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Introduction Graduate medical education (GME) lacks a standardized military training program for general surgery residents, and concern exists that they may not be prepared to serve as combat surgeons on training completion. The purpose of this study was to assess military surgery trainee satisfaction with their programs. Our hypothesis was that military residents were not completely confident to care for combat casualties on completion of current GME training.Methods We surveyed US Army, Navy, and Air Force general surgery residents and fellows between November 2023 and March 2024 to assess their confidence in managing combat injuries. Queried residents further rate their overall satisfaction with surgical training, perceived level of deployment preparedness and curriculum elements which they thought would be most beneficial to their training.Results The survey yielded an overall 43% response rate (132/305) with a response rate of 42% (61/147) from the Army, 56% (44/79) from the Navy, and 34% (27/79) from the Air Force. Most trainees were trained in military medical treatment facility residency programs (n=91, 68.9%) and nearly half of respondents (n=64, 49%) were senior trainees (postgraduate year (PGY)4, PGY5, and fellows). Among all trainees, only two-thirds (n=88, 67%,) thought they were adequately prepared to deploy and operate on military combat casualties by the end of residency but 114 (86%) were satisfied with the training they received during general surgery residency in adult trauma, 103 (78%) in critical care, and 112 (85%) in acute care surgery. However, more than half were unsatisfied with the training they received in obstetric/gynecologic and urologic emergencies (n=72, 55%; and n=67, 51%, respectively).Conclusion Although the majority of military surgical residents surveyed are satisfied with their training in adult trauma, critical care, and emergency general surgery, a large number of trainees thought they would not be ready to deploy and manage combat casualties.Level of evidence Prognostic and epidemiological, Level IV.

Introduction Graduate Medical Education plays a critical role in training the next generation of military physicians, ensuring they are ready to uphold the dual professional requirements inherent to being both a military officer and a military physician. This involves executing the operational duties as a commissioned leader while also providing exceptional medical care in austere environments and in harm’s way. The purpose of this study is to review prior efforts at developing and implementing military unique curricula (MUC) in residency training programs.Methods We performed a literature search in PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, Web of Science, and the Defense Technical Information Center through August 8, 2023, including terms “graduate medical education” and “military.” We included articles if they specifically addressed military curricula in residency with terms including “residency and operational” or “readiness training”, “military program”, or “military curriculum”.Results We identified 1455 articles based on title and abstract initially and fully reviewed 111. We determined that 64 articles met our inclusion criteria by describing the history or context of MUC, surveys supporting MUC, or military programs or curricula incorporated into residency training or military-specific residency programs.Conclusion We found that although there have been multiple attempts at establishing MUC across training programs, it is difficult to create a uniform curriculum that can be implemented to train residents to a single standard across services and specialties.

Career shifts are a naturally occurring part of the trauma and acute care surgeon’s profession. These transitions may occur at various timepoints throughout a surgeon’s career and each has their own specific challenges. Finding a good fit for your first job is critical for ensuring success as an early career surgeon. Equally, understanding how to navigate promotions or a change in job location mid-career can be fraught with uncertainty. As one progresses in their career, knowing when to take on a leadership position is oftentimes difficult as it may mean a change in priorities. Finally, navigating your path towards a fulfilling retirement is a complex discussion that is different for each surgeon. The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) convened an expert panel of acute care surgeons in a virtual grand rounds session in August 2023 to address the aforementioned career transitions and highlight strategies for successfully navigating each shift. This was a collaboration between the AAST Associate Member Council (consisting of surgical resident, fellow and junior faculty members), the AAST Military Liaison Committee and the AAST Healthcare Economics Committee. Led by two moderators, the panel consisted of early, mid-career and senior surgeons, and recommendations are summarized below and in figure 1.

Across disciplines, mentorship has been recognized as a key to success. Acute care surgeons, focused on the care of trauma surgery, emergency general surgery and surgical critical care, practice in a wide variety of settings and have unique mentorship needs across all phases of their career. Recognizing the need for robust mentorship and professional development, the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) convened an expert panel entitled ‘The Power of Mentorship’ at the 81st annual meeting in September 2022 (Chicago, Illinois). This was a collaboration between the AAST Associate Member Council (consisting of surgical resident, fellow and junior faculty members), the AAST Military Liaison Committee, and the AAST Healthcare Economics Committee. Led by two moderators, the panel consisted of five real-life mentor-mentee pairs. They addressed the following realms of mentorship: clinical, research, executive leadership and career development, mentorship through professional societies, and mentorship for military-trained surgeons. Recommendations, as well as pearls and pitfalls, are summarized below.