11/06/2024

Celebrating Veterans Day

Member Spotlight - Thomas Parra

On this year’s Veterans Day, we express great appreciation to all those who have served our Nation in war and in peace. We recognize their sacrifices and resiliency, and we honor those who have fallen. Additionally, we want to highlight the importance of connecting veterans with the benefits they earned during their time in service, and also connecting veterans to their local communities so that they can continue to make a difference. Our businesses and communities can draw strength from veterans’ contributions and leadership.  Within healthcare and the ASC industry, there is great opportunity to recruit veterans who have valuable skills in teamwork, working well under pressure, effective communication, and adaptability.

Here are some ways to honor and show gratitude to the veterans who served our country:

• Donate to a local veterans organization.
• Volunteer at a VA Hospital.
• Connect veterans to their benefits – the Department of Veterans Affairs offers a range of assistance to active-duty service members, veterans and their families, including healthcare, housing, loans, educational benefits, and more.
• Teach your kids about Veterans Day so they build awareness and respect for veterans’ experiences and sacrifices.
• Consider hiring a veteran, and access helpful resources through SkillBridge or Hiring our Heroes.
• Connect with CASA members who have successfully incorporated veterans into their team by emailing veteransupport@casurgery.org.

CASA Member Spotlight

Thomas Parra

Area Administrator, Greater Central Coast, Sutter Surgery Center Division

What was your role in the Military?

 I served as a Fleet Marine Force (FMF) Navy Corpsman, with a secondary Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) as a Surgical Technologist.

Why did you choose the ASC industry?

My military experience introduced me to the world of surgery. As a Navy Corpsman, I was expected to contribute to and sometimes lead in various healthcare settings. During one point in my career, I served as the leading petty officer for a mobile operating room suite in Fallujah, Iraq. Though designed to be mobile, our unit operated from a fixed location, where we faced complex challenges unique to performing surgery in a war zone. These included ensuring post-operative transportation of patients to higher-level care, addressing sterilization equipment issues, and managing resupply challenges. Solving these types of issues on the fly, while keeping patient care as the central focus, prepared me to oversee operations in an Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC). 

What military experience is useful for ASCs?

The ASC landscape is dynamic, with daily challenges ranging from staffing and supply chain issues to revenue cycle concerns, along with external factors like power outages or other utility disruptions. On top of that, ASCs bring together a variety of personalities and skill sets, including nurses, physicians, and technicians, all of whom require collaborative engagement. My military experience exposed me to similar challenges, teaching me that the mission comes first and that pushing through difficult situations isn’t optional. This mentality and skill set align perfectly with the ASC environment, where complex problems arise frequently, and there is minimal room for error. Every decision has a direct impact on patient care, so finding solutions is essential.

What was the coolest thing you ever did?

One evening in Iraq, I had to assist in the medevac of patients from our Forward Resuscitative Surgical Suite (FRSS) to a higher echelon of care due to a shortage of available flight nurses. I flew in a Black Hawk helicopter to another base in-country. Although the situation was intense, flying over Iraq at low altitude at night provided a unique view of the country that few have had the chance to experience.