Medical Service Corps Officer gains valuable insight for future career
Story By Michelle Thum
LANDSTUHL, Germany – A Medical Service Corps Officer from the Maryland National Guard had the opportunity to shadow Public Health Command Europe Veterinary Corps officers for a week during her 9-month rotation to Poland.
First Lt. Isabella Carr, who joined the Maryland National Guard in May 2022, took a year off from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine to support Operation Atlantic Resolve at a Role 2 facility in Powidz, Poland.
Carr was notified of the mobilization and leaned into the experience knowing she would gain a lot of knowledge and personal growth from being able to deploy as a Platoon Leader.
“My uncle [ a very close family friend] was in the Marine Corps for 25 years and my uncle was in the Navy for 10 years, it seemed like the military had such a positive influence on their lives,” said Carr. “They spoke highly of their time in the service, and I liked the idea of having a dual purpose of being a veterinarian in the U.S. Army.”
On a day-to-day basis, Carr coordinates morning, evening, sick call and emergencies with Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and host nation hospitals for Soldiers forward deployed in Poland.
“We can provide a certain amount of care here but sometimes Soldiers need to be referred to other hospitals,” said Carr. “I manage evacuations and facilitate with Polish translators and hospital staff for visits at host nation facilities due to the language barrier.”
Carr met Public Health Command Europe Commander Col. Paul Lang during a Medical Readiness Center, Europe site visit.
“We started chatting and I told him that I’d like to become a veterinarian in the U.S. Army after my return from Poland,” said Carr. “Col. Lang introduced me to the Deputy Commander of Public Health Command Europe who is a veterinarian, and we went from there.”
Carr was invited to shadow the veterinarians at Public Health Command Europe for a week.
“I think it’s really important for young people to visualize their future,” said Lang. “We tend to fill the gaps of the unknown with our imagination and I wanted to make sure that she has the chance to experience and visualize her future with real-life examples.”
Shortly after meeting the Public Health Command Europe Command Group, she was preparing for her trip to Germany.
“I was fire hosed with information for a week and I really, really enjoyed it,” said Carr. “It gave me a good idea of what the Veterinary Corps is like.”
On her first day with PHCE, she was able to assist with a surgery at Veterinary Medical Center Europe, the Army’s premier, forward-deployed Role 3 medical and surgical center for Military Working Dogs, located on Pulaski Barracks, Germany.
“Before I started veterinary school, I was a veterinary technician, so it was cool to experience a surgery from the side of a veterinarian,” said Carr.
During her time in Landstuhl, Carr was also able to experience more of the laboratory side in the Veterinary Corps, she toured the in-house chemical and biological laboratory.
“It was fascinating,” said Carr. “Initially I didn’t think I would find it that intriguing but I learned something new about myself during this week and I’m considering looking into the laboratory side of the VC more.”
Lastly, Carr was able to work through sick calls at the Baumholder Veterinary Treatment Facility and accompany a commissary inspection and a food mission at one of the warehouses.
Looking back at her week with PHCE, Carr is grateful for the time and people she met.
“Every single person was very passionate about their job, you don’t see that often,” said Carr. “They were happy to answer all of my questions and it was very refreshing to meet people who are so dedicated to the work they do, it’s rare- even in the civilian world.”
Carr is finishing her tour in Poland in September of 2024 and will continue working on her veterinary degree before she intends to switch over to active duty to become a Veterinary Corps officer upon completing her degree