the battle in Iraq, U.S. Army and Army Reserve forward surgical teams administer lifesaving, advanced medical care to injured combatants and civilians. Through a groundbreaking partnership with Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center in Miami, Fla., the Army Trauma Training Center (ATTC) helps ensurefighting soldiers receive the same high-tech care in combat as they would in the world’s foremost medical centers. “The ATTC better prepares us than any other training. We’re in a hands-on situation, working with the team, combiningall our civilian strengths while learning from the trainers—it’s very rewarding to work here and save lives,” says Army Reserve Lt. Col. Edward Southern, M.D., a sur- geon with the 936th Forward Surgical Team. The mission of the ATTC is to ensure clinical readiness for lifesaving Army and Army Reserve forward surgical teams. These teams, created following Operation Desert Storm, are highly mobile medical units that stabilize combat injuries on the front-line battlefield, extending a patient’s “golden hour”’—thecritical treatment window—forresuscitation. Forward surgical teamsare the primary source of immediate medical care for soldiers on the battlefield, assessing and treating injured soldiers before they are transported to field hospitals for will be caring for somebody’s son, somebody’s father. They put pressure on themselves, realizing the mistakes they make maybe the difference between life and death. America’s treasures will be cared for by people who recognize that and take it very seriously,” says Maj. John Groves, R.N., director of education at the ATTC. Units travel across the country to attend two-week or month-long immersions at the ATTC. Miami’s vast urban setting provides a real- istic opportunity for treating com- bat-like trauma injuries in a highstress environment. Each team’s training culminates with the so-called “Super Bow!” event, where the 20-mem- ber teams take over the hospital’s trauma resuscitation area, with long-term care. While the Center hosts Army and Army Reserve units throughout the year, recent preparations for war in Iraq and Afghanistan have placed an urgent emphasis on training Army Reserve medical soldiers. Reservists provide 60 percent of the Army’s medical capabilities, applying their civilian expertise and Army training to save lives on the battlefield. Visiting units learn about trauma medical procedures and lifesaving techniques. The ATTC also helps prepare soldiers mentally for challenges that lie ahead. “Each individual coming through the rotation has verbalized an understanding that they trainers providing comprehensive evaluations after each patient. Each member of the team—surgeons, nurses and medics—receives invaluable training and feedback to care for and heal U.S. forces on the battlefield. “Being ready to take care of civilians or patients on the battlefield will save lives. There’s no more realistic training, no better way to get ready, than what they get here in the urban traumasite. This mission is critical to the Army’s success on thebattlefield,” says Col. Thomas Knuth, commandingdirector, ATTC. To learn more about U.S. Army and Army Reserve Healthcare, visit http://healthcare.goarmy.com or www.armymedicine.army.mil.
