Trauma Team Spotlight: CPT Mikayla Hamilton, DO

I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Mikayla Hamilton in 2018 when she was a medical student at Des Moines University (DMU). Our Level I trauma program provided the opportunity for medical students to spend the year doing research with me and the trauma team. Mikayla was one of my students, and she brought with her a passion for emergency medicine and a willingness to jump into data collection! For as long as I've known her, I've been impressed by her positive attitude, tremendous work ethic, steady demeanor, and commitment to work-life balance. It is a pleasure to present her as this weeks Trauma Spotlight!

At the time, not only was Mikayla a medical student, but she was also a Second Lieutenant in the US Army and part of DMU's Health Professions Scholarship Program, which provided tuition support for medical school in exchange for military service. After medical school, Mikayla completed her emergency medicine residency at Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, Texas, and she is now employed as an emergency physician at Atrium Health, Carolinas Medical Center, a Level I trauma center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Most of Mikayla's education and training has occurred at high volume, high acuity trauma centers. As an undergraduate she was a scribe at a trauma center in Texas. After collaborating on a research project with my team (which led to two publications -- one in Respiratory Care and one in Injury). She has practiced deployed medicine abroad (now at the rank of Captain!) and continues to participate in research (including a paper on the military-civilian partnership recently published in Military Medicine).

"The best part of working with trauma patients," she explained, "is that it is a huge team sport. Success hinges on cohesion at multiple touchpoints across the spectrum of care—from prehospital care, the ED, surgery, social work, inpatient, to the outpatient resources some of these patients rely on after discharge. It’s a privilege to be surrounded by folks who take pride in being good at what they do. Being in the ER, I get to see all facets of the machine work."

Working in the ER, Dr. Hamilton sees first-hand that one of the most challenging things about treating injured patients is that emergency departments (EDs) are operating at full capacity, with patients seeking care in EDs because they lack insurance or lack access to primary care and preventative medicine. "We aren’t just dealing with trauma patients in the ED, but all of the other presentations that come with an overburdened healthcare system."

One thing that struck me about Mikayla from the very first time that I met her was the commitment she has made to herself to remain grounded, healthy, and connected to others. This is essential for young physicians, since emergency medicine physicians face the highest burnout rates among medical specialists. Mikayla is dedicated to medicine but makes room for herself outside the hospital. She loves to run, garden, hike, cycle, and fly fish. Asked what she would do if given $10,000 and time off to travel, Mikayla responds without hesitation. "My husband and I would probably be somewhere in the mountains having fun cruising in our FJ cruiser or on a mountain bike with a plan to seek out some good food and a brew afterwards."