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Dr. Hernandez initially planned on pursuing family medicine until her third-year rotations where she fell in love with the idea of the operating room. This was a late start considering the military match happens roughly a semester prior to the civilian match. In order to show her interest and intent on a career as a general surgeon she prioritized her third-year rotations toward surgical interests like trauma, acute care, and orthopedic trauma rotations. 

Dr. Hernandez explains that the military places a large emphasis on leadership, seeing as you are expected to perform your duties as both a military officer and surgeon. She believes that her leadership in the Student Association of Military Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons (SAMOPS) allowed her to display these traits during the interview and application process. This club, which is present on our campus, allows students to pursue leadership roles but more importantly has an associated mentorship program nationally that connects aspiring physicians with military doctors who are currently practicing in the student’s desired specialty. Dr. Hernandez notes that she did not take part in any of the research opportunities available at Marian, which is important to note due to the overemphasis on research in surgical fields. She did complete research in her undergraduate education; however, she notes that something that would have improved her already impressive application would have been engaging in case reports or conferences. She explained that these do not require an extensive amount of time but will help round out your application.

Dr. Hernandez’s case is a military residency. There is not much difference in practice. You will have to complete two active-duty tours as audition rotations while in medical school and attend the basic officer leader course (BOLC) as a summer commitment. Aside from medical school requirements, the cases in residency are much of the same. The bread and butter of the specialty being gallbladder surgeries, hernia repairs, and appendicitis, with colon or small bowl cases also highly prevalent. She makes a note that depending on the location of your program, being either more community or an academic hospital, the cases will have varying levels of pathology involved. This is the same as a traditional civilian route where your choice of program has a great deal of influence over the kinds of cases with which you will be involved.

Previously, Dr. Hernandez mentioned her involvement in SAMOPS, but she was also involved in other organizations on campus. She continued to explain that the leadership roles and conferences she attended made her stand out against her peers and is something aspiring surgeons should take part in as much as possible.

Dr. Hernandez's main advice is that you should understand the work expectations of a general surgeon. She often works 80 hours a week, with shifts going for over twelve hours. The emphasis for medical students is that they should be realistic with what is a tolerable work-life balance for them. Surgical specialties require a lot of time and attention to detail, that should be well understood by anyone heading down that path.

Samuel Baule is a first-year medical student at MU-COM. He finished undergraduate coursework as a distinguished military graduate with a degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Iowa. Outside of class, he holds leadership positions in Marian’s Global Health Alliance, American College of Osteopathic Surgeons - Medical Student Section, and Student Association of Military Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons. This summer he will work as a MU-COM Summer Research Fellow and investigate the application of lymphatic drainage techniques on pediatric patients. A recipient of the Health Professions Scholarship Program, he plans on pursuing a career as a General Surgeon within the United States Army upon graduation.