All members of military surgical teams can benefit from military-civilian partnerships

Military surgical teams face unique demands on and off the battlefield. Combat trauma represents 0.5 percent of the 1 million annual military health system hospital admissions, presenting a challenge for military surgical teams to remain combat ready. Previous research has established the many benefits of military-civilian partnerships for training military surgeons prior to deployment and retaining critical skills during deployment. However, there exists a lack of data about the readiness and case volumes of other members of Army Forward Resuscitative Surgical Teams (FRSTs). Researchers who studied clinical practice patterns in non-physician members of Army FRSTs, particularly comparing the experience of active duty and Army reservist team members, presented their findings during the virtual American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2020.