Sean Murphy, COM '21
What military branch are you involved with and what is your current rank? I am a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force.
What was the AMOPS event, and what was your purpose in attending? The recent AMOPS event was the annual meeting, this year, taking place in Orlando, FL. Attending, as a student, my goal was to shake hands with as many military physicians and students as possible. Networking is such a crucial aspect of military medicine as it is such a small family across all of the branches. Knowing someone, even if just during a conference can get you a couch to sleep on for a rotation or even a residency spot one day!
How did you become involved in AMOPS? Why is it important to you? I first got involved as it was the military group on campus and seemed a great way for military scholarship recipients to support each other as our medical experience differs in many ways from our civilian colleagues. This support is what is so important to me as it gets me excited for our future careers and constantly provides another motivation for doing my best each day in medical school.
Can you share some of your favorite moments of the event? This year, seeing and meeting Lt. Gen Robb, a retired high-ranking officer from the Air Force who had a hand in so much of military medicine for years was motivation to say the least. His personality and commitment to networking with students was such a great thing to witness and put a very personable face to the sometimes-daunting presence of military medicine. Also, speaking with and getting to know current residents and newly minted military physicians was an invaluable experience. Hearing from them about pitfalls and successes they have had will certainly shape my path moving forward.
What was the overall takeaway of the event? Overall, the event proved the family values of military medicine. I witnessed, first-hand, the ways experienced, and high-ranked officers look after military students and nurture their upbringing as military physicians. I also was reminded of how great an honor it is to serve as a member of the United States military.
You have worked with Dr. Bograkos and/or attended his lectures at UNE COM. How has he impacted you as a medical student and as a student member of AMOPS? Dr. Bograkos’ mentorship has been a wonderful aspect of my time at UNE COM. He has given me the confidence to make the most of my military involvement in the future. By his example, he has shown the way a military physician should advocate for improvement in everything he does.
What do you like most about military medicine? Military medicine’s training is unlike any civilian training. One must be prepared, no matter the specialty, to take care of all kinds of patients in a variety of environments. This emphasis on deployment-ready physicians provides a more multi-faceted training. I may or may not have an extensive military career, but I do know that with military training, I will be willing and able to face any problem, medical or not, with courage and confidence in my skills.
What do you hope your involvement in AMOPS will look like in the next 5-10 years? AMOPS prides itself in student mentorship and is actively seeking to expand this capacity over the next several years. I hope, as a physician in the next 5-10 years, to help guide the next generation of medical students. In this way, AMOPS is less about keeping osteopathic physicians up to date on military medical operations (of which there is a goal for this) but more so about showing students and young physicians what their role is in supporting the operations of the military at home and abroad.