Aspen Medical’s general manager – Health Logistics and Retrieval Services Ed Smeaton with his daughter at a Veteran’s Health Week biking competition. The company holds many events for veterans throughout the year. Photo: Aspen Medical.
Retired after 14 years serving in the military, Chris Thompson-Lang faced a battle for which he hadn’t trained.
For four years he was in rehabilitation with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and a profound loss of identity.
“Loss of purpose often follows life after service, and I was deep in it,” he says.
But a timely opportunity to work with one of the country’s leading global healthcare providers, at a time when public health was a national priority, proved a turning point.
When the pandemic raged across the globe in 2020, Aspen Medical – like all healthcare providers – was called on to respond.
Chris stepped in to support 350 nurses the company had hired in five days to provide telehealth services for a national clinical helpline. At its peak that number hit about 850 nurses working 24/7.
The teams not only had to grow at dizzying speeds but also adapt to a fluid and fast-paced environment, in which the rules changed daily.
Luckily, volatile environments have a way of spotlighting the value of our veterans.
“It was a wild, all-hands-on-deck time. There was a lot more demand for information than what was available. We all had to hit the ground running to provide these nurses on the receiving ends of concerned citizens, all the support they needed,” Chris says.
“Fortunately, people with military experience are comfortable with uncertainty and high-stakes environments. Their strengths include the ability to form teams quickly, work out what needs to be done, prioritise and get on with it.”
Military training kicked in and Chris thrived in the frenetic environment. But it helped that Aspen Medical had long made a conscious effort to hire and nurture veteran employees as they transitioned back into civilian life.
“It can be hard for a person with a Defence background to know where they fit outside of that context. The idea of putting together a resume, interviewing and translating my military skills into civilian terms to convince a person to hire you above someone else, was quite daunting,” Chris says.
“I think there’s also a bias, whether real or perceived, that veterans are angry, broken people – particularly if they’ve been medically discharged.
“It was so easy walking into Aspen Medical where there are so many ex-military people working, including the CEO. Veterans can find a commonality in everything from approaches to work down to the vocabulary.”
Veteran Chris Thompson-Lang has been integral to Aspen Medical’s more recent efforts to wrap around its veteran employees. Photo: Aspen Medical.
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) recognises employers through the Veteran Employment Commitment (VEC) at three levels: Veteran Employment Supporter, Veteran Friendly Employer and Veteran Employer of Choice.
When Chris considered the lengths to which Aspen Medical went to wrap around its veteran employees, he felt certain the company fit the profile of the highest tier – it just hadn’t been formalised.
The company already powered a platform named Vitaport, a suite of wellbeing products for all employees. But Chris got to work on a product specifically for the company’s veteran employees.
Vita Nova – Latin for “new life” – was born.
“I thought it was a fitting name because it’s about life after service,” Chris says. “I had very much thought I’d be in the military my entire career and it was hard to leave. I feel like I got a second lease on my vocational life through Aspen Medical. I know a lot of our veteran employees feel similarly.”
Thanks in part to Vita Nova, Aspen Medical was recently officially named a Veteran Employer of Choice.
Vita Nova works as a professional network for Aspen Medical’s veteran employees, connecting them with other veterans and their families, providing relevant information such as updates in legislation impacting veterans and details of commemoration and celebration events, and creating opportunities for mentoring.
“The company has a formal mentoring program called Teach, but sometimes new veterans feel more comfortable finding a mentor with military experience. Through Vita Nova, we make the introductions and facilitate those kinds of mentorships,” Chris says.
Vita Nova also runs presentations and panels not only to help veterans and their families within the organisation but also to educate the broader employee base about the veteran experience.
Chris says this is good for veterans and their families, society at large, and even the country.
“Aspen Medical sees itself as a part of a broader ‘Team Australia’ network. The company is rooted in its purpose, which is about leveraging its resources as a force for good,” Chris says.
“We recognise there’s a lot of great talent out there among ex-serving people and their families. We want to harness that talent and redeploy it into work that’s still nationally significant, but different to military service.
“That way if the country is in trouble for any reason – be it a pandemic or, heaven forbid, regional conflict – we are already positioned as part of the solution.”
For more information on Vita Nova and veteran opportunities, visit Aspen Medical.
Original Article published by Dione David on Region Canberra.
