Veterans Day is special to me. As the nation honors the service of military veterans, I recall those I served with as a naval officer in the United States Submarine Force. I especially reflect on the hundreds of dedicated and very talented men I served with on a Los Angeles-class fast-attack nuclear submarine stationed at Submarine Group 5 in San Diego. The trust and integrity that was inherent in our culture drove the confidence we had in each other to safely achieve our objectives.
My military service, and the people I met along the way, also led me to taking a position in healthcare when I left the Navy. I knew that I wanted to use my skills toward something bigger than myself, and I was motivated by the culture of caring and healing present in the healthcare industry. I felt that my submarine experience leading teams and making decisions in high-stakes environments would be well-suited for clinical settings that rely heavily on multidisciplinary teams coming together and collaborating for the betterment of patients. I also knew that my ability to pivot quickly to adapt to new challenges would be an asset during the crisis situations healthcare institutions often face, the most recent being the COVID-19 pandemic.
I started out nearly 30 years ago as an assurance program manager in national environmental, health and safety at Kaiser Permanente before eventually working my way up to COO of Kaiser’s Los Angeles Medical Center nine years later. That path led me to the role of senior vice president/COO of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, COO of Keck Medicine of USC and CEO of Keck Medical Center of USC, and then to my current role as CEO of Keck Medicine of USC.
During my time at Keck Medicine, I’ve come to fully appreciate how much my military background shaped my beliefs as a leader. The skills I learned while building trust on nuclear subs are what I drew upon to build trust among colleagues at the health system. Trust allows Keck Medicine to focus on excellence and teamwork across our diverse and complex organization.
I encourage other military veterans to consider careers in healthcare. Their discipline, adaptability and accountability will be valued, and many of their skills will easily transfer over to the industry. For example, it’s no coincidence that our CEO of Keck Medical Center, Marty Sargeant, is also a veteran. He served in the United States Air Force as a F-15 combat fighter pilot. He found the perfect match early in his healthcare career in process improvement and overseeing operations.
For those of us leading healthcare organizations, I encourage everyone to find opportunities to recruit and retain our nation’s veterans. Keck Medicine is making a concentrated effort to do so, and I look forward to continuing to support the men and women who made sacrifices to safeguard the freedoms we so value.
Rod Hanners is CEO, Keck Medicine of USC.