Marcia Schoeffel is an American Air Force Veteran and retired Nurse Practitioner; she specialized in psychiatric care for Veteran patients at the Butler VA. Schoeffel takes pride in her time in the Military along with the career she made for herself. I wanted to know if veteran care is adequate for the needs of veterans and the experiences she had as a psychiatrist for veterans.
Marcia Schoeffel started out her career after she graduated from West Virginia University; she began working at a psychiatric ward and enjoyed it until fate showed its plans to her. “Our head nurse was out on maternity leave, and I covered as an interim head nurse. She decided not to return, and I applied for the job. It was the last day for interviews, and I had not been contacted so I had asked them why not. I figured they had already made their decision,” Schoeffel states.
This situation led her to leave the ward and join the military, specifically the Air Force. Schoeffel explains, “My outlook was when I didn’t get what I wanted, God had other opportunities for me. The military offered traveling to different parts of the world, it was a great opportunity for me. I wanted to go back (to school) for a Master’s degree and the military matched the money that I needed for my education, and I was very proud to serve my country.” She started as a Second Lieutenant and retired as a Captain. She left to get married and start a family.
She continued her education at Pitts Clinical Nurse Specialist MS Program. To obtain her next job after the Air Force, Schoeffel created her own opportunity. Near graduation, her clinical supervisor gave her a contact at the VA; even though they weren’t advertising a position she could apply for. She took this into her own hands and wrote a letter of introduction CV (Curriculum vitae), which is basically a summary of her career accomplishments thus far. “I was called into an interview and was offered a job in my field. Another great opportunity and I didn’t pass it up,” Schoeffel beams.
She was quickly promoted due to her leadership skills, which were greatly encouraged by the VA, and was soon advanced to be the Behavioral Health Program manager, which was a high-ranking job. She oversaw hiring and mentoring new staff so they, too, could advance in the field.
Throughout Schoeffel’s 37-year career, she emphasizes the evolution in care for veterans. “There were always educational programs to improve your skills. The VA provides cutting-edge treatment and they have done a lot of research, especially on PTSD. When I first joined the VA, I heard all the stories from older veterans who said they were turned off by the VA after the Vietnam War, they didn’t feel like they were treated correctly. But we were able to bring them back and provide them with the care they needed,” Schoeffel explains.
During her time at the VA, she had access to all the latest medications for high-quality care and employees were monitored for the best quality of care. The satisfaction surveys from patients came back with good results, and overall, the VA has been successful in caring for veterans in recent decades. “I can honestly say I had many successes. I was proud of my veterans’ recovery and ability to live normal lives. Veterans are a vital part of our community and provide public service,” Schoeffel rejoices.
As for the future of veteran care, Schoeffel doesn’t know exactly what it will look like. “I don’t have a vision for future care. I’m so proud of the whole health movement in the VA as well as the mental health service we provided. There are other departments (in the VA) such as rehab that do a terrific job. Veterans now receive state-of-the-art prosthetics and assistive devices for free. I think the VA just continues to focus on quality and improvement,” Schoeffel concludes.
Veteran care has come a long way, from turning people away from the VA due to feeling unproperly treated, to now, reeling them back in with better quality care. Marcia Schoeffel is a hardworking, inspiring woman. Her determination and drive display the idea that you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it and find opportunities. Her passion for psychiatric care and bettering the field truly shows that change is possible and achievable.
“Thank you for sharing my story,” – Marcia Schoeffel