Exterior Affiliations and Professional Organizations

Scouting America, formerly the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), updated its name in 2024 to reflect a more inclusive and modern organization while maintaining its long-standing values. While most of its programs serve youth, our Medical Explorers program is unique—we serve college students through the Scouting America Learning for Life career awareness program.

For decades, Scouting's Exploring program has served young men and women with hands-on experiences in discovering pathways to exciting and fulfilling careers. Our membership is diverse—about 70% women—and reflects the organization’s evolution into a more inclusive, family-oriented program. In fact, we are the only unit in Scouting America focused on preparing college students for healthcare and biomedical careers.

Founded in 1991, our Medical Exploring program was the first of its kind, designed specifically for university students. While Scouting traditionally serves younger participants, we have adapted their model to support college students of all ages, including those beyond traditional age ranges.

We're proud of our Scouting roots and the opportunities they provide. This partnership allows us to offer a structured, service-based experience that prepares students in ways not commonly available elsewhere. Medical Explorers will learn much more about the values of Scouting America and their importance to future health professionals.

Lions Clubs International (LCI) is the world’s largest service organization, focused on humanitarian work and community improvement. With over 1.4 million members worldwide, Lions support causes such as vision care, hunger, diabetes, disaster preparation, pediatric cancer, and youth development. There is an overlap between the causes important to Lions Clubs International and our Medical Exploring program.

Our Medical Explorers have a long-standing partnership with local Lions Clubs in shared community service. Because our missions aligned, we became part of the Lions family as an Omega Leo club—one of the few Omega Leo clubs in the U.S., and the only one focused on healthcare and biomedical careers.

Today, we're proud to be chartered with both Scouting America and Lions Clubs International. Through this partnership, we support community efforts across Central Texas, including first-aid teams, health clinics, and vision screening programs, with opportunities continuing to grow. It's been a healthy merger of purposes.

We greatly value our partnership with Hays County CERT since the early 1990s, supporting EMS at large community events and providing crowd/traffic control for parades. Trained under CERT protocols, Medical Explorers continue to play an active role in emergency response and community support for many comunity events in Hays County. Our skills, training, and reliability have helped our Medical Explorers become a valued Hays County resource.

All Medical Explorer members are expected to complete CERT training, including the G-317 Introduction to CERT course.  We're proud of some members advancing to beyond to achieve FEMA/CERT instructor-level certification. Our members regularly support campus events like university football games and graduations, the San Marcos Sights and Sounds of Christmas, Wimberley Market Day, and other large community gatherings where our medical skills serve as extenders for our EMS.

In addition, our members serve Hays County CERT in others ways, sometimes as certified CPR and Stop the Bleed instructors.

Since Medical Explorers are well trained and equiped for crowd and traffic control, we are frequently called upon by CERT to help manage trafic and crowds during local parades.

We're hopeful that we will be valued as members of a future Texas State University CERT program. We see our members helping make Texas State University a safer university. We're ready to help train fellow students, faculty, and staff in CPR, Stop the Bleed, and other skills important to a safe university.

This CERT affiliation strengthens our training by preparing students to work alongside first responders and understand real-world emergency systems—an important advantage for future healthcare professionals. 

Our Omega Leo Medical Explorer Post 4077 is a designated NMDP National Ambassador Organization, helping recruit donors for blood stem cell transplants. The National Marrow Donor Program (formerly "Be The Match") operates the world’s largest donor registry for patients with life-threatening blood cancers and disorders.

We host donor registration events on the Texas State campus and throughout Central Texas. Increasing donor diversity—especially among Hispanic populations—is critical to improving match success for patients. While donors may never be called, a single match could help save a life anywhere in the world.

Donating has become a simple process, similar to giving blood, and participation offers a meaningful way to make a lasting impact. We know many in the San Marcos community and even former Medical Explorers who have benefited from Blood Marrow transplants.

It's now and easy process to save a life by blood marrow transplants. Trained Medical Explorers are making a difference as NMDP volunteers.

Our Medical Explorers have been licensed as Stop the Bleed instructors since the beginning of Stop the Bleed training programs in 2015. We were first licensed in 2017 by the American Surgeons Association and the US Department of Defense. Later we joined the Stop the Bleed Coalition as a campus Stop the Bleed Club.

Our Omega Leo Medical Explorer Post 4077 is a resource for training in Stop the Bleed for the Central Texas Area as well as Hays County CERT and the University. We encourage our members to help train other Texas State University students. Saving a gun-shot victim's life is an easy process if trained. Medical Explorers are a valuable university resource helping train others on campus.   

We have obligations to the Coalition that should be managed by a senior level officer or liaison. These are important tasks so seek guidance from a senior advisor.

Mission Able is a local San Marcos, Texas organization formed in 2013 to serve the San Marcos community in any way needed to improve the quality of life of those in need. 

Its biblical guiding principles remains the same. No job is too small or too complex for the Mission Able team. The team is composed of many community volunteers as well as professional carpenters, plumbers, and electricians. Mission Able is truly a community wide effort with volunteers coming from many area churches and service clubs.

Our Omega Leo Medical Explorers can be a part of the Mission Able crews. Think of the this community program as a 12-month Bobcat Build program. Our first-aid crews can help by being ready for the inevitable injuries. They have asked for our First-Aid help.

To learn more about the Mission Able program, check out the following website: https://www.missionablesmtx.org.

School Fuel works to reduce childhood hunger by providing weekend food to students in need. In San Marcos, over 75% of school-aged children qualify for free or reduced lunch, and many lack reliable food outside of school. That's where School Fuel makes a big difference in the health or San Marcos children.

Since its launch in 2013, the program has shown clear benefits, including improved student performance and fewer health-related complaints by children during school. Medical Explorers support this effort by packing food for students identified by local schools. It's one night a week during the fall and spring. We are among many other community and university volunteers. It's a simple job - assembly-line tuffing of bags for the children to take home on weekends. Help with School Fuel and make a difference in a child's life. You'll remember this innovative San Marcos program someday when you may have professional concerns about child health.

This is a meaningful way to serve the community and directly support student well-being.

Learn more: https://www.schoolfuelsanmarcos.org/our-story

The Texas Ramp Project builds wheelchair ramps for disabled and elderly individuals who cannot afford them, restoring safe access to their homes. In just a few hours, volunteers can give someone the freedom to leave their home again. Think about it - what does a wheelchair patient do if they have a house fire and don't have a wheelchair ramp.

Medical Explorers support this effort as part of meaningful, hands-on community service.

Learn more: https://texasramps.org/

For the Love of Go is a non-profit organization with the purpose of encouraging people to get off the couch. They help other non-profit organizations organize, direct, and promote more opportunities for 5K and other races with the goal of reducing the obesity rate in our country. This organization works with others to organize and operate races throughout Central Texas. For many of these organizations, their 5K race is a significant funding source allowing them to provide much needed services.

Our Omega Leo Medical Explorers helps the “For the Love of Go” organization by providing first-aid services during their races. We provide a start/finish line first-aid station, a mobile first-aid vehicle, and with our increasing membership we provide a “racing team” that is obligated to stop and help an injuried runner and radio our mobile unit to pick up the runner. They are running for free, but our agreement is that we'll stop and help any injuried runner. Our “racing team” carries anticipated supplies in a fanny-pack during the race.

So we provide all three sources of first-aid assistance for injuried runners. Our first-aid “racing team” makes us unique.

To learn more see - https://www.fortheloveofgo.com

The Wilderness Medical Society (WMS) is the leading international professional medical society dedicated to wilderness and environmental medicine. Its purposes include research in wilderness medicine, developing evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, professional medical education, and hosting conferences and training courses.

Wilderness Medicine includes high altitude illness, hypothermia and frostbite, heat stroke and dehydration, lightning injury, dive and marine envenomation (the injection of poisonous venom through bites or stings from animals), and wilderness trauma.

The organization serves everyone with an interest in wilderness medicine including physicians, PAs, nurse practitioners, EMTs & paramedics, military personnel, expedition leaders, and outdoor professionals.

It offers the Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine (FAWM) credential and continuing medical education (CME). It partners with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS Wilderness Medicine), Wilderness Medical Associates International, and the Wilderness Medicine Training Center.

WMS guidelines are considered the gold standard in wilderness clinical evidence.

https://wms.org

The National Association for Search and Rescue was incorporated in 1976. Its purpose is to provide an international educational resource for professional preparation in search and rescue techniques and to serve as a certifying body for different levels and types of skills related to search and rescue as well as instructors.

Anyone interested in participation in search and rescue should consider membership in NASAR.

The website for NASAR is:  https://nasar.org

Regular membership fee is $70, and includes many benefits and discounts.

Student membership is $60, and includes all of the above benefits.

The NCA was created in 2019 with the intent to strengthen the CERT program throughout the U.S. and internationally. Working in concert with FEMA, the NCA leverages the strength and experience of CERT programs nationwide to share guidance and best practices as well as build more robust communication channels so that CERT programs can connect with each other more efficiently.

NCA Website:   https://nationalcert.org

Membership cost: General membership = $27.95

National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (National VOAD) is the forum where organizations share knowledge and resources throughout the disaster cycle—preparation, response and recovery—to help disaster survivors and their communities.

Members of National VOAD form a coalition of nonprofit organizations that respond to disasters as part of their overall mission. National VOAD was founded in 1970 in response to the challenges many disaster organizations experienced following Hurricane Camille, which hit the Gulf Coast in August, 1969.

Prior to the founding of National VOAD, numerous organizations served disaster victims independently of one another. These included both government and the private, nonprofit sector. As a result, help came to the disaster victim haphazardly as various organizations assisted in specific ways. Unnecessary duplication of effort often occurred, while at the same time, other needs were not met. There was only limited availability of training for potential volunteers. Information for victims on services during disasters was woefully inadequate and communication among voluntary disaster agencies was very limited and coordination of services was negligible.

The seven founding organizations came together and committed to fostering the four C’s—communication, coordination, collaboration, and cooperation in order to better serve people impacted by disasters. Today, National VOAD is a leader and voice for the nonprofit organizations and volunteers that work in all phases of disaster—preparedness, response, relief, recovery, and mitigation. National VOAD is the primary point of contact for voluntary organizations in the National Response Coordination Center (at FEMA headquarters) and is a signatory to the National Response Plan.

Website:  https://www.nvoad.org

The largest and historically most influential physician organization in the U.S.

Focus:

• Physician advocacy
• Medical ethics
• Healthcare policy
• CPT coding
• Public health initiatives

Publishes:

• JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association)

Primary professional organization representing African American physicians and patients.

Focus:

• Health equity
• Medical education
• Minority physician support

Represents osteopathic physicians (DOs).

Focus:

• Osteopathic medical education
• Accreditation
• Advocacy
• Continuing medical education

The largest and most recognized nursing organization in the U.S.

Focus:

• Nursing advocacy
• Scope of practice
• Ethics
• Workforce issues
• Nursing standards

Publishes:

• Code of Ethics for Nurses

Focus:

• Nursing education
• Faculty development
• Nursing simulation
• Academic excellence

Major influence on nursing schools.

We list this organization since we encourage our members to seek training and certification as Texas EMT-Basics before they advance into their eventual career of choice. Many Medical Explorers take advantage of further study and scholarships in this area. Ask advisors for information about opportunities. 

One of the most influential EMS organizations.

Known for:

• PHTLS
• TECC
• EMS advocacy

Probably the largest and most influential healthcare IT professional organization worldwide. Home for both IT and Industrial Engineering professionals. Our senior advisor claims this as his professional organization. 

Focus areas:

• Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
• Digital transformation
• AI in healthcare
• Cybersecurity
• Interoperability
• Health analytics
• Quality improvement using industrial engineering

Known for:

• Massive annual HIMSS Conference (takes at least three days to see all exhibits)
• Maturity models
• Health IT policy influence

Focus:

• Health information management (HIM)
• Medical coding
• Records governance
• Privacy/compliance
• Data quality

Credentials:

• RHIA
• RHIT
• CCS

Major role in:

• ICD coding
• health record standards
• compliance

One of the largest biomedical engineering organizations in the U.S.

Focus:

• Biomedical engineering research
• Student chapters
• Academic programs
• Medical device innovation
• Tissue engineering
• Bioinstrumentation

Very strong for:

• university students
• researchers
• graduate programs

One of the world’s largest biomedical engineering technical organizations.

Focus:

• Medical devices
• Biomedical signal processing
• AI in medicine
• Imaging systems
• Neural engineering
• Wearable technologies

Strong engineering emphasis.

Elite advocacy and policy organization.

Known for:

• AIMBE Fellows program
• Federal policy influence
• NIH/FDA advocacy
• National biomedical innovation leadership

Primary organization for clinical engineers.

Focus:

• Hospital technology systems
• Medical equipment management
• Risk management
• Healthcare systems engineering