The conference presentations spanned many fields and drew on the experiences of many military physicians to give us a first hand experience of what their jobs were like. Thursday opened with an amazing presentation on the joint civilian-military response to the Mandalay Bay shooting in 2018 by Maj Stephanie Streit, MD, USAF, our keynote speaker. The subsequent lectures that followed were just as riveting as presenters spoke about issues that spanned internationally and hit home too: pediatrics, border medicine, readiness, and OMM to name a few. Issues that greatly affect how we care for ourselves and our patients - military men and women, veterans, family members, and our communities. On Friday Paul R. Cordts, MD, Col (Ret), USA, the Deputy Assistant Director of Medical Affairs at the Defense Health Agency updated an anxious audience worried about how changes to the Military Health System would impact them.

Throughout all the events that occurred in Vegas, one thing stayed constant and shined: the mentorship and network that we all shared. The Match and Residency Panel was informative not only to hear from those who have lived the experience, but to hear their advice and reassurance. Our military world can be uncertain, but we can count on our military network to be supportive. Networking is a large part of our world. It can not only open many opportunities, but it can open your eyes to new paths if you’re willing to take the initiative to pursue them. You’re given this opportunity many times throughout the conference, whether it's at break-out sessions, branch group dinners, after-hour conference socials, and our mentorship breakfast!

Saturday rolled in with the hands-on fun at Touro University Nevada's simulation symposium. We were treated to OB/GYN postpartum hemorrhage, femoral fracture with ortho fixation, emergency appendectomy, and a gunshot wound with emergency laparotomy scenarios. Not only did we get to participate in these simulations, but randomly selected students got to scrub in with all the different stages of our profession: residents, physicians, and medical faculty. Not all medical schools have the technology or the facilities to perform these simulations, so it was amazing to work with cut suits, ultrasound labs to practice FAST exams, and the megacode simulation.

Thank you to everyone who made this conference a success! I look forward to seeing many new faces and old at our next conference in Washington DC!

What to do before attending training?

• Get your military ID (CAC card) and remember your pin!

• If possible visit a nearby base and see if you can get your uniforms beforehand. This will save you time and you won't have to worry about alterations and pin-on ranks.

  • This is not absolutely necessary as you can take care of this when you get there, but beware the chaos, waiting, and possible limited sizing options.
  • They may also not be available at all bases yet as they are reserved for those on current orders
  • Get boots that you are comfortable in! You'll be in them A LOT and your feet will take a beating so your feet better love them.

• Start getting up early and working out

  • It's important that you pass the PT test. You may be sent home for not passing it. Don't be that person! Research your branch fitness standards and start working towards them.

• Read everything they send you and be familiar with the respective branch training manual before you arrive.

  • Familiarize yourself with the lingo and ranks!

• Befriend any priors! They know the ropes and can help guide you through them.

• Be prepared mentally and physically!

  • Be prepared for it to be hot and humid!
  • It's a mind game, but it's also part of the experience. Enjoy it and stay humble!

What to bring:

• Bring a computer

• Civilian clothes.

• Nail clippers (or lighter) for cutting those loose uniform strings

• Contact lens wearers: Bring your glasses.

• Black Pens and notepads.

• Pro-tip for those caffeine dependent: bring Mio/any flavored water enhancer with caffeine.

• Ladies with long hair: bring pins and extras of what you need to tame your hair/hair bun.

• Bring a few sandwich bags to protect your orders and forms that you may need to keep on you.

• Money: at least $400-500 with most of it in various small bills. You have to pay for your meals and will be reimbursed later.

• Optional: snacks

• Bring everything they recommend: don’t worry about space since you'll be able to check them in for free.

• Anti-chaffing equipment whether it's quality socks, band aids, mole skin.

Remember this is a unique experience. You get out what you put into it! Look out for each other as this is a team effort. Have fun and you'll make life-long friends that you'll definitely see again.

If you were unable to schedule it this summer or had to reschedule due to COVID cancellations, remember to watch for emails and deadlines later this fall through winter to sign up EARLY! They fill up fast.

For students beginning their military medicine journey, it is recommended that you complete your branch respective training the summer before medical school starts or before 2nd year. If you're unable to, you may still take them at later times, but be aware that it may effect how you schedule board exams, potential summer activities (research, mission trips, vacations, etc), clinical and audition rotations. Ideally, you want to complete training before auditions so that you know customs and courtesies and how to act while in uniform.

For more information access the AMOPS student guides, ask a previous training attendee, contact us on Facebook, or your SAMOPS branch representatives:

Steven Patrick - Navy: SAMOPSUSNrep@gmail.com

Brent Hunter - Air Force: SAMOPSAFRep@gmail.com

Albert (Os) Nakayama - Army: SAMOPSUSARep@gmail.com

Scholarship Opportunity: AAST Annual Meeting Scholarship: June 1st Deadline

The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) leadership is committed to the military surgeon. AAST has put together the “Always Remember Fund” to facilitate scholarships to military surgeons to attend the meeting. The Always Remember Fund serves to remind us of three things:

1. Always remember those who are deployed in harm’s way

2. Always remember those who are preparing to deploy

3. Always remember those who will deploy in the future

The “Always Remember Fund” will eventually sponsor 3 military surgeons, 3 military affiliated residents or fellows, and 3 military affiliated medical students to attend the 2020 AAST Annual Meeting. We raised enough money in our first year to offer 3 military scholarships, 1 for military affiliated resident or fellow. 1 for a junior military surgeon (< 5 years in practice) and 1 military affiliated medical students to attend the AAST Annual Meeting. As of right now, the conference is still scheduled to occur.

AAST military scholarship link: https://www.aast.org/scholarships

Deadline: June 1, 2020

Specialty Spotlight Podcasts

Tune in to our latest episode featuring Captain Giles and discover the field of Ophthalmology! All episodes can be found on all podcast platforms (Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, etc) so check it out and any episodes you might have missed.

Access your AMOPS Resources

Explore the resources AMOPS has to offer to our members who have paid their dues! We have a "student guides and documents" section that has documents explaining the branch specific guides, military match, SAMOPS chapter tool kits, advice from prior SAMOPS, and more!

Steps:

1. Log into https://amops.org/

2. Go to Students > Student Guides and Documents

AMOPS 2021 Research Symposium Information

AMOPS is now accepting abstracts for the 2021 AMOPS Research Symposium.

Who may submit?

• Medical students

• Residents

• General Medical Officers (GMO) with one year of postgraduate training (PGY-1)

What Type of Research is accepted?

• Original Research

  • May be clinical or basic sciences

• Case Reports

• Quality Improvement/Process Improvement Projects

  • Must follow Military Decision Making, PDCA, Lean Six Sigma or other process

Additional Criteria:

Submitting author must have completed the majority of the writing and research, and must be registered and in attendance of the 2021 national meeting.

Abstracts should be less than 300 words. Do not include references.

Printed Poster Size: 48” W x 36” H