporate ladder was thanks in large part to the leadership skills he learned in the military.

When Dunkelberger, an advanced diagnostics management operations lead at McKesson, transitioned out of the U.S. Marine Corps he attended business school – where he met his current manager.

About four years ago, that classmate was selected to start a new product line within McKesson and needed someone to lead the operations for it. Knowing Dunkelberger’s military background, the manager asked him when he could start.

Despite the difference between the public and private sectors, Dunkelberger said he immediately felt comfortable in his new position.

“Both organizations are very results-oriented and both environments require a lot of adaptation to succeed,” Dunkelberger said. “McKesson is a huge company and the U.S. Marine Corps is a huge organization, so both require a lot of people skills.”

Transitioning from the military culture to the corporate culture did require some adjustments, however.

“I was not used to working with women much before my experience at McKesson,” Dunkelberger said. “I was in the Marine Corps infantry, which is all male, and then started two companies in Afghanistan where my employees were all male. I was surprised at my need to adapt my communication style to be successful.”

He said he finds the new career challenging – and enjoys the freedom McKesson gives its employees to think outside the box to come up with innovative solutions.

Adjusting to Corporate Culture
Rick Swett, who works in WellPoint’s planning department in Indianapolis, said his transition from a platoon leader in the U.S. Army into the business world took a little getting used to.

One of the most difficult things for him to adjust to was the chain of command at the large corporation. “In the military there were clear lines of who was in charge. You just look at their shoulder tab to see,” he said.

Then there is a matter of motivation – and how to instill a sense of it in employees.

“In the service nothing stops until it is accomplished. That’s the motivating factor,” Swett said. “Transitioning to the corporate world people are very different. There are different things that motivate different people.”

Looking Ahead
All three companies say opportunities will continue to be available to veterans looking for new ways to use old skills. Storm said McKesson is also dedicated to continue its trend of hiring from the veteran pool of applicants.

And once they are in the McKesson family, there are plenty of programs to help them along.

First, there is the McKesson Military Resource Group, an internal group composed of employees who have either served in the military, are actively serving or who have family members in the military. The group, Storm explained, identifies ways to support current employees who are veterans while continuing to attract new applicants with that same rich military experience.

“Members of the Military Resource Group have worked on initiatives such as establishing McKesson’s membership in the Army Spouse Employment Partnership program, developing focused military recruitment initiatives and enhancing efforts to increase business conducted with veteran-owned businesses,” she said.

Sherrard said there are currently opportunities at the VA – everything from health care-oriented positions such as physical therapists, physicians and registered nurses, to administrative positions including human resources directors and information technology specialists.

GET HIRED
WellPoint
HQ: Indianapolis
Founded: 2004
Employees: 38,000
Veteran Employees: 916 (2%)
2010 Revenue: $65 billion
www.wellpoint.com 
www.careersatwellpoint.com 

Jobs
WellPoint offers positions in:

• Administrative
• Business development/sales
• Communications
• Customer care
• Finance
• Human resources
• Medical
• Operations
• Technology
• Underwriting
• Actuarial

Pay
Salary dependent on skills, experience and region

Jobs
The VA offers a variety of jobs suited to veterans. Here are just a few:

• Physical therapists
• Physicians
• Registered nurses
• Human resources directors
• Information technology specialists

Pay
Pay is stated in individual job postings

Jobs

• Accounts receivable specialists
• Business system analysts
• Client relationship managers
• Financial analysts
• Material handlers
• Patient services representatives
• Project/product managers
• Sales representatives
• Software engineers

Pay
Salary dependent on skills, experience and region
 
3 Transition Tips
How do you land a great civilian job?  Ask someone who’s done it.

Finding the perfect job:
“You should find out what you want to do and how you want to work.  I think a lot of folks leaving the military have only had one to two team experiences while the range of work styles, team size, leadership and personalities is really wide. Keying in on what you want and what you bring to the table, and ensuring those map well to your first role will help make the transition as easy as possible.”

– Eaton Dunkelberger
Advanced Diagnostics Management Operations Lead
McKesson

Getting the perfect job:
“I would find a mentor in the company with prior military experience as soon as possible, ideally outside of your chain of command, to provide you objective advice and feedback.”

– Eaton Dunkelberger

“During the interview itself, try to keep away from too much military jargon.”

– Deborah Meyer
Talent Acquisition Senior Consultant
WellPoint

Prepared for new challenges:
“Think about hairstyles and clothing. You need to get a suit and feel comfortable in a suit.”

– Darren Sherrard
Marketing and Advertising Program Manager
Veterans Health Administration
U.S. Department of Veterans Affair