Military medicine
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United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) cadets are at risk for sustaining concussions; however, several factors inhibit disclosure. We aimed to better understand the role of social support in concussion disclosure. ⋯ Our results suggested that cadets felt comfortable reporting a suspected concussion or bell-ringer/ding to various peers and that those peers would be supportive of that choice, indicating social support. Future interventions should include educating cadets that peers may come to them, especially if they are AOCs/AMTs or squadmates.
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Joining the military and entering a career in medicine are both intensely personal decisions. Individually, becoming a physician or a naval officer requires people to join a profession, represented by the oaths of each group. ⋯ Those entering into the Medical Corps will combine these roles. To optimize finding a fulfilling career, students interested in joining the medical corps should identify mentors, which helps them create the career path they want and aids in their self-reflection to discover their motivations and expectations, finally "Semper Gumby." My own path fulfilled my desire to serve and passion for medicine but more importantly afforded me the opportunity to pursue fellowship, gain expertise in academic medicine, and construct a network of mentors, colleagues, and friends around the globe.
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Musculoskeletal injury (MSI) presents the greatest threat to military mission readiness. Atraumatic shoulder pain is a common military MSI that often results in persistent functional limitations. Shoulder orthopedic evaluation presents many diagnostic challenges, due in part to the possibility of a spinal source of symptoms. ⋯ This case series demonstrates that identification of shoulder pain of spinal source in the military population may be an important step in facilitating timely RTD. These cases also highlight the use of a standardized, systematic method to screen the cervical and thoracic spine that concurrently reveals the indicated treatment. Further research to determine the prevalence of shoulder pain of spinal source in the AD population and its impact on RTD rates has the potential to reduce the substantial burden of MSI in the military.
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American military personnel in U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) operate in a continent triple the size of the USA without mature medical facilities, requiring a substantial transportation network for medical evacuation. We describe medical transportation based on ophthalmic complaints analyzed from the U.S. Transportation Command Regulating and Command and Control Evacuation System (TRAC2ES) database from 2008 to 2018. ⋯ Evacuations were primarily routine often for disease etiology and further diagnostic evaluation. These findings support opportunities for telemedicine consultation to avoid potentially unnecessary transportation. Increased ophthalmic care and enhanced data collection on transports would support process improvement, optimize ophthalmic care by ensuring proper disposition of patients thus limiting unnecessary evacuations, and ultimately strengthen the entire fighting force.
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Coronavirus disease 2019 highlighted the Army Reserve as a key partner in Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA). Tropic Care, an Innovative Readiness Training mission, led by the 1984th U. S. Army Hospital, served as a venue to train on unit Mission Essential Task Lists while providing an initial assessment on its DSCA response capability.