Sens. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, and Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, introduced a bill on Wednesday that seeks to help military medics and corpsmen transition to civilian healthcare careers.
The Medic Education and Deployment into Civilian (MEDIC) Careers Act of 2025 attempts to eliminate bureaucratic and credential barriers that make it difficult for military-trained healthcare workers to get a job in civilian healthcare.
This bill will standardize its military medic training to align more closely with civilian credentialing requirements. In addition, the bill will look into the military’s current transition programs for military health workers.
The MEDIC Careers Act would also investigate the potential impact of states refining their equivalencies between military training and civilian health care licenses.
Furthermore, this bill would provide an update to the Department of Defense’s Health Care Workforce Preparedness and Response Pilot Program, which supports civilian health care providers and service members in hiring, training and retention efforts while also leveraging Government Issue benefits.
This bill would provide $5 million to this program annually from 2026 to 2033.
Kelly and Rounds introduced this bill as America faces a future of not having enough nurses. The U.S. Department of Labor projects America will have a nursing shortage of 275,000 workers by 2030.
With this projected shortage, over 173,000 healthcare workers are currently serving in the military, according to Kelly’s press release.
Many of these workers are military medics who serve in combat zones, hospitals and clinics. Kelly’s press release noted when healthcare personnel leave the military, they often have to undergo the same training, which slows down their entry into the civil workforce.
The Arizona senator stated the healthcare workforce is stretched too thin, “while many highly trained military medics are underutilized once they leave service because of red tape.”
“That’s a missed opportunity. These men and women already have the training and experience to step into critical health care roles,” Kelly, who is a Navy veteran, said. “We should be clearing a path so they can keep doing what they do best: saving lives.”
The MEDIC Careers Act has the support of 50strong and HonorHealth.
50strong is a company that helps veterans transition to civilian careers, and HonorHealth is a healthcare network in Phoenix.
Kandi Tillman, 50strong’s co-founder, said this bill provides an opportunity to “review barriers that may exist in today’s workforce and to provide a pilot mechanism to explore smart solutions.”
Tillman stated allowing military professionals to “practice in roles that reflect the scope of their military health care training, helps healthcare access in America and ensures “transitioning veterans and their families are connected to meaningful careers as civilians.”
Michelle Pabis, HonorHealth’s vice president of government and community affairs, said Arizona veterans and transitioning service members provide “unmatched discipline, expertise, and readiness” to Arizona’s healthcare workforce.
She noted this bill takes a “critical step forward” to help “military training and credentials align with civilian healthcare roles.”
According to Pabis, her company’s Military Partnership program has trained more than 1,700 medics in trauma readiness.
“By recognizing and integrating the skills of our service members, we not only strengthen our healthcare system but honor their service with meaningful career opportunities,” she said.
Is this really needed? The mil medics just like
all who have served can go to school on gi bill
My dUghter in law was a blood taker when she
served and went to the local college as well did
my son. She on the bill he on his own $. Both
graduated and became RNs. She is still at it he
got tired of seeing kids come into the pediatric
ward suffering from abuse etc so he decided
he wanted to become a school teacher.
Just like always the UA said it would take
a couple of years. Did not discuss any of his
completed courses he had and so on. I threw
Bs flag told him he needed only 25 hrs in major
which he had fro the local college college already
and that he could submit for a Split minor which
Again he had many. Anyhow he got in and was
done in about 18 months. They moved to
Colorado and both got nursing jobs and he began
Looking for teacher position. He got one and
Has been nominated for teacher of the year
He has a highly rated program that teaches
Med training and is approved by the state to qualify
His kids for medical related jobs. He has kids
Standing in line to get in. And has had another
teacher assigned to help with the required
side classes. Kids have to sign a contract
to get in as do the parents. Dont do
Required work, miss classes and they
are dropped from the class no if and or
buts accepted. Pretty much like old
HS votech classes were. Kids take national
Exams and can have basic jobs upon graduation
From HS.
Uh, what? Can you translate that.
This doesn’t require a bill for a qualified person to find a position. This is just political horn-blowing. Kelly is a lost cause.
allowing military professionals to “practice in roles that reflect the scope of their military health care training, helps healthcare access in America and ensures “transitioning veterans and their families are connected to meaningful careers as civilians.”
Where do they fit? What do they know? Who needs this skill(s) Fire Departments? Ambulance? Flight Transport? ER’s – Hospitals – there’s the unknown of what does the Medic know from the core of training – stabilize a wounded combatant – IV’s – Transport – general exams? General evaluation of patients presenting to ER’s?
Its odd that a “BILL” is needed to move this to focus – to being. How many ‘Medics’ are already transitioned to this ‘other pathway’ I’ve worked healthcare for decades – I do know of two combat medics ‘both of whom were my superiors’ in the area in which I work.. before they became who we are. Both NAVY – who had very good training. My ARMY combat medic was KIA. Of the Navy one served on the HOPE of the coast of RVN taking in wounded Marines.. I would say a tough way to train to save lives is be their.