Photo By Keisha Frith | Col. John Osborn, staff physician and instructor, guides members of the healthcare...... read more read more
FORT BRAGG, NC— Womack Army Medical Center (WAMC) is revolutionizing trauma resuscitation with the launch of the Trauma Evaluation and Management (TEAM) course, marking a first for the Fort Bragg Medical Treatment Facility. The inaugural course trained 17 participants from across the healthcare team.
Developed by the American College of Surgeons, the same body that sponsors the physician-focused Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) course, TEAM bridges a critical training gap. Whereas ATLS is intended exclusively for providers, TEAM training welcomes participants from across the entire healthcare team, regardless of role—such as icensed practical nurses, X-ray technicians, pharmacy technicians, 68W (combat medics), and 68D (operating room specialists)—ensuring that all team members can integrate effectively with emergency physicians and surgeons.
"While providers have the ATLS training, it's far better if the whole team understands the same mindset and where the provider is coming from," explained Col. John Osborn, staff physician and instructor. "It's helping to broaden our medical response capability."
Attendees recognize the immediate value of this unified approach.
"The TEAM course is designed to mirror the ATLS course our providers attend," explained Staff Sgt. Anthony Barski, participant. "When everyone on the team has the same foundational training, everyone can anticipate the next step in the algorithm.”
This shared curriculum enables every team member to comprehend and respond to the same protocols utilized by providers. Consequently, when a critically injured patient arrives, all personnel, regardless of rank or title, operate from an identical tactical framework.
"In trauma resuscitation, you have many people with different skill levels," said Col. Rita Kostecke, a staff physician and instructor. "Training medics on how we perform trauma resuscitation makes them more value-added members of the team."
The program also honors the historical roots of military trauma medicine, which often began in austere environments with a footprint of just one provider and one medic.
"This hearkens back to the original concept of ATLS: training providers in remote places to care for trauma patients so they could survive,” Kostecke added. “This course shows medics that just because surgeons or other advanced providers get involved, it doesn't mean they aren't vital. They fit perfectly into that dynamic."
By establishing this shared mental model between ATLS-trained physicians and their support staff, WAMC is building a more robust, and capable medical force ready for any environment. Womack plans to do the next iteration this fall.
| Date Taken: | 06.24.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 06.24.2026 16:29 |
| Story ID: | 568507 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 298 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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