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New effort helps veterans gain credit for learning, skills from military

Gateway Technical College has begun a program to provide military veterans with even more credit toward earning a health care degree for their work and training while in the service.

Through federal grant funding, the college will offer military skills assessment opportunities for those who have military occupation specialties in the related fields of dental assisting, surgical technology, physical therapist technician, corpsman or medic.

“The ACT for Healthcare is a program developed to bridge veterans with military healthcare training to healthcare programs at Gateway Technical College,” says project director Stacia Thompson. “This can potentially save time and money in pursuing a healthcare career.”

Time and money is gained through veterans receiving credit for prior learning, which shortens their time frame to earn a degree – and spend less money as they are credited with taking a number of courses at Gateway. Prior learning for military experience will be offered for Surgical Technology, Dental Assistant and Physical Therapist Assistant programs. 

In Nursing, the Transitioning into Healthcare and Nursing Using Prior Knowledge and Service (THANKS) program will bridge previously gained healthcare knowledge, skills and abilities of the military healthcare veteran student to the role of the practical nurse through a self-paced, online and video learning process using modules and supervised simulation lab.

Participants will receive case management services in academic, career and personal guidance and support.

Those interested in the program can contact Thompson at (262) 564-3085.

The grant which funded the effort is the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) Grant Program.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration has awarded $19,999,991 under the TAACCCT grant program to be shared among the 16 colleges within the Wisconsin Technical College System. A total of 100 percent of the Gateway project equaling $834,441 is being financed with federal money.

This is an equal opportunity program. Assistive technologies are available upon request and include Voice/TTY (711 or 800-947-6644).