Building Medic Capability: Optimizing Special Operations Combat Medic Performance on Austere Resuscitative Surgical Teams

This curriculum aims to maximize SOCM performance and augment surgical team capabilities ranging from Point of Injury (POI) through Damage Control Surgery (DCS) and Critical Care (CC). The SOCM curriculum includes standardized rotations through emergency medicine, trauma surgery, critical care, as well as intra-facility air and ground transport. Each rotation tracked performance and preparation for correlated skills - prehospital care, assisting in the operating room, and prolonged casualty care. Success was evaluated through objective measures of Individual Critical Task Lists and subjective SOCM self-assessment. Initial pilot data suggests successful integration of SOCMs into advanced medical care and increased preparation for combat casualty care.