USUHS, now going by "USU"

My first foray into graduate school was a very different experience than the paradise of my more recent MBA program. While it was hard work, a number of other challenges beyond the academic work made it often unpleasant and very hard to focus- lack of money to support my family, the odd lack of support for my military obligations despite the fact that I was at a military school, the death of a close friend early in the program, and a number of other parts of my experiences that left me needing to recover for a couple of years after the bruising experience.

But I remain proud to say that I made it through, and I continue to use many of the tools I learned to use while there at "The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences." Some of them are practical, like the fabulous electronic medical library, skills like research and critical thinking processes, and then some other more socially-oriented lessons about how not to treat other people.

Back then we referred to it as USUHS, with various pronunciations, and the inevitable "useless" pronunciation when someone failed a test or got frustrated with the place. Apparently they call themselves USU now, which I guess opens it up to a bit of confusion for those familiar with other instituations with the same initials like Utah State University. No big deal, just me sitting here with too much time in front of my keyboard this evening.

During the few times I've traveled up to the IZ, I've met a couple of old friends from the school- LDS friends with whom I played basketball now quite a few years ago. They've gone on to become doctors, and they come out on shorter tours- but they see a lot more blood than I've had to during my time here. And they remember me as "that guy that shoots from WAY outside." Yes, that's the only place I can get my set shot off without it getting blocked into the cheap seats. There are only a few spots where a guy with a one inch vertical leap can shoot, you see.

Why do I bring up my reminiscence of the un-glory days of my psychology grad school days? Because I came across a recent article recognizing the work of my fellow USUHS graduates-

'Fighting for Life' Shows Real Blood, And Real Guts
By Ann Hornaday

Washington Post

Friday, March 14, 2008

As an alum of this school, I'll never have a football team to root for, and I have to admit I consider paying taxes to be the limit I'll contribute to the school for the time being. But I'm proud to be affiliated with healthcare professionals who've contributed to bringing combat mortality rates down incredibly, and who provide trauma care of exceptional quality under challenging circumstances.

Hats off to you, my brothers and sisters in the medical services out here.