Our Achilles heel

In spite of major improvements in the quality of the medical care given by the Military Medical Services, there exists an area which has been neglected. The practice of assigning young unseasoned physicians to small health facilities, which are often isolated, has led to a situation which places the high quality of military medical care in jeopardy. Recognition of the problem is long overdue and threatens to undermine patient care in the military system. Probably the most difficult hurdle will be to developing an awareness of this problem and, once this is overcome, there are several simple steps which could quickly be instituted to correct the situation.