Top Things I Wish I Knew Before Deployment

In this episode of Front Line Surgery: Mastering Military Trauma Care, hosts Drs. Joshua Dilday and Matt Eckert are joined by COL Jennifer Gurney, MD, and Dr. Jason R. Bingham, MD to explore the essential lessons every surgeon wishes they knew before their first deployment. The discussion highlights the critical importance of preparation, team dynamics, humility, and communication in the high-stakes environment of combat casualty care. Through realistic deployment scenarios, the panel reflects on challenges faced by early-career surgeons: meeting teams for the first time downrange, handling mass casualty events within hours of arrival, and adapting to austere, resource-limited environments.Literature Mentioned:Top Knife: The Art and Craft of Trauma SurgeryEmergency War SurgeryJTS GuidelinesKeywords: Military deployment preparation, team dynamics, combat casualty care, trauma surgery readiness, communication in military medicine, humility in leadership, soft skills for surgeons, operational challenges, surgical mentorship, resource-limited trauma care