Emerging Trends in the Prevalence of Military Medicine Interest Groups and Specialty Tracks at U.S. Medical Schools.

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  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Oxford University Press Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 2984771R Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1930-613X (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00264075 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Mil Med Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Publication: 2018- : Oxford : Oxford University Press
      Original Publication: Washington, D.C. : Association of Military Surgeons, United States, 1955-
    • Subject Terms:
      Schools, Medical*/statistics & numerical data ; Schools, Medical*/organization & administration ; Schools, Medical*/trends ; Military Medicine*/education ; Military Medicine*/trends ; Military Medicine*/methods ; Military Medicine*/statistics & numerical data; Humans ; United States ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Prevalence ; Career Choice ; Students, Medical/statistics & numerical data ; Students, Medical/psychology
    • Abstract:
      Introduction: A challenge confronting health care is the national physician shortage, notably impacting the DoD's recruitment of military physicians. To address this, the Health Professions Scholarship Program is annually awarded to medical students to facilitate their transition into the U.S. Armed Forces. There is a glaring absence of military medical education in civilian schools to accommodate the unique interests of these students. While medical schools have adapted with interest groups and specialty tracks, the current presence of military medicine interest groups (MMIGs) and military medicine specialty tracks (MMSTs) remains under-explored. This study aimed to (1) update the prevalence of MMIGs in U.S. medical institutions, (2) identify the presence of MMSTs, and (3) compare military medicine involvement between allopathic and osteopathic programs.
      Methods: The study was approved for exempt status from the Kansas City University Institutional Review Board (study number 20,211,568-1). In a cross-sectional analysis, surveys were sent to 208 U.S. medical schools, with responses from student services or available public data from 200 institutions included in the final analysis. A secondary survey was sent to respondents who provided MMIG or MMST contacts.
      Results: Results indicated that 62% (n = 124/200) of schools currently have an established MMIG, a modest growth from 56% (n = 70/125) in 2015 (p = .14). MMST prevalence, however, is minimal at 2.5% (5/200). Osteopathic institutions demonstrated a significantly greater engagement in military medicine education (88.7%) compared to allopathic schools (52.4%) (p < .001).
      Conclusion: This research underscores the need for comprehensive military medical training in medical schools to meet the interests and career aspirations of their students. Future studies should also evaluate the efficacy of MMIGs and MMSTs in preparing students for military medical roles.
      (© The Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2024. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact [email protected] for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site–for further information please contact [email protected].)
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20240523 Date Completed: 20241105 Latest Revision: 20241105
    • Publication Date:
      20241106
    • Accession Number:
      10.1093/milmed/usae250
    • Accession Number:
      38781009