Army FST Question

[Sarg's kid]

I'm a premed newbie. Does anyone know how to become a member of an FST (Forward Surgical Team)? How can I set myself up so that I will be able to do that after general surgery residency?
Is it pretty much required to attend the USUHS, or does any medical school cut it? Also, do you attend Ranger School, or just Jump School?
Thanks for any input.

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[Sarg's kid]

Or does anyone know ANYTHING about FST's? Have you ever met someone on an FST?
I'm just really curious ans can't seem to find much information.

 

[Galo]

I'm a premed newbie. Does anyone know how to become a member of an FST (Forward Surgical Team)? How can I set myself up so that I will be able to do that after general surgery residency?
Is it pretty much required to attend the USUHS, or does any medical school cut it? Also, do you attend Ranger School, or just Jump School?
Thanks for any input.

As a general surgeon in the army, you will become a part of a FST. You do not need any special army training, other than surgical training. If you are still not even in med school, you've got a long time to go before you get there. You should definitively read the pro/con stickies, and call up army bases and talk to surgeons to see what they have to say. I made some similar calls on behalf of a person asking, and they were mostly negative. Much the same I experienced as a surgeon in the AF for 6 yrs.

Galo

 

[st0rmin]

Or does anyone know ANYTHING about FST's? Have you ever met someone on an FST?
I'm just really curious ans can't seem to find much information.

Well kiddo, first you have to get into medical school...... the rest sort of works itself out.

 

[RichL025]

Or does anyone know ANYTHING about FST's? Have you ever met someone on an FST?
I'm just really curious ans can't seem to find much information.

Have you learned how to do literature searches yet? There are several articles in the last 2-3 years in Military Medicine about FSTs in Afghanistan & Iraq, and the problems with FSTs being used in incorrect roles.

And contrary to what Galo has said, FSTs are usually filled with more experienced surgeons. One surgeon (who's GS / Surg Onc) explained to me that it's because of the higher level of problem-solving skills needed dealing with a (potentially) large number of hurt people with minimal equipment & backup.

Edit to add: Usually filled w/ more experiened surgeons, but of course, the military in general is famous for tossing people into roles above their level of experience, and hoping they'll grow fast....

 

[Galo]

Have you learned how to do literature searches yet? There are several articles in the last 2-3 years in Military Medicine about FSTs in Afghanistan & Iraq, and the problems with FSTs being used in incorrect roles.

And contrary to what Galo has said, FSTs are usually filled with more experienced surgeons. One surgeon (who's GS / Surg Onc) explained to me that it's because of the higher level of problem-solving skills needed dealing with a (potentially) large number of hurt people with minimal equipment & backup.

Edit to add: Usually filled w/ more experiened surgeons, but of course, the military in general is famous for tossing people into roles above their level of experience, and hoping they'll grow fast....

Rich, this one is one you should not dispute me on, as I know who was deployed personally, and have talked to both AF, and Army surgeons. If you are deployed, you are there period, and you will be at an FST. The last army guy I talked to did not even have credentials before they shipped him off to Iraq. I acknowledge your edit, and it is true they toss people in whether they are ready or not, whether they are AD, or Reserve.

 

[RichL025]

Rich, this one is one you should not dispute me on, as I know who was deployed personally, and have talked to both AF, and Army surgeons. If you are deployed, you are there period, and you will be at an FST. The last army guy I talked to did not even have credentials before they shipped him off to Iraq. I acknowledge your edit, and it is true they toss people in whether they are ready or not, whether they are AD, or Reserve.

Galo,

the only thing I will dispute is what in design they are manning the FSTs with. I added the edit to make it clear that, in the military, there is frequently a wide gulf between theory & practice. In theory, though - only experiened surgeons are supposed to go to FSTs, there are plenty of CSH billets for less experienced surgeons.

 

[Galo]

Galo,

the only thing I will dispute is what in design they are manning the FSTs with. I added the edit to make it clear that, in the military, there is frequently a wide gulf between theory & practice. In theory, though - only experiened surgeons are supposed to go to FSTs, there are plenty of CSH billets for less experienced surgeons.

I agree with you. There is a wide gulf between theory and practice. This is one of the fundamental problems in military medicine. That gulf has continued to widen to the point that its insurmountable. Hence alot of the problems that we see in trying to provide care. Example: after PCO, primary care optimization, which USAFDoc can tell you was a complete waste of time, effort, money, probably lifes, the leadership said it was time to then have SCO, subspecialty care optimization. I know that is not the correct name and acronym, but there was this movement, at least in the AF. They sent people from the Surgeon General's office to tell us how they were going to hire new staff, nursing, OR techs, ortho techs, etc. It took up two whole days of small meetings where we hashed it out as best we could trying to explain how additional staff was unavailable, and support was non-existent. These people left dissapointed, frustrated, but still promising there was a fix. It never happened. Things only got worse. So you're right, they often have good intentions, or at least good names for those intentions, although more than not, in my AF experience, they have the complete opposite effect, and the leadership still manipulates data to show how well it woked. This hypocracy and poor leadership is why I keep yelling there is a sharp decline in military medicine.

At least we are beginning to agree on some things.