The Effect of a Multi-Force International Educational Experience on Military Physician Trainees’ Perceptions of Operational Preparedness

Introduction: Military medical training marries the challenges of medical education and military operations. Military Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs rely heavily on civilian healthcare training, often leaving military physicians with gaps in operational leadership skills during their first deployments. Hands-on, operational experiences are essential in preparing these physicians for their dual roles as medical and military leaders. Materials and Methods: This assessment evaluated the educational program offered to GME trainees who participated in a medical augmentation mission aboard the USNS Mercy during Pacific Partnership FY24. To evaluate the educational program, GME trainee physicians from various specialties were surveyed on pre- and post-mission comfort in 6 global health-relevant domains using a 5-point Likert scale. Due to the small sample size, Monte Carlo simulation and bootstrap resampling with replacement were also performed. Results: Seven of 11 participants completed both pre- and post-assessments. The greatest increases in self-reported confidence were in international medical knowledge exchange, practicing across language barriers and practicing limited-resource medicine. Each increased by a mean of more than one point, which was consistent across both statistical modeling simulations. Comfort with culturally sensitive practice also showed borderline improvement among individuals. Conclusions: This hands-on training demonstrated significant educational benefits for military GME trainees via their self-assessed readiness for dual roles as clinicians and military leaders. Although the sample size was small, these surveys highlight the value of integrating such educational experiences into military medical curricula. Future efforts should include the development and implementation of tangible skill assessments and longitudinal evaluation to assess clinician perceptions later in their careers, once out of the training environment.