Trauma Readiness Program Earns Prestigious US Army Medicine Award

• The award recognizes exceptional teamwork by an integrated group of military and civilian team members supporting Army Medicine

• Program provides readiness training centered on patient care, completion of individual critical tasks, and collective team training using didactic and hands-on trauma events

The Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) Strategic Trauma Readiness Center (STaRC) team received the Army Medicine Wolf Pack Award during a ceremony at BAMC.

The Wolf Pack Award was created by the Army Surgeon General and the Chief of the Army Medical Department Civilian Corps to recognize exceptional teamwork by an integrated group of military and civilian team members who are focused on excellence in support of Army Medicine.

The integrated team of nine military and civilian members worked closely with the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research, and BAMC to develop and implement the STaRC program, a three-week long pre-deployment medical readiness training program that builds operational readiness for Forward Resuscitative Surgical Detachments (FRSDs).

This capability provides overall readiness training centered on patient care, completion of individual critical tasks and collective team training using a combination of didactic and hands-on trauma events. Through the execution of three weeks of instruction, teams are stressed within their operational constraints and provided challenging medical scenarios.

During the first week of training, the entire 20-person team attends specific courses such as Emergency War Surgery, Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma Plus, Advanced Trauma Operative Management, and Basic Endovascular Skills for Trauma. The team also receives training on clinical practical guidance related to mass casualties, burns, walking blood bank, traumatic brain injury and damage control resuscitation. Medics and nurses attend a cadaver lab focused on damage control resuscitation, and a skills lab that familiarizes them on technical equipment used by the team.

The second and third week, the FRSD is split into two 10-person teams, with one taking trauma call at BAMC and the other executing a field training exercise at Camp Bullis, with the support of MEDCoE cadre and BAMC staff. The team conducting trauma call at BAMC is given autonomy to operate in the trauma bay and operating room as an entire team. An attending physician and trauma surgeon supervise the group. BAMC staff are there to facilitate additional resources and assist with the administrative aspects of patient care.

At Camp Bullis, the FRSD conducts operations in an austere environment. They are stressed with operational constraints and challenging medical scenarios. Each team member has a respective subject matter expert to provide objective feedback on their performance.

“Because of the high level of training provided by the STaRC program, FRSDs are able to save lives on the battlefield to a degree not previously achieved,” said Richard Beauchemin, chief of staff, Office of The Surgeon General and U.S. Army Medical Command.