LISA KIRK – U.S. AIR FORCE
As a doctor of public health, U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Lisa Kirk spent decades practicing military and preventative medicine. When she was forced to medically retire due to her multiple sclerosis (MS), she wondered how she could continue to do what she loved.
When she came to DAV, she was told about VA’s vocational rehabilitation and employment—or VR&E—and the services they provided to help her with job placement. She said she didn’t know she would need that sort of assistance at the time, but it proved essential in the following months.
“[Voc Rehab] stepped in and actually worked with me to determine what I wanted to do with the rest of my life,” said Kirk. “At the time, I didn’t really know if I wanted to go back to work full time, but my voc rehab counselor helped me determine what my goals were and what I wanted to accomplish.”
Kirk’s counselor called her a few months later and told her he’d found a job for her at the Oak Harbor Naval Hospital on Whidbey Island, Washington.
“It was such a great transition for me, that my boss was aware of my condition and it was a wonderful way to transition back to work after—what some people would say—was a devastating thing to happen, not being able to move my right foot, my hand was getting weaker, I wasn’t sure I could work again full-time,” Kirk said. “But I did, and the whole process was a great thing.”