Surgeons need to know that clinical readiness among personnel in deployed field hospitals shows significant gaps, particularly affecting surgical outcomes.

• Only 8% of enlisted personnel held full-time clinical roles, impacting their preparedness for patient care.
• 69% of respondents felt more pre-deployment training could have prevented clinical errors.

Surgeons should advocate for enhanced training and clinical opportunities for enlisted staff to improve surgical care quality.

• Officers reported feeling more prepared (75%) compared to enlisted personnel (50%), highlighting the disparity in experience.