02/15/2024
CASA Values Our Veterans
Veteran Spotlight - Chris Taylor
Our country celebrates President’s Day this Monday, February 19th – it has become an occasion to celebrate the birthdays of both President George Washington and President Abraham Lincoln. As with Memorial Day and Veterans Day, this holiday offers another opportunity for the United States to honor its veterans, the many men and women who have served and sacrificed for our safety, our freedom, and our values. Check out Operation Gratitude to help show your appreciation; it is a national organization that helps send letters and care packages to our military, veteran, and first responder heroes.
On this President’s Day, let’s recognize the many different roles within the military, including those of the medical providers who serve at home and abroad. Providing high-quality healthcare to our military and our veterans is essential. The ASC industry provides a great career pathway for veterans or retired members of the military who have the necessary skills and experience to fill valuable roles in the ambulatory surgery setting.
Veteran Spotlight
Chris Taylor Director of Operations Northern CA, AMSURG
What was your role in the Military?
I served as a U.S. Air Force Medic/Orthopedic Technician at Mather Air Force Base, CA from 1991-1997.
Why did you choose the ASC industry?
I started my career on the clinical side spending a lot of time assisting on orthopedic cases. As I transitioned into management/administration, I enjoyed working with physicians and APP’s in the ambulatory setting. After overseeing primary care and urgent care operations in addition to specialty practices, I knew that for the next chapter of my career I wanted to be closer to the procedural side. I now have the pleasure of working with multiple ASCs and providers to help provide top quality-care in an affordable setting.
What military experience is useful for ASCs?
Being able to adapt to different situations rapidly while remaining calm and focused – this is very useful in the ASC setting. In the Air Force we often had to be creative with the resources we had in order to treat our patients successfully. This experience/mentality proved to be critical when we managed through the pandemic.
What was the coolest thing you ever did?
Non-medical, it was while on a temporary assignment at Vandenberg AFB on the central coast – I was able to witness a test missile launch from the beach on base. Medically, I still remember the first time assisting on a total knee replacement and thinking how cool it was to use power tools in the OR. I think that helped light the spark to be part of a healthcare team focused on helping people for my career, that was just a few years ago…1992!