If you asked Captain Dr. Tania Cheng what her greatest strength is, she will tell you that it’s adaptability. From growing up on the sparkling beaches of Hawaii and working at Level 1 Trauma Center in Houston, Texas, her SurgEx training in Germany or humanitarian aid for children in South America, her service in the Middle East or commanding her unit at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Dr. Cheng has honed her communication, leadership, and bedside manner through lessons learned during her military service.

“My time and training in the military, and specifically trauma medicine, has shown me that patients come to us with a list of symptoms. Those symptoms are a list of needs or pain points. It’s our job as diagnosticians to help identify whether the pain in their side is from getting old or they have a lead pipe sticking out of their flank. My favorite Schooley Mitchell clients have approached me the same way: ‘I have a problem, can you help?’ Tani said.

Tania’s journey into a life of military and medical service started with her upbringing.

Both of Tania’s grandfathers served. On her mother’s side, a Marine Corps Corporal who stomed Iwo Jima and much of the Pacific. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he lied about his age to join and fight in the Pacific Theatre. On her father’s side, a General under Chiang Kai-shek who reportedly had been the only man to go out during an active aerial bombardment to see when it was clear for his people to retreat from China to Taiwan. He’s credited for saving those with him that day, including Chiang Kai-shek as they were together on the last flight out.

“The reason why I joined the military was to carry on the family tradition of service,” she said.

While her family may have been the impetus for her joining, the military and medical service defined her bedside manner in the ER, as well as Schooley Mitchell.

“In medicine, we have a term called ‘triage’ It’s an old French word that means ‘to sort or select’. We were taught that Napoleon started the practice of marking his wounded. In a modern ER or mass casualty incident, we triage the wounded into priority groups. Those that can walk and talk, those that can survive delayed care, those that won’t survive no matter how much effort we put into treating them,” Tania said.

“Many of our clients are suffering and focusing on symptoms. They may not have enough for advertising, they need money for a new truck or maybe for expansion, or they just need to hire more staff and can’t afford to. That’s when I get to make a house call.”

While her family may have been the impetus for her joining, the military and medical service defined her bedside manner in the ER, as well as Schooley Mitchell.

“So much of what we do comes in the timing. If we can identify where you are bleeding money from early enough, you’re a green ticket, a ‘walkie talkie’, so to speak. We don’t make much as an office, but I love these clients. They are doing well and just want us to verify they are saving the most money,” she said.

“Yellow and red tickets? Those guys have been bleeding for awhile. They need our help fast. They may need extra help from a local BNI or Chamber as well. While it’s not as rewarding as saving a life, saving a company feels great.”

Schooley Mitchell’s mission is to find savings for our clients by optimizing their expenses. Our unique contingency pay model means our clients don’t pay a nickel unless we can save them a dime, which gives our franchisees the opportunity to develop unique relationships with their clients. Coincidentally, that is one of the things Tania loves most about leading a different kind of team in Kemah, Texas.

“We’re never going to give you bad news. Either we can find you savings or you get the peace of mind knowing that your bills are optimized,” Tania said.

Tania’s service to the military and distinguished career as a medical professional have made her the person she is today, and to us at Schooley Mitchell, she shines as an example of what you can do when you carry yourself with confidence and go after your goals.

We are thankful every day for the service of Tania and her contemporaries, and we are distinctly proud to call her a member of the Schooley Mitchell family.