The challenge of military surgical education

Now that field hospitals and rescue stations have been provided with state-of-the-art equipment, it is important to tailor the medical qualifications of military surgeons to the specific requirements of missions outside Germany. The objective of this article is to provide guidelines for a new training model. Einsatzchirurgie is defined as surgical treatment provided under restricted conditions in an unfamiliar environment. Its purpose is, first and foremost, to provide emergency treatment. The spectrum of Einsatzchirurgie, however, also encompasses maximum medical treatment on a case-by-case basis and emergency surgical treatment in a mass casualty situation. Training, for example, may consist of a 6-year basic training course in surgery followed by specialist training in abdominal surgery, traumatology, and courses in further disciplines--e.g., urology, gynecology, or neurosurgery. In addition to the qualifications required by the Landesärztekammem (professional organizations of German physicians at the federal countries level), military surgeons who are to become senior medical officers should also be qualified to provide immediate non-surgical emergency care. In these times, the education of military surgeons remains a great challenge. Motivation to work as a surgeon in the armed forces with multiple deployments during the career requires enthusiasm and professionalism. The attractiveness of the training institution and the home hospital is key for successful work as a military surgeon.