Bethesda, Md. – To ensure that surgeons worldwide, particularly military surgeons, keep their skills sharp and maintain their clinical readiness, the Uniformed Services University (USU), in conjunction with the American College of Surgeons (ACS), the Military Health System Strategic Partnership American College of Surgeons (MHSSPACS), and the University of California, Davis, has developed a new resource – the Military Clinical Readiness Curriculum, or “mCurriculum.”
The training modules are free and easily accessible, and can help surgeons around the globe to care for patients with complex injuries.
The curriculum was developed with military surgeons in mind, however, the quick and easy-to-use modules are relevant to trauma patient care anywhere in the world, and can be used by any surgeon who needs to fill a particular knowledge gap. They can also be used as a “just-in-time” training resource.
The first 12 modules, available here, are broken into seven knowledge domains: airway and breathing; critical care and prevention; expeditionary unique; head and spine injury; torso trauma; transfusion and resuscitation; and wounds, amputations, and fractures. They include lessons on wounds, amputations and fractures; torso trauma; expeditionary unique care, including pediatric trauma; and transfusion and resuscitation. The videos are formatted for a smartphone, tablet, or computer and can be scanned for key points, depending on an individual’s learning needs. They also include a voiceover transcript.
These modules were developed based on feedback provided by surgeons with firsthand experience treating casualties in Ukraine. The modules have also been translated into Ukrainian. Additional modules will be released in the near future.
“The program also has three key components: knowledge assessment, skills assessment, and a metric practice, all coming together to ensure that our surgeons are both current and competent for that critical mission set,” said Dr. Eric Elster, a transplant surgeon and dean of USU’s School of Medicine, who led the development of the mCurriculum with surgeons from UC Davis Medical Center and the MHSSPACS. “It’s part of our trust with the American public to ensure that our surgeons are ready for civilian trauma. They’re ready for military trauma; they’re ready to take care of our nation’s heroes.”
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About the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences: The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, founded by an act of Congress in 1972, is the nation’s federal health sciences university and the academic heart of the Military Health System. USU students are primarily active-duty uniformed officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Public Health Service who receive specialized education in tropical and infectious diseases, TBI and PTSD, disaster response and humanitarian assistance, global health, and acute trauma care. USU also has graduate programs in oral biology, biomedical sciences and public health committed to excellence in research. The University’s research program covers a wide range of areas important to both the military and public health. For more information about USU and its programs, visit www.usuhs.edu.
