Competency Development for Military Missions in Foreign Countries A Pilot Study of Emergency Medicine Competency in the Military Setting

This pilot study examines the competencies of the participants of a 2 days simulation training for emergency physicians of the Federal Armed Forces. Self-assessment of competencies has been evaluated by means of questionnaires. In addition, the competencies shown during the training have been observed and evaluated. Before the training the participants rated their competencies significantly lower, when assuming the setting of a military mission instead of the seminar room setting. By observing the performance of isolated medical procedures during the training this could not be verified. Beyond the performance of isolated procedures the quality of the participants' global performance could be significantly enhanced by the training. The significant gain of competency of the participants' performance seems to justify the continuation of the high-stakes training. The domain of communication competence needs further optimization.