By Bernard S. Little Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Hospital Command Communications
More than 240 healthcare providers graduated from medical and allied health education programs of the National Capital Consortium (NCC) on June 18 at the Strathmore Music Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
The graduates completed internships, residencies and fellowships through the NCC, which member organizations include Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), Andrews Medical Group – Joint Base Andrews (Malcolm Grow Medical Clinics and Surgery Center), and Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
Retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Paul Friedrichs served as the graduation’s guest speaker, challenging graduates to be advocates for their patients, including those who serve the nation in uniform and their families.
Friedrichs is the senior advisor with the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a USU adjunct professor for surgery. He previously served as the deputy assistant to the president and inaugural director of the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, coordinating the U.S. government’s efforts to strengthen national and global readiness for pandemics and other biological threats.
Friedrichs commended the graduates for reaching this “milestone in their professional careers,” urging them to “say ‘yes’" when asked to do something uncomfortable and demanding. “Say ‘yes’ to the patients who turn to you for your wisdom and advice. Never forget that they are someone’s son or daughter. I marvel at the resilience, the fears, and the sheer complexities of the people I’ve had the privilege of caring for [for] nearly 40 years, and I hope you will too as you embark on your career.”
“You have the great privilege of joining those of us who care for the men and women who chose to serve their country,” Friedrichs continued. He called those who serve in uniform “the 1 percent who are distinguished because they chose to serve, and support and defend the Constitution of the United States. Saying ‘yes’ has allowed me to have a very rich and varied career.”
He also challenged the graduates to “hearken to the miseries of mankind," in quoting ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus. “Be the military medic who’s known for caring too much, for being too passionate about your patients.”
“From caring comes courage,” Friedrichs continued in quoting Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu. “Be courageous as a military medical professional,” he said.
“Have the humility to recognize that you cannot be a great physician unless you realize that you are part of a team,” Friedrichs added. “There is no operating room (OR) without anesthesia, OR nurses and techs, pharmacists, housekeepers and everybody else. There is no critical care unit without a team behind you that enables miracles to happen.”
“You will look back on this training with deep gratitude for the quality of the training that you have received,” Friedrichs said. “In a time in which our country is short 50,000 doctors, 300,000 nurses, and I could go on and on by profession, you are much needed, much in demand, and I am personally grateful you have chosen this path.” He also thanked the families of the graduates for the support they’ve provided those who graduated.
U.S. Navy Lt. (Dr.) Christa Kerbow was one of those who thanked and celebrated with her family members as she graduated from the Internal Medicine Residency Program. “I’m very excited about graduating and it’s been a long road,” she shared. She added that her family was more than understanding of the commitment it took for her to complete the residency while still being a mother and wife. Her husband also serves the nation in uniform.
Kerbow said she found it rewarding sharing her prior enlisted experience with those who had no military service during her residency. The former enlisted Navy electronic technician explained she hopes her advice will help prepare her fellow graduate medical education (GME) graduates go out in the fleet and field. She used the G.I. Bill to help complete her undergraduate degree, and the Health Professions Scholarship to earn her medical degree from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.
U.S. Air Force Capt. (Dr.) Mason Life also celebrated his graduation from the Transitional Intern Program while adding that he’s looking forward to going into radiology as a specialty. “I noticed [during medical school] that every service I was a part of turned to radiology at some point to help make clinical decisions. It’s also kind of a family business because my mother was a radiology technologist, and my sister is a radiology fellow. They were always in my ear about how radiology is the best specialty in medicine, so it seems like a perfect fit for me. I’m looking forward to the next chapter.”
U.S. Army Capt. (Dr.) Donald Ohioma graduated from the Sleep Medicine Fellowship Program. His initial training was in psychiatry. He said now that he’s graduated from the fellowship he’s looking forward to increased autonomy and “being able to direct his patients’ care to the best of his ability.”
Ohioma stressed the importance of sleep and its impact on warrior readiness. He added that during [his] training it was enjoyable to see the resolution in his patients who had insomnia, sleep apnea and other sleep challenges. “As they progressed through treatment, their quality of life increased, along with the quality of their jobs.” He added that the fellowship broadened his experience as a psychiatrist. “I’m an adult psychiatrist, but for sleep medicine you care for adults and children, so becoming a pediatrician as a whole was new thing for me.”
The NCC, created in 1995, is the largest sponsor of GME programs in the Military Health System (MHS). Its graduates complete training in various disciplines lasting from one to seven years, and on average, earn a first-time board pass rate of more than 95 percent, one of the highest in the nation among GME programs.
The annual graduation marks another step in the readiness of the more than 200 approximate graduates seeking to make their lasting impact as military healthcare providers and carrying forth the legacy of Walter Reed and other NCC member organizations.