Health.mil (04/06/23) Goodman, Terry

The U.S. Military Health System and Defense Health Agency's (DHA) Combat Casualty Care Course (C4) is designed to prepare military medical officers for DHA hospitals and dental clinics, and to perform life-saving procedures in combat and mass casualty events. U.S. Air Force Major and physician's assistant Simon Domenech said C4 "puts individuals in a position in which they are not comfortable and that's where growth begins, particularly for those with less experience in those [combat] environments." Participants are immersed in simulations of mission-oriented medical situations like village stability operations, mass casualty events, urban terrain operations and virtual field hospitals. Combat scenarios are also modeled to assess leadership skills under various conditions while planning and conducting medical missions. C4 instructor/U.S. Army Sergeant Shawn Collins said interns or residents with no prior pre-hospital care experience constitute 90% of the program's learners. Those completing the course receive National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians Tactical Combat Casualty Care Certification in their proper professional level, whether Advanced Trauma Life Support, Trauma Nurse Core Course or Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support.

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