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Video by Hugh Fleming

Tripler Army Medical Center residents prepare for deployed environment during Trauma Capstone

Tripler Army Medical Center

May 28, 2025 | 2:51

Tripler Army Medical Center Graduate Medical Education residents participated in a four-day capstone exercise event designed to expose them to providing medical care in a deployed environment. Thirty-five graduating resident physicians participated this month this year’s Trauma Capstone held at the Medical Simulation Training Center, Schofield Barracks.

The four-day exercise, undergone by graduating resident physicians, tests various tactical and medical skills in a simulated combat environment, ultimately providing graduates with valuable hands-on experience in a field setting to prepare them for operations in austere environments.

“The GME Trauma Capstone was developed to emphasize Tactical Combat Casualty Care, TC3 principles to graduating residents before their first duty stations,” said Maj. Zachary McRae, Family Medicine Physician. “The capstone helps residents understand Military physicians have dual roles; providing medical care in non-combat environments and caring for soldiers in combat or austere environments with limited resources.”

The capstone event includes realistic immersive training scenarios, such as realistic simulated combat injuries allowing participants to practice their skills in a high-stress environment. The participants learn by doing, working through various trauma scenarios that mirror real-world situations. This type of training emphasizes clear and effective communication between different medical professionals, including medics, surgeons, and other healthcare providers.

“The goal of the GME Capstone is to prepare medical providers for deployment and combat readiness as they transition to their units, including force comm,” said Staff Sgt. Robert Fulcher, trauma capstone NCOIC.

U.S. Army Capt. Ceyda Sablak, a pediatrics resident, said that the exercise is beneficial for understanding the work of medics and paramedics as well as improving collaboration between physicians and field teams.

“This type of training fosters camaraderie, enhances teamwork and provides hands-on skills for real-life scenarios. The training is a valuable opportunity for building skills, teamwork, and understanding the needs of medics, which will aid her in her role as a pediatric physician and field surgeon” Sablak said.

Tripler supports 264,000 active duty and retired military personnel, their families, and veteran beneficiaries. In addition, the referral population includes 171,000 military – personnel, family members, veteran beneficiaries, residents of nine U.S. affiliated jurisdictions and forward-deployed forces in more than 40 countries throughout the Pacific.