Photo By Henry Villarama | Capt. Jay O’Hara assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion,...... read more read more
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Army Europe Top Physician Assistant Recognized
Grafenwoehr, GERMANY - U.S. Army Capt. Jay O’Hara was named the U.S. Army Europe’s 2019 Physician Assistant of the Year in a ceremony at Tower Barracks, here, on Wednesday.
Capt. O’Hara is assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, and when not training, works at the Vicenza Health Clinic on Caserma Ederle.
“It’s a great honor to have been recommended by my peers and to represent the 173rd Airborne Brigade,” said O’Hara.
Physician Assistants (PA) provide a variety of services to soldiers, in a role typically performed by physicians in the civilian world. As officers in the Medical Specialist corps, PAs play an important role in ensuring the overall quality of life for soldiers and their families.
The highly sought after title of “Best PA” provides an opportunity for Army medical professionals to distinguish themselves among their peers. U.S. Army Europe has been awarding this title since 1982.
“He consistently displays a tireless desire to improve his organization and improve himself technically, tactically and personally,” said Lt. Col. Chris Forrester, the 173rd Airborne Brigade Surgeon. “His reputation for professional excellence has reached every level of his formation and earned him the unwavering trust of his superiors, subordinates and the paratroopers with whom he proudly serves.”
The process to select the best U.S. Army Europe PA is extremely competitive. Commanders recommend their best PA to the U.S. Army Europe Office of the Command Surgeon for consideration, highlighting their achievements during the year. Candidate's packets are reviewed and scored by a panel from within the command, evaluating the nominees' leadership attributes, level of responsibility, influence within and outside of the command, physical fitness and clinical achievements.
“My philosophy for medicine is providing the best treatment to the paratroopers” says O’Hara. “The battalion you’ve been assigned to is your family. You want to treat all your paratroopers like your family.”
Originally from Trumansberg, N.Y., O’Hara initially enlisted in the Army as a Laboratory Technician. He performed nutritional testing at the United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM) in Natick, Massachusetts. During his time at USARIEM, O’Hara was selected for the Army’s PA program.
O’Hara definitely recommends the 173rd Airborne Brigade and U.S. Army Europe to fellow PAs. Working in the brigade, and in USAREUR, provides training opportunities unlike anywhere else in the Army.
“It’s about opportunities,’ said O’Hara. “I don’t know many people who can say they’ve lived in and practiced medicine in Europe.”
“In a year and half, I’ve been to eight different countries with the unit alone. You get to meet different people, see the way they do medicine and the way they train.”
A piece of advice that O’Hara has for all soldiers is to “jump at opportunities and take advantage of what’s in front of you.”
Capt. O’hara received the award from Col. Lee Bryan, the commander of U.S. Army Medical Department Activity – Bavaria, at Tower Barracks in Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany.
| Date Taken: | 12.04.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 12.04.2019 11:33 |
| Story ID: | 354251 |
| Location: | GRAFENWOEHR, BAYERN, DE |
| Web Views: | 1,243 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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