(MOBILE, Ala.) Many will head out this weekend for events honoring the many veterans who call the Gulf Coast home. We sat down with one local vet who has used the techniques he learned in the military to build a successful medical practice.
Doctor Max Rogers is an OB/GYN practicing in Mobile. On display in his office alongside medical degrees are model fighter planes.
"I will never be able to truly shake my military roots," says Dr. Rogers, "especially the Marine Corps roots and aviation."
Before entering medical school, Rogers spent seven years as a pilot in the Marine Corps. He's taking a military technique called "flawless execution" and putting it to work in his practice.
"Flawless execution is the system that all aviators-- be they Navy, Marine or Air Force fighter pilots-- utilize to plan missions together," Rogers says.
The system has four simple steps: plan, brief, execute and debrief, with the last being the most important. It's a time to reflect on what went wrong and how to prevent it happening in the future.
"You can utilize the plan, brief, execute, debrief model to buy a car, plan a a vacation or a wedding, or a deep air strike into enemy hostile territory."
Dr. Rogers and dozens of other veterans are spreading the flawless execution method across the country, speaking at conferences and holding workshops. Collectively, they've presented the program to some 1.2 million people nationwide. But perhaps the most important place Dr. Rogers uses the method is in the delivery room--where flawless execution is crucial.
"Bringing life into the world is an experience that you really cannot compare to anything else," he says. "Just being able to be involved in that is a privilege."
Dr. Rogers practices at Obstetrics and Gynecology Associates in the Mobile Infirmary Medical Center.
