ANONYMOUS ONLINE SURVEY OF FLIGHT SURGEON PRIMARY COURSE GRADUATES AND LINE COMMANDERS: EVALUATION OF SATISFACTION WITH CURRENT FLIGHT SURGEON TRAINING

ANONYMOUS ONLINE SURVEY OF FLIGHT SURGEON PRIMARY COURSE GRADUATES AND LINE COMMANDERS: EVALUATION OF SATISFACTION WITH CURRENT FLIGHT SURGEON TRAINING


USAARL 2011-15

NICOLE POWELL-DUNFORD, AMANDA KELLEY


THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE SATISFACTION WITH FLIGHT SURGEON TRAINING, GAIN INSIGHT INTO COMMANDERS’ AWARENESS OF THE RESIDENT IN AEROSPACE MEDICINE (RAM) ABILITIES/TRAINING, AND IDENTIFY WEAKNESS IN FLIGHT SURGEONS FROM THE LINE COMMANDER PERSPECTIVE. A TOTAL OF 76 RESPONDENTS COMPLETED THE FLIGHT SURGEON COURSE GRADUATES SURVEY ON-LINE AND 27 COMPLETED THE LINE COMMANDER SURVEY ON-LINE. THE RESULTS AFFIRMED A HIGH LEVEL OF OVERALL SATISFACTION WITH AEROMEDICAL PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS AND FLIGHT SURGEONS, HOWEVER, A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT ISSUES EMERGED SUCH AS MILITARY PROFESSIONALISM, BASIC AVIATION KNOWLEDGE, AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS. ALSO, A NUMBER OF DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN THE PERCEIVED LEVEL OF PROFICIENCY BY THE LINE COMMANDERS TO THE SELF-PERCEPTIONS OF THE FLIGHT SURGEONS WERE DISCOVERED INCLUDING PERCEPTION OF THE EXTENT TO WHICH FLIGHT SURGEONS TRY TO KEEP PILOTS FLYING.