Elite Leadership for an Elite Mission: Scott Kirkpatrick's Story at HCA Healthcare

In November 2024, Scott transitioned from a 28-year military care, 12 of those with the 101 Airborne Division, into a leadership role at HCA Healthcare. His time in uniform, including six combat tours, shaped his approach to leadership: plan thoroughly, rehearse rigorously and build trust under pressure. 

Now a director within HCA Healthcare’s Leadership Institute, Scott is focused on developing future finance leaders. “My goal in this pivot to my next life of purpose is to continue to serve,” he explains. He believes veterans bring a unique edge to the workplace. “We bring a combination of perspective and grit,” he says. “We know how to distinguish between the immediate and the important–and how to operationalize the grind through both.” 

Transitioning from military service to the corporate world wasn’t without its challenges. Scott candidly shares that his biggest hurdle was building a network and learning how to translate his military experience into corporate language. Now, as a director at HCA Healthcare, Scott is paying it forward by designing leadership development programs for finance officers–helping others grow into roles where they can make a difference. 

Scott is especially excited about the plans to bring HCA Healthcare to Clarksville through TriStar Clarksville, a new facility that will enhance healthcare access in a community deeply connected to the military. “This facility will bring off-installation elite healthcare to a community of elite warriors and their families,” he says. “I believe this hospital greatly increase access to critical services like orthopedics, physical therapy and imaging.” For Scott, the alignment between HCA Healthcare and the values of the 101st Airborne Division is no coincidence. “Both are elite organizations committed to a noble mission,” he says. “It’s only fitting that this community of elite warriors has an off-installation healthcare organization to match.”