UND Today (07/07/26) Schill, Brian James

The University of North Dakota (UND) School of Medicine & Health Sciences' Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma (ASSET) course helps rural North Dakota surgeons maintain critical trauma-care skills for emergency situations when patients cannot be transferred quickly to larger medical centers. Led by Ben Axtman, MD, and supported by UND, Sanford Health, and the Trauma Foundation, the continuing medical education course provides hands-on training in complex, infrequently performed emergency procedures that may be required when time, weather, or distance prevent access to specialized trauma care. The ASSET program reflects UND's longstanding focus on rural healthcare and addresses the challenges of provider shortages and geographic disparities in surgical services across the state. Participants, including rural surgeons and surgical residents, use the training to refresh skills, improve confidence in high-risk cases, and better stabilize patients until they can be transported for advanced care. Organizers hope to expand the program's reach, particularly among surgeons in the western part of the state.

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