Military Friendly School

Veterans Fee Waiver

In honor and recognition of those who are or have honorably served America through active military service, the Quillen College of Medicine is proud to announce the waiver of all supplementary application fees for these folks. We are unable to waive the preliminary application fee through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) but will waive the supplemental fee for those who progress in the selection process. We are a veteran friendly institution, located on the grounds of a beautiful Veterans Affairs hospital at Mountain Home, Tennessee and we are pleased to be able to further honor our service women and men through this small token of appreciation. Our program "Vets Welcome" shows our recognition and appreciation of our service people.

We are proud of, and honor, those who have attended Quillen and gone on to serve in all branches of service. We are proud of our record of training those for further service in the military through the Health Professions Scholarship Program and strongly recommend that our applicants and students explore this program is a method or financing the medical education and graduating from medical school debt free.

This fee waiver is effective immediately and is available on request to those who have honorably served (or are currently serving) in the US Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard or their reserve or National Guard components. Military service must be documented in the original AMCAS application or through the submission of a DD214 or other proof of military service.

To all our "comrades in arms", please accept this small token in appreciation for your service. Thank you.

ETSU earns prestigious Military Friendly designation

James H. Quillen College of Medicine: One of American's Teague-Cranston Medical Schools

On March 12, 1974, the Tennessee House of Representatives overrode then Governor Winfield Dunn’s veto of the legislation authorizing the creation of a medical school at ETSU. Local leaders won approval for the ETSU College of Medicine to participate in the Veterans Administration Medical Schools Assistance and Health Manpower Training Act of 1972. Federal assistance through this Teague-Cranston Act created six new medical schools to operate in conjunction with Veterans Administration hospitals. ETSU with the Mountain Home VA Medical Center became the location for one of these six schools, developing a partnership recognized as a national model through which both institutions have achieved significant advances in health care delivery, research, and education.

A Military Friendly School Award

The long-term efforts of the ETSU Veterans Affairs Office, the Veterans Upward Bound Program and participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program led ETSU to be named a Military Friendly School by the magazine GI Jobs. Some 400 ETSU students are now using the Montgomery GI BILL® benefits. Over 650 ETSU students have participated in the program with a high graduation/persistence rate of over 40 percent.

The Military Medical Student Association at James H. Quillen College of Medicine

A group of military medical students established a support organization at the Quillen College of Medicine to provide information and resources needed for Health Professions Scholarship Program students to navigate their challenging world. The student association engages in outreach to the local Veterans’ community. The Association includes representative leadership from every branch. Quillen College of Medicine has a strong military connection and more than 10 percent of our student body is currently serving as Officer-Students.

The Veterans History Project

Congressman William Jenkins invited ETSU in 1999 to engage university students (from History, Storytelling, Appalachian Studies and Theater) in the Library of Congress’ Veteran History Project. ETSU students coordinated with local veterans’ organizations and with rural school systems projects to collect oral histories, pictures and other documents from over 260 veterans from the mountains of East Tennessee. All collected materials are housed at the Library of Congress and the ETSU Archives of Appalachia. The Library of Congress indicated that the First Congressional District had submitted the largest number of collected histories in the U.S.

The Buccaneer Battalion, The ETSU Commitment to R.O.T.C.

The ROTC program was established at ETSU in 1952. ETSU has a record on exceeding commissioning requirements, with a cumulative record of commissioning over 1400 Second Lieutenants for the Army. Of these officers, nine have achieved the ranks of general officer within the Army (along with five other flag officers from other Services). Twenty-five percent of current Cadets earned Dean’s List honors. ETSU ROTC also sponsors numerous Cadet clubs.

Rural Health Professions Institute

The James H. Quillen Veterans Affairs Medical Center and ETSU are now offering a VA Rural Health Professions Institute for staff members and health professionals from VA Community Based Outpatient Centers and rural Outreach programs from across the country. The Institute was initiated by VISN 9 and funded by the VA Office of Rural Health. Week-long training sessions include topics in clinical care, use of new technologies, quality improvement planning, overviews of how rural health and Veterans’ culture influence health outcomes.