Skip to main content

Success Spotlights

Retired Combat Medic Finds New Career In Surgical Technology

Concorde Staff

Concorde Staff

Share:
Updated February 11, 2021. The information contained in this blog is current and accurate as of this date.
Clifford A Thomas- Retired Combat Medic finds new career in Surgical Technology

As a child, Clifford Thomas watched his grandfather fall down a flight of stairs and felt helpless because he didn't know how to alleviate his grandfather's pain. That overwhelming feeling of helplessness he never wanted to experience again, which led him years later to pursue a career in the medical field.

 

His first experience in healthcare came in the Army, where he enlisted as a combat medic. But it wouldn't be his last, as he continues to serve in a vital healthcare role in the middle of a raging pandemic.

 

 

Serving in the Army

 

Clifford enlisted in the Army shortly after high school, determined to get the medical training he needed to help others. He eventually became a combat medic, serving stateside and overseas for many years.

 

"It was my first experience seeing what life outside the United States was really like," he said. "It gave me a whole new perspective for the meaning of freedom." As a medic, he had a wide range of duties and responsibilities.

 

"The primary mission is to stabilize the patient, and evacuate them into first or second echelon medical care," Clifford said. "You treat the patient at the point of injury on the battlefield, evacuating either to an aid station or hospital depending on severity of the injury." He was elevated to a sergeant first class around the time he was deployed to Afghanistan, then ultimately became a master sergeant.

 

 

A New Civilian Role

 

After 20 years in the Army, it was time for Clifford to retire and find a new career. "I still felt as though I had a lot more to give to my community," he said. "After serving as a combat medic for years, I was always curious about what happened to my patients once I took them to the first or second level of care, because I never saw them again."

 

That insight helped Clifford decide on a new healthcare career and pursue a Surgical Technology degree at Concorde Career Institute, Orlando. "After I enrolled at Concorde, I recognized some of the instruments as the same ones I used in the field for stabilization purposes," he said. "That drove my interest that much more." Clifford was initially concerned about enrolling in school because of his age, and "some of my classmates were probably old enough to be my children," he said.

 

But he grew to appreciate his classmates quite a bit. "They helped make my transition back into education really smooth," Clifford said. "It reminded me a lot of the camaraderie I had in the military. We became a family, and some remain as family."

 

Clifford enjoyed studying surgical technology, and found a particular area of interest while he was in clinicals at AdventHealth Winter Park Hospital in the Sterile Processing Department. He was hired after graduation, and is part of a team that is responsible for the cleaning, decontaminating, sterilization and storage of all the instruments that support all the functions of the hospital. He is grateful for the role Concorde played in preparing him for his new career.

 

"Concorde-Orlando has some of the finest instructors and supporting staff that I've ever encountered," he said. "They made it so simple, so plain and so practical for students who have various learning styles."

 

Interested In How To Become a Surgical Tech?

Click here to explore Surgical Technology Programs near you!

Next Steps?

We have a Concorde representative ready to talk about what matters most to you. Get answers about start dates, curriculum, financial aid, scholarships and more!

  1. Program length may be subject to change dependent on transfer credits and course load. Please refer to current course catalog for more information. Concorde does not guarantee admittance, graduation, subsequent employment or salary amount.

  2. Professional certification is not a requirement for graduation, may not be a requirement for employment nor does it guarantee employment.

  3. Financial aid is available to those who qualify but may not be available for all programs. Concorde does not guarantee financial aid or scholarship awards or amounts.

  4. Clinical hour requirements and delivery may vary by campus location and may be subject to change. Concorde does not guarantee clinical site assignments based upon student preference or geographic convenience; nor do clinical experiences guarantee graduation, post-clinical employment or salary outcomes.

  5. Registration and certification requirements for taking and passing these examinations are not controlled by Concorde, but by outside agencies, and are subject to change by the agency without notice. Therefore, Concorde cannot guarantee that graduates will be eligible to take these exams, at all or at any specific time, regardless of their eligibility status upon enrollment.