Military Trained, Mission Driven: An ER Physician’s Path from Active Duty to BAMC
Being a doctor is already one of the highest forms of service anyone can give. But being a doctor in the military? That's sacrifice on a different scale.
Aside from saving lives, you’re also working in some of the most fragile, high-stakes, and unpredictable environments in the world. You’re making split-second decisions with lives on the line while carrying the weight of service on both your badge and your uniform.
Many of us would admire and praise that from afar, but this is the reality for Dr. Michael Hilliard.
Dr. Hilliard has spent more than two decades serving as an ER physician in the military. From deployment in Iraq during the early years of the war to running one of the busiest emergency rooms in the military healthcare system today, he’s built a life around standing in the gap—not just for patients, but for the soldiers, families, and medical professionals who count on him.
What It’s Like Being an ER Physician in a Combat Zone
First and foremost, Emergency Room (ER) physicians are the doctors at the hospital’s front line, responsible for stabilizing patients during life’s most critical moments. Unlike other specialists who focus on one type of medicine, ER physicians treat anything that comes through the doors. On a day-to-day basis, they might handle everything from broken bones and high fevers to heart attacks and major trauma injuries.
There’s a concept in trauma care called the “golden hour”—the idea that getting treatment within the first hour of a severe injury offers the best chance of survival.
Emergency physicians practically live in that golden hour window. They often witness people on the worst day of their lives. They see pain, trauma, and sometimes tragic loss up close, day after day. It’s not unusual for an emergency medicine doctor to deliver bad news to a family in one room and then, moments later, have to compose themselves to treat a new patient in the next.
Now, put this in a war context: the Emergency physician might also be far from home, in a dangerous environment, perhaps treating friends or comrades-in-arms. The stress and emotional strain can be even more intense, especially because military emergency departments often see some of the most severe injuries.
Some moments are heartbreaking, such as realizing that a patient cannot be saved despite every effort. An ER doctor may have to make the painful decision to stop resuscitation on someone’s loved one, sometimes even as that family pleads for a miracle. Coping with these realities requires incredible resilience. Many emergency physicians develop a certain emotional armor and rely on teamwork, humor, or debriefings with colleagues to get through the hardest days.
This is the kind of pressure Dr. Michael Hilliard has experienced—not just once, but over a career that spans war zones and trauma bays alike.
Where Dr. Michael Hilliard's Service Began
It all started in 2003.
Just months into the Iraq War, Dr. Hilliard was part of a military medical team in Baghdad tasked with transforming a former Iraqi hospital into a functional trauma center. “We actually opened up Ibn Sina hospital in the Green Zone,” he recalls. “It was some of the most memorable work I’ve done.”
He remembers seeing amazing things during that time—but what stayed with him most were the people. The men and women who, as he puts it, “sacrificed and were away from their family for so long to make sure we get to enjoy what we have.”
From the Field to the Front Lines of Civilian Care
When Dr. Hilliard returned from Iraq, he brought those lessons home. At the time, he served as a Matrix Providers contracted ER Physician in the emergency department at BAMC in San Antonio, Texas—one of the military’s most advanced medical centers. The hospital treats everyone from active-duty service members to their spouses, children, retirees, and even local civilians.
He describes it as an incredible mission that goes beyond caring for soldiers to also supporting their families, retirees, and the broader military community. And at BAMC, giving back also means training the next generation. As part of a major military residency program, Dr. Hilliard played a hands-on role in shaping new physicians. He, alongside his colleagues, guided young doctors through the fast-paced, unpredictable world of emergency medicine.
“We constantly have other emergency medicine physicians, surgeons, OB/GYNs, pediatricians,” he explains. Many of those residents would one day serve in military hospitals and mentoring them is part of the BAMC mission.
It wasn’t lost on him how full-circle that felt — from being trained in the system to later shaping it. He considers it a privilege to do what he did, especially alongside people who believe in the mission as much as he does.
The Challenge Behind the Scenes
Of course, working in a military trauma center has its challenges, and staffing has long been one of them.
For years, BAMC’s emergency department struggled to consistently fill its schedule. High patient volumes, rotating providers, and gaps in coverage made it difficult to maintain continuity of care. At times, it even threatened to disrupt the hospital’s training and service goals.
“We had worked with several different contract groups,” Dr. Hilliard says. “But they just weren’t able to keep up. They couldn’t provide the hours or the quality of providers we needed.”
That began to change the day Matrix Providers came on board.
A Turning Point with Matrix Providers
Matrix Providers, a veteran-owned staffing partner, stepped into the situation and delivered.
“It was the first contract group that BAMC’s emergency department has had that was able to get all the shifts covered,” Dr. Hilliard says. He adds that Matrix Providers remained involved—listening, communicating, and making sure nothing slipped through the cracks.
He credited Matrix’s leadership for the shift in culture. Instead of managing from afar, Matrix Providers representatives sat down with BAMC’s medical leadership and made sure every detail was addressed: from scheduling logistics to compensation questions to holiday coverage.
He points to strong communication from everyone involved—whether it was the accounts department, onboarding team, or even company leadership. The result? A more stable environment, better provider satisfaction, and most importantly, stronger patient care.
“Matrix made it a very good working environment, so I’m appreciative,” he says.
Purpose Beyond the Paycheck
Ask Dr. Hilliard what keeps him going, and he’ll point to mission. It’s seeing a soldier’s spouse walk out of the ER relieved, watching a new resident confidently take charge during a trauma, and the quiet sense that he’s doing something that matters every day.
And for him, Matrix Providers helped make that mission possible in the most seamless way.
That kind of partnership, he believed, was rare and worth celebrating.
A Model for Military Healthcare
For healthcare professionals considering working in the federal system, Dr. Hilliard’s story offers a glimpse into what is possible. It’s not just about the cases, the trauma, or the fast pace. Everything about the way Dr. Hilliard described his work points to something larger than the clinical tasks — a mission rooted in service, mentoring, and care.
That story is one Matrix Providers continues to help write by supporting the providers behind the care and ensuring they have what they need to succeed.
Find your next mission with Matrix Providers.
If you’re looking for work in a high-impact, well-supported environment, like the one Dr. Hilliard experienced, Matrix Providers can help you get there.
We place health care professionals in roles across the federal system, from emergency medicine to clinical psychology and beyond. If that sounds like the kind of purpose-driven work you’re after, we’re ready when you are.
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