Tactical  Military Medicine Introduction

Prior to medical school, I was a reservist on active duty with US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) at MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa Fl.

As a Licensed Practical Nurse I was assigned to the USSOCOM Clinic and also the HALO Jump Team performing medical coverage during their training or demonstration activities. It was then that I was introduced to the concepts of tactical/expedition medicine. I also attended my first Special Operations Medical Annual Conference (1997) in Tampa, FL. I was hooked.

The challenge of working in difficult circumstances and maintaining medical care excellence was invigorating. Residency training in Family Medicine at Ft. Bragg, NC afforded me an excellent medical base needed for operational medicine as well as working with various Special Operations Unit members at Ft. Bragg. The experience was absolutely invaluable!

To really be skilled enough to care for operators and work in that environment, additional training beyond Advanced Trauma Life Support and Pre-Hospital Life Support was needed. Whether in an office, tent, helicopter or combat environment, I wanted to be able to take care of my patients with the best skills I could.

Combat Casualty Care Course

San Antonio, Texas
2007

"C4 is a continuing medical education program designed to enhance the operational medical readiness and pre-deployment trauma training skills of tri-service, medical officers.

Training includes a 3-day course designed to enhance medical readiness of physicians, physicians assistants, nurses, dentists, and other medical specialties by providing training in field leadership that prepares medical officers with the knowledge critical in conducting Role I and Role II healthcare operations in an austere, combat environment.

Students progress through the phases of TCCC from Care Under Fire, Tactical Field and Tactical Evacuation Care, through the roles of care, from point-of-injury to Role II scenarios.

Lanes simulate mission-oriented medical scenarios of Village Stability Operations (VSO), Mass Casualty (MASCAL) events, Military Operations on Urban Terrain (MOUT), and a simulated Role II facility utilizing simulator technology.

Students encounter combat scenarios in varying roles of leadership and team organization and participate in the planning, rehearsals, and execution of the medical mission.

After successful completion of C4, students receive the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) TCCC Certification. The NAEMT TCCC course is the only TCCC course endorsed by the American College of Surgeons."

-- from the C4 Website:
https://www.health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Education-and-Training/DMRTI/Course-Information/Combat-Casualty-Care-Course

US Navy 
Military Tropical Medicine

Bethesda, MD
2005

"The Military Tropical Medicine Course, now a joint Army-Navy effort, continues the long tradition of the former Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) Tropical Medicine Course and the Navy’s Medicine in the Tropics Course.

Designed to offer advanced training in tropical medicine to Army, Navy, and Air Force medical officers, this course covers a broad range of topics to include
viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections,
environmental illnesses,
pre- and post-travel medical evaluations,
outbreak investigations, and
public health issues in the developing world.

The 4-week didactic curriculum includes lectures from nationally recognized experts in the field of tropical medicine, as well as hands-on laboratory training in the identification of tropical disease pathogens. There is a comprehensive lab practical and written exam at the end of the course, as well as weekly quizzes.

In addition to the 4-week didactic portion of the course, there is an optional 2-week field mission that provides selected students the opportunity to solidify core concepts learned in the lecture and lab portions of the course." -- From: https://phc.amedd.army.mil/Pages/CourseDetails.aspx?CourseID=29

Of note: My field training was completed at AFRIMS in Bangkok, Thailand

USASOC Operational Medicine Rotation, Ft. Bragg, NC

Ft. Bragg, NC 2005

During residency at Ft. Bragg I was able to perform a month long rotation with the Flight Surgeons for US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC).

The training emphasized:
1. Tactical medical support preparation
2. Execution of direct tactical medical care of unit members in various operating environments
3. Recovery of the unit members as they perform variety of military missions.