Veterans find a second calling in nursing program at UMSV

Nursing has become one of the fastest-growing career paths for U.S. veterans, with thousands of former service members enrolling in civilian health-care programs each year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

At the University of Mount Saint Vincent, or UMSV, Francis MartinezCastillo is among them. He is now nearing the end of his 16-month accelerated nursing program at the school. In 2012, he enlisted in the Navy, training as a hospital corpsman -– the branch’s equivalent of a medic. 

When Francis left the Navy in 2017, he carried years of medical training — battlefield triage, patient care, emergency response — and the pride of having treated hundreds of service members and civilians each month in the U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa, the largest American military hospital in the Pacific. 

“If someone’s bleeding out, you tourniquet, you triage,” he said. “In the military, we don’t take care of who’s dying. We take care of who we can put back in the fight.”

He returned home to his mother, who had suffered a stroke, and his grandmother entering hospice care. Just as he had been a caretaker for others abroad, he assumed the same role back at home.

That experience, combined with his time in the Navy pushed him back toward health care. But even after serving as a hospital corpsman, MartinezCastillo discovered that the military offers no civilian-recognized licenses or certificates. Medics and corpsmen are trained to the level of EMTs, and sometimes beyond, yet can’t transfer those qualifications once they leave service.

“The military does a great job of training you,” he said.  “I just think it’s when you try to transition over that it gets hard. You could have been saving lives overseas, and when you get home, you can’t even sit for the license exam.”

Determined to reenter medicine, Francis found the College of Mount Saint Vincent’s accelerated nursing program through a Google search. Within weeks, he was accepted and enrolled.

At the Riverdale campus, the program condenses a four-year nursing degree into 16 months, allowing students with prior bachelor’s degrees, including veterans, to qualify faster for state licensure. Francis now completes his clinical hours at White Plains Hospital’s oncology unit.

Tiana Sloan, UMSV coordinator for military and veteran service, said helping former service members restart their education is a major part of her work. 

“Veterans like Francis already have a foundation in medicine,” she said. “Our job is to help them translate that experience into the credentials they need.If you can connect veterans with education, you’re changing the trajectory of their lives.”

MartinezCastillo, who graduates next spring, hopes to work in an emergency room or intensive care unit. The fast pace reminds him of the Navy’s sense of urgency and teamwork. 

“I like moving fast,” he said. “In the ER, you get the most experience. Before you stabilize the patient, they come to the ER, so you gotta help stabilize, you gotta run the IVs, you gotta figure out what’s going on. I really like the hustle and bustling.”