SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMBAT MEDICINE: UNIQUE SKILLSET FOR UNIQUE MISSION

By MAJ Richard Dickson,

The mission of the Special Warfare Medical Group (Airborne) based out of Ft. Bragg, NC, is to educate and train the full spectrum of United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Combat Medics through superior teaching and instruction based on educational goals and curriculum development that is synchronized with the requirements of the force.

Medical courses are taught at the Joint Special Operations Medical Training Center (JSOMTC), a 75,000 square-foot facility, located on our main campus at Fort Bragg, N.C. We train more than 1,400 students annually from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, the Navy Special Warfare Command, the Marine Special Operations Command, and the Air Force Special Operations Command.

JOINT PREPAREDNESS, SIMULATION TO REAL WORLD

The JSOMTC, Ft. Bragg, NC, falls under the SWMG and uses a variety of different simulators while training students to replicate medical care in austere environments and under combat conditions. Simulators support training in everything from Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) to Prolonged Field Care (PFC) to canine combat trauma. The simulators used are primarily in three different blocks in the Special Operations Combat Medic Course: Trauma I & Trauma III and during the Special Forces Medical Sergeants Course.

The JSOMTC will create well-educated and professionally trained NCOs with a solid understanding of the knowledge and skills required by the force to provide standard of care medical treatment, regardless of the conditions. We will ensure they have a thorough foundation in medicine which fosters a career of life-long learning in order to adapt to ever changing medical challenges posed by an uncertain operational environment.”

Pushing The Virtual Training Envelope

Medical training, particularly for special operations forces, must remain challenging and present the most realistic models available for combat medics to become proficient in the evaluation, stabilization, and treatment of casualties in the most demanding and austere of environments. To meet this daunting task, the JSOMTC has tested a variety of simulators to best meet the necessary training objectives taught. The challenge continues to be balancing realism with cost, sustainment, and consistency.