Page 50 - JSOM Spring 2025

of medical teams throughout the military. In addition, it is im- Disclosures
portant to note that there may be less friction in providing a The authors have no competing interests to declare.
baseline of trust between MMOs and NCOs due to the in-depth
training of Special Operations medical NCOs prior to integra- Disclaimer
tion. The Special Operations communities also provide a unique The opinions and assertions expressed herein are those of the
environment for interprofessional relationships to thrive. Future authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of
research into the functional dynamics within these communities the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, the
could provide deeper insight into wider application of MMO- United States Navy, the United States Army, or the Department
NCO relationship development across the Armed Forces. of Defense.

MMOs will lead and teach by reflecting the environments in Funding
which they were trained. Therefore, instilling these character- None declared.
istics early on in medical school will set the stage for better
MMO-NCO relationships in the future. Military medical References
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during their one-month active-duty training (ADT) tour each ership, Command, Oath, and Service Identity. Skyhorse; 2019.
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fiscal year. To close any training gaps, future USU, HPSP, and 4. Fundamentals of Military Medicine. Office of The Surgeon Gen-
HSCP education partnerships might benefit civilian medical eral. Borden Institute, US Army Medical Department Center and
School, Health Readiness Center of Excellence; 2019.
students through exposure to a military-specific curriculum 5. Green A. Chapter 12: Enlisted Service Members. In: Fundamen-
prior to residency. Military medical educators might consider tals of Military Medicine. Borden Institute; 2019:179–192.
how to develop and implement these military-civilian part- 6. United States Air Force. The Enlisted Force Structure. Depart-
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might be paired during the first year of medical school with an of the Force. Joint Chiefs of Staff; 2020. Accessed August 26,
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MMO mentor (active-duty or retired) who is experienced in backbone.pdf
working with NCOs, to develop an early understanding about 8. Varpio L, Bader-Larsen KS, Durning SJ, et al. Military interpro-
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support success. Mil Med. 2021;186(Suppl 3):1–6. doi:10.1093/
Limitations milmed/usab088
Our study investigated the perspectives of medical NCOs, 9. Varpio L, Bader KS, Meyer HS, Durning SJ, Artino AR, Ham-
leaving the MMO’s viewpoint unexplored. Future qualitative wey MK. Interprofessional healthcare teams in the military: a
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because we leveraged a qualitative research design for our bind: camaraderie in military interprofessional healthcare teams.
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pants from all Services. The United States Armed Forces is a di- 11. Foerster CR, Tavares W, Virkkunen I, Kämäräinen A. A survey
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between paramedics and physician medical oversight. CJEM.
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to explore the themes found in our study to confirm their va- 13. Nagraj S, Harrison J, Hill L, Bowker L, Lindqvist S. Promoting col-
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between MMOs and NCOs. Strengthening these skills early guide to reflexivity in qualitative research: AMEE Guide No. 149.
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on during medical school can enhance these attributes and ul- 59X.2022.2057287
timately improve medical force readiness. 16. Emerson RW. Convenience sampling, random sampling, and
snowball sampling: How does sampling affect the validity of re-
Author Contributions search? Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness. 2015;109(2):
KC and RC designed this research. KC, RC, MF, and AD an- 164–168. doi:10.1177/0145482x1510900215
alyzed the data and drafted the original manuscript. KC, RC, 17. Noy C. Sampling knowledge: the hermeneutics of snowball
sampling in qualitative research. International Journal of So-
MF, AD, and AH reviewed and edited the manuscript. All au- cial Research Methodology. 2008;11(4):327–344. doi:10.1080/
thors read and approved the final manuscript. 13645570701401305

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