5 Questions: What’s It Like to Work in Emergency Medicine?
By Vivian Mason
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| Army Major Laura Tilley, M.D. is an assistant professor in the Military and Emergency Medicine department at USU. (Photo credit: Tom Balfour, USU) |
Department: Military and Emergency Medicine
Title: Assistant Professor, Military and Emergency Medicine, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University (USU)
Years in Emergency Medicine: 8
Awards Received: U.S. Army Surgeon General’s Physician Recognition Award (2013) and the American College of Emergency Physicians’ Council Teamwork Award (2019)
Military Highlight: Deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, where she was the battalion surgeon for a role 1 medical facility
Specific Topics of Interest in Her Profession: The most interesting part of my profession as an EM physician is not knowing that I will face at work that day. In a "typical" day I will take care of patients from infants, to pregnant women, to 100-year old WWII veterans. I never know what the chief complaints will be or what patients I will encounter. In addition to the more traditional "answer" of what is interesting - as I have moved throughout my career, I am beginning to see more and more that in the Emergency Department - we really are the safety net for our patients. Often times when the system is stressed or breaks, we have the opportunity to see it earlier than some of the other arenas of healthcare. This "front row" to healthcare empowers us to drive policy changes in order to provide better care for our patients.
What Qualities Should an Emergency Physician Possess: Individuals who choose to enter EM need to be able to collaborate as part of a team, possess the ability to be decisive often times with limited information, and be comfortable working in unknown/unpredictable environments.
Two Influential Mentors: 1. My grandfather who had his PhD in Organic Chemistry always pushed me to excel academically even from a very young age. (He bought me textbooks for holidays from the age of 3). 2. COL (ret) Melissa Givens - she has been a mentor and sponsor of mine for more than ten years - she inspires greatness while embedding confidence in me everytime I interact with her.
Favorite Motivational Quote: “There’s plenty of room at the top, but never enough to sit down” (her grandfather always used to say this Zig Ziglar quote to her)
What She Likes to Do in Her Free Time: Take care of her family, run, and explore new places.
A. I predominantly teach the military-unique curriculum in the Department of Military and
Emergency Medicine. I feel as though I’ve had the opportunity to teach the full spectrum of this curriculum that begins with combat medical skills. I also help teach the Advance Course in Medical Education (ACME) and direct the Post-clerkship Military Medicine 200 module. Within that, I am the Course Director for Gunpowder and Military Contingency Medicine. In addition, I still work clinically at Ft. Belvoir Community Hospital. I chose emergency medicine because I wanted to be able to take care of a diverse group of patients.
Q. What is one of the best things about your job?
A. Without a doubt, it’s working with the students. Every day, I continue to be impressed and humbled by their talent, motivation, altruism, and knowledge. They really make me want to be better at what I do so that I can help prepare them to be the best military officers they can be.
Q. What aspects of your job do you find fulfilling?
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| MAJ Tilley (right) and LTC Leslie Vojta (left) at Medical Field Practicum 202: Operation Bushmaster. (Photo credit: MAJ Laura Tilley) |
A. I love working with students and watching them grow over the years. Recently, I had the opportunity to work with students I’ve known since ACME. Just watching them grow into their own individual selves and become leaders within their class has been really powerful. I also had an opportunity during Bushmaster to observe students interacting during a prolonged casualty care case. I watched one student discuss with another student how they hadn’t been documenting anything on their patient. So, they talked about their need to document in order to know what happened with the patient. It was just a great moment because that was one of my course learning objectives for them: safe and effective patient handoff and patient documentation. Therefore, seeing that learning objective carried out was amazing, as well as watching those students grow and develop.
Q. What’s the best day you’ve ever had on your job so far?
A. Well, there was the big save in the Emergency Department when we got a patient back who we didn’t think would survive. Later, we heard from his family that the patient was doing great. Then there are days at USU when I watch a student have an “aha” moment of understanding that’s absolutely priceless. And, of course, every day when patients say a simple ‘thank you’ to me is gratifying and totally makes my day.
Q. What advice can you offer USU students who’re considering emergency medicine?
A. Regardless of what specialty they’re going to do or think they’re going to do, I recommend keeping an open mind. It’s important to be a well-rounded physician and have a good understanding of all specialties. For emergency medicine, in particular, keep in mind that at the end of your education and training, you are going to be the best prepared that you can be if you are deployed in any type of scenario. Just based on my emergency medicine education and training, I felt very comfortable in Afghanistan in the middle of nowhere. I really relied on the skills and knowledge that I gained in residency. I trusted my education and knew it would prepare me to handle whatever I encountered. USU students also have their curriculum to fall back on.
