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From ACUs to Scrubs: An Air Force Reservist's journey

Staff Sgt. Taylor Travers figures it out

Staff Sgt. Taylor Travers is a Air Force Reserve success story. U.S. Air Force Photo

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When Taylor Travers graduated high school in 2001, he didn't know what his next step in life would or should be. Then a friend told him about the Air Force and all that they had to offer; within six months, Travers had enlisted and described himself as "open to anything."

He spent the next six plus years as an armament systems technician and worked on weapons systems across the globe, spending time stationed in South Carolina, South Korea and Italy.

"I loved my job on the flight line and I enjoyed it, but it wasn't a passion of mine," explained Travers.  

It was during a deployment to Iraq in 2007 when he finally realized what his passion was.

"I really fell in love with the medical side of the house during that deployment. I got to follow some doctors around in the trauma center and was volunteering in a hospital," he stated. "I was really motivated by the thought of eventually being a provider for patients."

By 2008, Staff Sgt. Travers had switched into the Air Force Reserve in order to attend school fulltime and he joined the 446th Aerospace Medicine Squadron at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, McChord Field, as a medical technician. Switching his AFSC did require attendance at a different technical school before he was officially reclassified and could work with the AMDS, but Travers was intent.

"I took a spot as a medic to decide if that was what I wanted to do," he said. "I thought it would help me get closer to my dream of being a physician."

Last August, Travers graduated with a degree in biochemistry and got a job working as an emergency technician at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Ore. Though the hospital is not a trauma center, he still works long hours and sees a wide variety of patients with varying complaints.

"I learned a lot in school, but the only experience I had medic-wise was through the Air Force," explained Travers.

That being said, he admitted that it is a two-way street, since his time in the ER has helped with his approach to customer service and other technical aspects, which he can now employ during drill weekends.

"Also, if I were to ever be deployed and work in a hospital downrange, I know my experience here would be a help," he added.

Travers, 30, who utilized his Montgomery GI Bill to get his undergraduate degree, will apply for medical school next year through the Department of Defense's Health Professions Scholarship Program. Then, once he has completed his residency, he plans to return to the Air Force, on active-duty, and serve as a military provider.

"Sometimes it takes a while to figure out what would make you happy the rest of your life," he said. "So try to find the thing you love doing and make that a part of your life. I recommend that other airmen cross-train to another job or start taking classes, even just to figure out what if it is you want to pursue."

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