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Medical practice on the front line: separating the myths from the reality
Author(s) -
Smart Tracy L
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2003.tb05707.x
Subject(s) - thriving , officer , medical library , mythology , front line , citation , surgeon general , praise , operations research , library science , medicine , history , psychology , law , art , political science , computer science , classics , engineering , nursing , public health , literature , psychotherapist
The Medical Journal of Australia ISSN: 0025-729X 1/15 December 2003 179 11 587-590 ©The Medical Journal of Australia 2003 www.mja.com.au Frontline Medicine MEDICAL OFFICERS (MOS) employed by the Armed Services are, in a sense, both doctors and warriors. The concept of being both a doctor and a warrior is quite difficult for many to grasp. How can someone who has elected to dedicate his or her life to healing be part of an organisation that may enter into armed conflict? How can healing and harming go hand in hand? Nevertheless, they do. The idea of sending MOs to war is not new, as where there is war there is medical work to be done. Indeed, thousands of MOs around the world have shown a willingness to put their own needs aside to achieve a greater good. Furthermore, many advances in medical science that can benefit us all (eg, transfusion, ambulance services, and various surgical techniques) were first realised or developed in the theatre of war. MOs have played a vital role in Australia’s military history. Many have been decorated for their bravery and medical work on the front line, including Major General Sir Neville Howse in the Boer War (awarded Australia’s first Victoria Cross), Sir Edward “Weary” Dunlop in WWII, and, more recently, Captain Carol Vaughan-Evans, who was awarded the Medal of Gallantry for working during a massacre at Kibeho refugee camp in Rwanda in 1995. Others have made the ultimate sacrifice, dying in the service of their country — among them a personal hero of mine, Lieutenant (Dr) George Merz (who was killed by hostile Arabs in 1915, after working tirelessly as both an MO and pilot on many dangerous missions in WWI) and Major Susan Felsche (who died in a plane crash in 1993 while serving with the United Nations [UN] mission in the Western Sahara). Australian MOs continue to serve in wars, peacekeeping missions and humanitarian activities. Since the September 11 attacks on the United States, they have been busier than ever, providing medical support to the Coalition Against Terrorism in Afghanistan, triage and aeromedical evacuation in the wake of the Bali bombings, and a range of medical services in the war against Iraq and the subsequent mission to rebuild Iraq’s infrastructure. Most recently, our medical personnel were again at the front line, supporting the Regional Assistance Mission in the Solomon Islands and providing humanitarian assistance to the people of that country. These awards and activities are high-profile aspects of what it is to be a military MO in the Australian Defence Force (ADF). But there is much more to the job. Here, I will try to separate the myths from the reality of what it really means to be a military MO in Australia. I will outline what is expected of us at home and on operations, draw a picture of the many and varied experiences of service life and try to explain how the inevitable problems that can develop are dealt with.