MEDEX Northwest has proudly been helping veterans enter the PA profession since its inception in 1969. The original goal to leverage military medical training and experience for a civilian PA career remains a key part of the MEDEX mission. The program accepts and educates the highest percentage of military veterans among civilian PA programs. With years of experience integrating veterans into the classroom, and having faculty who are also veterans, MEDEX is uniquely positioned to help veterans be successful in the transition into civilian life. This page contains links to personal guidance from our faculty who are veterans, reflections from MEDEX students who are veterans, and resources to help veterans prepare for the application process and the educational opportunities ahead.
MEDEX Magazine
Click here to read stories of Veterans at MEDEX Northwest.
Resources for Veterans
AAPA Veteran’s Caucus
The AAPA Veteran’s Caucus represents physician assistants who are veterans of the Uniformed Services. Many members continue to serve our country in the active, reserve or Guard components. The AAPA Veteran’s Caucus also have many affiliate (non-military) members who also support our goals.
Community College of the Airforce
The Community College of the Air Force (CCAF), part of Air University, is used to provide accredited associate degrees and professional certifications to enlisted U.S. Air Force and Space Force personnel. It focuses on military-specific education and career development, awarding degrees based on a combination of military training, college coursework, and standardized testing.
Key Uses of the CCAF System for MEDEX:
- Credit Transfer: Helps enlisted Airmen and Guardians earn college credits for their military training, which can be transferred to civilian colleges.
The CCAF is required for applicants who completed coursework while serving. Read more about the application process for military applicants here.
Joint Services Transcript
The Joint Services Transcript (JST) system is used to document the military training and education of U.S. service members. It provides an official academic transcript that translates military experience into college credit recommendations, helping service members and veterans receive academic credit at participating colleges and universities. The JST consolidates information from all branches of the military (except the Air Force, which uses the Community College of the Air Force for transcripts). The JST is required for applicants who completed coursework while serving. Read more about the application process for military applicants here.
U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a federal agency responsible for providing essential services and benefits to military veterans, their families, and survivors. The VA offers a wide range of programs. Make sure to apply for your VA Education Benefits on the VA’s website. Use the GI Bill® comparison tool to determine which benefit you are eligible for based on your time in service and military status. The benefit estimator compares the estimated benefits paid depending on the GI Bill® and school. You can review the different VA education benefits on this page.
Each quarter you wish to use your benefits, you need to complete the Enrollment Certification Request. Before you start the online form you need to know your academic schedule for the quarter, and you need to have met with an academic adviser as they need to verify your degree plan and your academic schedule.
UW Veterans Education Benefits Office
The University of Washington has an active and supportive veterans center on its campus in Seattle. This office is staffed with people who are knowledgeable and can help students with financial aid, grant, and loan application support services, job search and civilian resume writing workshops, disability services and counseling services.
Scholarships
MEDEX has compiled a list of opportunities. The list is expansive and includes many scholarships meant for active-duty and veteran physician assistant students. Please visit each opportunity to view the most up-to-date opportunities available.
Veteran Video
The Next Mission: MEDEX and the Military
We invite you to explore the stories of MEDEX students further by watching The Next Mission: MEDEX & the Military (2015), a MEDEX Northwest-produced video that features four MEDEX students from the then newly-opened MEDEX Tacoma campus. These members of MEDEX Tacoma Class 1 reflect on their transition from being medically-trained military personnel during the time of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to pursuing new careers as civilian PAs. To provide historical context, the video also introduces several members of the pioneering MEDEX Class 1 (1969), each of whom came to define and lead this new profession following on their Vietnam-era military service. Two generations of U.S. soldiers, two generations of MEDEX graduates, each exploring the role that military service played in shaping and guiding them to become MEDEX-trained PAs.