Cole R, Shumaker JT, Melo E, Matthews KJ, Schwartz J, Vojta L, Rudinsky SL. Operation Bushmaster's Impact on Military Medical Student Deployment Readiness.
Mil Med 2023;
188:56-62. [PMID:
37201487 DOI:
10.1093/milmed/usad011]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION
Operation Bushmaster is a high-fidelity simulation held for fourth-year medical students at the Uniformed Services University. No past research has examined this multi-day simulation's ability to prepare military medical students for the complexities of their first deployment. This qualitative study, therefore, explored Operation Bushmaster's impact on military medical student deployment readiness.
METHODS
We interviewed 19 senior military medical personnel serving as faculty members at Operation Bushmaster during October 2022 in order to explore how Operation Bushmaster prepares students for their first deployment. These interviews were recorded and transcribed. Each research team member then coded the transcripts and came to a consensus on the themes and patterns that emerged from the data.
RESULTS
The following themes described the ways in which Operation Bushmaster prepares military medical students for their first deployment: (1) primes them for the stress of the operational environment; (2) teaches them to navigate austere conditions; (3) facilitates their leadership development; and (4) provides them with a deeper understanding of the military's medical mission.
CONCLUSION
Operation Bushmaster immerses students in a realistic, stressful operational environment, challenging them to develop an adaptive mindset and efficacious leadership skills that they will utilize during future deployments.
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