Page 53 - JSOM Fall 2024

TABLE 1 Expert Panel Categorization of the 70 Medical Knowledge and Procedural Skill Items
Categories Item Categories Item
3, 5 Crush syndrome (Crush) 7, 9 A seizure (Seizure)
3 An open globe injury (Open Globe) 6 Document a standard patient presentation in the subjec-
tive, objective, assessment, plan (SOAP) format
3, 5 Rhabdomyolysis (Rhabdo) 3 An escharotomy (Escharotomy)
3, 5, 8 Utilize pharmaceuticals listed in the Advanced Tactical 3, 5 A transfusion of blood and blood components (including
Provider handbook to manage trauma or medically sick donor collection) (Transfusion)
patients (Pharm)
3, 8 Manage a trauma or medically sick military working 3 A junctional tourniquet (JTQ)
canine (Canine)
4 Altitude sickness (Altitude) 2 A digital block (Digital Block)
9 A corneal abrasion, corneal ulcer, conjunctivitis (Cornea) 2, 9 Asthma (reactive airway disease) (Asthma)
1, 5 Sepsis (including septic shock) (Sepsis) 1, 9 Gastroenteritis (including nausea and vomiting)
(Gastroenteritis)
7 A traumatic brain injury (TBI) 1 A urinary tract infection (UTI)
4, 9 Manage a dive related casualty (Dive) 6 Document a trauma patient encounter (including
prolonged field care) (Docum Trauma)
1 A pulmonary infection (including bronchitis and 6 Apply USSOCOM Tactical Trauma Protocols (TTPs)
pneumonia) (Pulm Inf)
2, 3 Post-intubation sedation and analgesia (PISA) 3 A tube thoracostomy (Chest Tube)
6 Apply principles of prolonged field care (PFC) utilizing 8 Dental pain (Dental Pain)
the Ruck, Truck, House, Plane framework
4 A cold injury (Cold Inj) 9 Testicular pain (Testi Pain)
1 An ear infection (otitis media and otitis externa) (Ear Inj) 6 Make a determination of death per protocol (Determ
Death)
4 An envenomation (snake, marine life, insect, arthropod, 2, 3 A surgical or expedient airway (cricothyroidotomy)
scorpion) (Envenom) (Cric)
3, 5 A transfusion related reaction (Transf Rxn) 9 Flank pain (Flank Pain)
2 A patient requires pain management (Pain Mgmt) 2, 5 An anaphylactic reaction (Anaphylaxis)
2, 4 Smoke inhalation (Smoke Inh) 2, 3 An endotracheal tube (ETT)
2 A rapid sequence intubation (RSI) 8 An incision and drainage (I&D) of a simple abscess
(Abscess)
3 A fasciotomy (upper and lower extremity) 7, 9 Behavioral changes (psychosis, depression, suicidal
(Fasciotomy) impulses) (Behav Change)
3, 8 A focused assessment with sonography for trauma 3 A pelvic binder (Pelvic Binder)
(FAST) exam and interpret results
4 Barotrauma (Barotrauma) 8 A Foley catheter (Foley Cath)
1 A skin and soft tissue infection (cellulitis and cutaneous 8 An ingrown toenail excision (Toenail)
abscess) (Skin Inf)
9 Chest pain (Including pulmonary embolism) (Chest Pain) 3 Dehydration (Dehydration)
2 A procedural sedation (Proc Sedat) 7, 9 A headache (Headache)
7 A Military Acute Concussion Evaluation (MACE2) 3 A pneumothorax (Pneumothorax)
9 Abdominal pain (Abdom Pain) 1 A patient that requires HIV post exposure prophylaxis
(PEP)
9 Back pain (Back Pain) 8 An epistaxis (Nose Bleed)
3, 5, 9 A deep venous thrombosis (DVT) 2, 3 A bag valve mask with PEEP (BVM)
1, 7, 9 A head and neck infection (Head/Neck Inf) 2, 3 A laryngeal mask airway (LMA)
4 A heat illness (Heat Ill) 3 A needle decompression (Needle D)
1, 9 A joint infection (Joint Inf) 3 An extremity tourniquet (Extremity TQ)
1 Malaria (Malaria) 2, 3 An oropharyngeal airway (OPA)
1, 7 Meningitis (Meningitis) 2, 3 A nasopharyngeal airway (NPA)
Note: Item abbreviations in parentheses.
First Class (E-6) (47%) or Special Warfare Operator Second training was within 2 years (61%), with 21% within 3 years,
Class (E-5) (42%), with 11% Chief Special Warfare Operator 9% greater than 3 years, and for 9%, refresher training was
(E-7). Participants averaged 2.2 deployments (SD 1.9, range: not yet required.
0–10). The majority (70%) of participants reported having no
prior medical training. Of the remaining, 28% reported prior Quantitative Results
training as an emergency medical technician, 5% as a Hos-
pital Corpsman or Army Medic, 4% as a medical assistant, Confidence
and 2% as a registered nurse or licensed vocational nurse. Participants responded to the prompt, “I have confidence in . . .”
For the majority of participants, the most recent refresher Figure 1 shows that the categories of highest confidence ratings

Training Needs of SOF Medics and the Birth of the TACMED Division | 51