"My job is absolutely amazing! I not only provide medical care for pilots and their families; I also fly every week. Any given day can find me in the clinic caring for patients, rushing down to the flight line for an in-flight emergency or in the jet flying among the clouds and having a great time. This is a career where there is definitely never a dull moment!

"Everyday I use my medical skills to help individuals, but I also have the opportunity to work toward a greater goal. My mission within the Air Force is to keep our pilots flying, both at home and on foreign soil. In addition to the usual medical training, I have had additional training in aerospace medicine and physiology, advanced trauma life support, combat casualty care and survival training.

"While this job has an amazing number of benefits, it has also been challenging. By its very nature, the role of a flight surgeon is to integrate within a flying squadron and become friends with the pilots (who are notoriously distrustful of doctors as they can ground them from flying). In doing so, however, the boundaries are broken down between doctor and patient. I am expected to make house calls, see patients after hours, on weekends, etc. But, in addition to this, my patients are my friends. Imagine having to break the news to one of your friends that he/she has cancer, an illness that will take away their dream of flying (things like migraines and even severe sinus problems can be disqualifying) or that another one of their friends has been killed.

Support from Sisters
"When I was deciding whether to join the Air Force, my Alpha Phi sisters were extremely supportive even though none had a military background. However, there were a lot of jokes about the uniform: 'You don’t even like to wear sleeves, how are you going to wear a uniform everyday?'