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42 G.I. JOBS | SEPTEMBER 2017 | GIJOBS.COM es for his family of five ex- ceed what the GI Bill covers. In 2014, he was awarded the Pat Tillman Foundation Military Scholarship to help offset those costs. He also commissioned as a medi- cal officer in the National Guard under the Medical and Dental School Stipend Program, which provides a living stipend. Johnston learned of Quil- len through other veterans; he encourages any service member thinking about post-military education to do the same. "Seek out veter- ans who have already gone before you. Don't just go blindly about things in your transition," he says. "Find- ing a mentor who can help you through the process is paramount." Medical school is notori- ously difficult, which the military uniquely prepared Johnston for. "The discipline and time management are some of the most important aspects to getting through medical school," he says. "Pro- fessors, staff and your patients always notice and appreciate your professionalism and respect." On the flip side, his military experience made some aspects of transitioning to school harder. "The difficulty was mainly in having higher expec- tations of people's behaviors around me," he says. "Just realize some people lack some characteristics we think of as fundamental for the military. You can probably influence more by setting the example or tactfully mentioning a solution versus making an 'on the spot correction.'" THE FUTURE Thus far, working at the Mountain Home VA has been "very rewarding to me," he says. "The rapport with the veteran is almost instant and I feel they are always glad a fellow veteran is one of their providers. I think there is an understanding that veterans acting as providers are there to take care of them because of a common bond, and that is true." After Johnston graduates in 2018, he plans to match into a civilian emergency medical residency program and work at a Level 1 Emergency Room somewhere in the Southeast. He hopes the program also will train MEDICS because "I like to teach, something I have taken with me from my days as an NCO." He'll also continue his military career in the National Guard as a commissioned medical officer, most likely serving as a battalion surgeon. He leaves transitioning ser- vice members with this advice: "Don't sell yourself short. The work put in on the front end of your career pays big dividends when you get on the outside. You have carried more real responsibility in real life in a week than some students have carried all their lives. Set a goal and push hard to get there, but be flexible as you go so you don't get discouraged if you hit a bump in the road." STUDENT VETERAN James R. Johnston Jr. Degree: Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University* Johnson City, Tenn. Expected Graduation: 2018 Age: 39 Military Service: USMC Reserves: 1996-1999 Army National Guard: 1999-2004 Army: 2004-2013 Army National Guard: 2013-Present Highest Rank: Enlisted, Special Forces Senior Sergeant (E-8); Officer, First Lieutenant (O-2) MOS: Marine Corps, Infantryman (0311); Army, Special Forces Medic (18D), Special Forces Team Sergeant (18Z) Other Credentials: • Fellowship in Wilderness Medicine • NREMT Paramedic