After a 20-year career with the Army, Tino Vanegas knew it was time to take his skills to the civilian world.
As a combat medic for more than 15 years, he moved through the ranks, his responsibilities shifting from direct patient care to the administrative side of healthcare — a transition that sparked his interest in healthcare management.
Today, Vanegas is a junior at UT San Antonio, studying health administration, a unique program that combines courses from the Alvarez College of Business and the College for Health, Community and Policy.
Together, these disciplines integrate the university’s strengths in population health, data analytics, and cybersecurity — areas that are increasingly shaping the future of healthcare.
Complexities of the system
Vanegas first managed a primary care clinic and later oversaw an emergency department at one of his final military assignments at Fort Gordon’s Army Eisenhower Medical Center in Augusta, Ga.
“Being involved with all the clinics under that umbrella, and being in charge of all those moving pieces, was extremely enjoyable,” Vanegas says. “Seeing all the pieces come together to make it all work was gratifying.”
One of the main reasons Vanegas chose to pursue this degree at UT San Antonio was to better understand the complexities of the civilian healthcare system.
“As an administrator, you need to be familiar with things like insurance,” he says. “In the military, there’s one insurance and everyone is covered. On the civilian side, it’s much more complicated and has many layers.”
UT San Antonio also appealed to Vanegas because of its classic “university experience.” A people-person through and through, he enjoys the energy of campus activities, the student organizations, the tents set up on the Sombrilla Plaza, and the opportunity to learn alongside a student body comprised of all experiences.
“Tino represents the type of student who comes to UT San Antonio’s health administration program with a wealth of prior military healthcare experience,” says Forrest Daniels, program director. “Faculty and staff are committed to supporting and preparing him and others to effectively transition into civilian healthcare leadership roles.”
Essential leaders
From his perspective and experience, Vanegas believes the health administration program is doing a great job preparing students for a field that requires adaptability in a changing landscape.
“Taking classes from both colleges really taps into the leadership aspect of administration,” he says. “Understanding organizational behavior and the structures of these giant hospital systems is important to know in this field. This dual-college dynamic will create really great administrators.”
As healthcare grows more complex, driven by technology, population health needs and new models of care, leaders like Vanegas will be essential.
“Our health administration program directly addresses the evolving needs of healthcare,” says Gregory Orewa, assistant professor in the program. “These include rapidly changing payment models shifting towards value-based care and demand for greater transparency and quality outcomes.”
“Our program’s curriculum balances foundational and innovative healthcare management principles while also incorporating essential health administration competencies to prepare our future graduates,” Orewa added.
With his military background, hands-on clinical experience and the skills he’s building through the health administration program, Vanegas is positioning himself to help guide the industry forward.
For him, it’s about bringing all the moving pieces together, and making sure they work for the people who need them most.
WATCH: Tino Vanegas on transitioning from military life to college.
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