Military-civilian partnerships

Abstract

Battlefield medicine has advanced trauma care knowledge throughout history and continues to do so now. However, as war has become less common and civilian trauma continues to occur, civilian trauma centers have become essential in maintaining competency in casualty care. Military-civilian partnerships, such as the US Army Military Civilian Trauma Team Training program and the Strategic Medical Asset Readiness Training program, allow military medical personnel to practice complex trauma care in high-volume trauma centers. Civilian centers benefit from both the deployed experience of the military personnel and extra skilled personnel contributing to their practice without the salary costs. Although both sides have potential drawbacks, these partnerships represent one strategy to meet the military's goal of decreasing battlefield mortality.