When Joseph Morman, MD, reflects on the lessons he learned from seven years in the U.S. Army, you might hear two different answers.
At first, he could joke that “I have already been yelled at by the best the military had to offer, so this is a relative walk in the park.”
In reality though, appreciation goes much deeper for Dr. Morman, who now serves as chief clinical officer for our Springfield market.
“I learned to enjoy leadership roles,” he says. “It’s OK to have a number of people counting on you.”
Dr. Morman learned that lesson early in his military career, where he served his internship, residency and first four years of his medical career. During his training, he was asked to serve as the only provider to a remote training post after his internship year.
“I was handed a clinic, a helicopter and two ambulances after just one year of medical training,” he recalls.
He originally trained in a community hospital in Monterey, Calif. and finished at Tripler Army Medical Center, a large medical center in Hawaii. After completing residency, he was assigned to the 101st Airborne to serve as chief of a primary care clinic in Ft. Campbell, Ky., by day and deliver babies at night as well as on weekends.
After military service and another 25 years as a family physician in his adopted Springfield community, Dr. Mormon began his clinical leadership role with Mercy Health – Springfield Regional Medical Center and Mercy Health – Urbana Hospital.
“It has been a benefit to work in a number of different states and different organizations,” Dr. Morman shares. “To have seen different processes allows you to more quickly identify processes that could and should change.”
Dr. Morman often represents our Springfield hospitals to their providers and community.
“I provide my experience and background as well as physician ties to the hospital to assist in creating and implementing strategic goals,” he explains.
As he observes Veterans Day, Dr. Morman admires the contributions of those who have served, which he said are often greater than his own. He maintains this same humility with his current team.
“I have wonderful teammates both in the market as well as in the ministry that have supported me personally,” he says. “I feel blessed. I really enjoy seeing the time and energy that everyone spends in preparing for prayers and praying prior to all meetings. You are continually put in the right frame of mind. We’re doing important things that help our employees and community.”
Thank you to Dr. Morman as well as all our other veteran team members for your service to our country. Read more stories about our veteran team members.
Also, learn more about the health care services we offer at Mercy Health.
