Photo By Lance Cpl. Kris Daberkoe | Lt. Kevin Bernstein, a family medicine resident at Naval Hospital Pensacola, Fla.,...... read more read more
PENSACOLA, Fla. - Naval Hospital Pensacola has many stars, but Lt. Kevin Bernstein, a family medicine resident at NHP, is a true rock star.
Bernstein, 29, is not only one of the bright young doctors of the Navy, but is also an avid drummer, playing everything from jazz to rock ‘n’ roll. Despite his love for playing the drums, Bernstein’s true passion is medicine.
Growing up in Deer Park, N.Y., Bernstein was inspired as a youth to be a doctor when his mother, a nurse, was injured on the job.
“I wanted to help her,” said Bernstein. “I started volunteering at a local hospital and eventually went on a humanitarian trip to Honduras. I saw people with preventable illnesses, and I really just wanted to help everybody.”
After completing his undergraduate degree at Penn State, Bernstein enrolled at Drexel University where he attained a master’s in Medical Science and continued there for his medical school. It was while attending medical school that Bernstein’s future path would be presented to him.
Bernstein often searched for extra-curricular activities, especially ones that improved his leadership skills. As a member of the Commission on Education with the American Academy of Family Physicians, he met Capt. Maureen Padden, the commanding officer for NHP, who at the time was the executive officer of NHP. Bernstein talked to her about the similarities and differences between Navy and civilian medicine and was immediately drawn to the Navy.
“I wanted something where everyone is [medically] covered and I could focus on medicine,” said Bernstein, who has a brother in the Navy serving as a culinary specialist. “I also wanted to learn about new programs the Navy was developing like Medical Home Port.”
Medical Home Port is a team based approach to primary health care where patients are assigned to a Medical Home Port Team. Providers within each team work closely with patients to ensure they are receiving all-inclusive medical care. The Medical Home Port approach emphasizes continuity between patients and providers, which reduces the frequency of patient visits, improves patient satisfaction and develops trust between patients and providers.
As excited as Bernstein was about the prospect of joining the Navy, Padden was also excited about bringing a person of Bernstein’s quality into the Navy.
“[Lt. Bernstein] is the best person I ever recruited into Navy Medicine, “said Padden. “He is smart and passionate about improving health care, and I think I upset a few civilian residency programs when I recruited him away.”
After completing medical school, Bernstein attended the Officer Development School in Newport, R.I., and then reported to NHP in June 2011 to begin his residency program. The Family Medicine Residency Program at NHP is three years long and residents are closely supervised by fully licensed physicians. At the end of the third year, residents take the board exam certified by the Family Board of Medicine to be a certified physician.
In June 2012, Bernstein received an additional surprise when Padden, who mentored and encouraged him to join the Navy, returned to NHP as the commanding officer after having served at the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) as the director of Medical Home Port for Navy Medicine.
“It has been such a great opportunity to learn from her and then work under her,” said Bernstein.
Despite the pressures of preparing for his board exam this summer, Bernstein has not lost his desire to actively participate in outside organizations and projects. He is a member of several committees at NHP to include the Health Ethics Committee and the Resident Advisory Committee and is the American Academy of Family Physicians liaison. He actively participates with several organizations such as the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation, the Center for the History of Family Medicine and the Uniformed Services Academy of Family Physicians.
Bernstein has also written over 15 research papers that have been published and has earned many awards, including election to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society this year. The Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society is a professional medical organization that recognizes excellence in scholarship and in the profession of medicine. A very select number of medical students, residents or faculty are elected to this organization. He even finds time to actively engage with social media and was recently named by Medical Economics as one of the top 20 family doctors to follow on Twitter.
When asked how he had time to be involved in so many after hour activities and write so many research papers, Bernstein stated, “It’s important to let the medical community know what we are doing here [at Naval Hospital Pensacola] and the importance of Medical Home Port.”
With all of the efforts Bernstein puts into health care, he still manages to find time to enjoy himself outside of work. A varsity golfer in high school, he still enjoys playing and spending time on the beach with his wife. And of course, Bernstein still manages to find time to play the drums and has played in several bands.
After he completes his board exam next spring, Bernstein will have several options. He could be a junior faculty member at another residency program, work at a Medical Treatment Facility or a branch clinic or he could go to the operational side of the Navy and deploy on a ship. Regardless of the decision Bernstein makes, he has no desire to leave the Navy anytime soon. In fact, he has a goal that he would like to obtain someday.
“I would like to be the surgeon general of the Navy someday,” said Bernstein.
This may be a lofty goal for some, but to those who work with him, it is completely plausible.
“I would not be surprised if he became the surgeon general someday,” said Padden.
| Date Taken: | 04.01.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 04.01.2013 11:40 |
| Story ID: | 104393 |
| Location: | PENSACOLA, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 619 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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