Improving combat casualty care and field medicine: focus on the military medic.

As military medicine in general copes with a rapidly changing world environment, so too must the backbone of the medical force, the enlisted medic. To meet these challenges, the training and utilization of military medics must match new and different missions. This paper will explore innovative approaches to training and preparing for combat casualty care and field medicine. The focus will fall on the education, evaluation, operations, patient-care skills, equipment, and telemedicine potential of the military medic. Future directions for study and development will be suggested. Exploration of the following may improve the capability of the military medic: (1) improved training to include advanced-level skills and interventions for combat casualty care and broader exposure to the casualties expected in operations other than war; (2) annual educational and periodic proficiency evaluation requirements; (3) strengthened medical control at all echelons; and (4) carefully selected additional equipment and technologies to enhance medical capabilities.