USU Medical Students Forge Officer and Provider Roles in Global Rotations

Uniformed Services University medical students deploy globally to master combat casualty care and build military readiness.

Soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division treat a simulated casualty during a nighttime field training exercise at Fort Liberty. (Courtesy photo)

July 28, 2026 by Zachary Willis

For 52 Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) Family Medicine students, the 2025–2026 academic year meant preparing for more than traditional clinical practice. Their education and training challenged them to deliver high-quality care in the unique, often unpredictable environments of military medicine—from established medical facilities to austere and operational settings.

These future physicians were embedded at 18 distinct military sites across the globe, executing immersive Family Medicine operational and deployed rotations. Spanning from the maritime environment of the USS Boxer in San Diego to the Supreme Allied Headquarters in Belgium, this capstone experience bridges the gap between academic theory and the uncompromising realities of military readiness.

As the Department of War prepares for the potential of large-scale combat operations, the need for highly capable medical officers is paramount. The 2025-26 Family Medicine cohort included 21 students on rotation stationed at 10 continental United States locations, with an additional 31 students deployed throughout the year across eight international sites.

The assignments reflect a joint force environment, integrating students into critical military units. This includes the Naval Special Warfare Center, where nine students on rotation trained alongside peers at Coast Guard Station San Diego and various Air Force and Army installations.

The diversity of these assignments is intentionally designed to match the varied demands military medicine presents around the world. For instance, Family Medicine students stationed in Korea and Naval Hospital Guam engage in comprehensive rotations, demanding a broad mastery of complex military medical scenarios.

Meanwhile, students at Aviano Air Base in Italy focus on sports and ambulatory care, reflecting the high physical demands and musculoskeletal wear-and-tear inherent to the tactical athlete.

Other vital training locations include Hurlburt Field, the 11th Medical Group at Andrews Air Force Base, the 96th Medical Group at Eglin Air Force Base, and Naval Hospital Beaufort.

A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter comes in for a simulated medical evacuation during the field training exercise. (Courtesy photo)

Two Roles, One Mission

For many of these students, the rotations represent a profound synthesis of both roles. They are required to seamlessly transition between the roles of a compassionate healthcare provider and a strategically minded military officer. Both jobs run at once.

This structural approach to force development is a foundational element of the USU pipeline, guaranteeing that student training translates directly into real-world combat effectiveness.

U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Raymond Muyanja, a Class of 2026 medical student, recently balanced both roles during a Family Medicine Ambulatory rotation with the 48th Medical Group at RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom. Splitting his duty days between the active-duty Warrior Clinic and the Flight Medicine Clinic, Muyanja gained critical hands-on experience in a high-tempo operational setting.

Working under direct observation, he tackled a wide range of primary care concerns, translating foundational medical knowledge into keeping service members healthy and deployable. "I typically saw 5-7 patients per day, presenting each case to the attending, developing differential diagnoses and management plans, and documenting the encounters," Muyanja said. "I regularly received feedback on my physical exam skills and clinical presentations."

Beyond routine clinical care, he performed minor surgical procedures and participated in a five-hour extravehicular activity training flight over the United Kingdom. He also observed Medical Evaluation Board reviews, an administrative process where providers determine an airman's fitness for duty when facing complex conditions such as traumatic brain injury.

By understanding these systemic processes, Muyanja is better prepared to support the broader, long-term health and readiness of the military force. The lessons compound.

U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Raymond Muyanja (pictured center) monitors an intravenous line during a simulated in-flight medical evacuation. (Courtesy photo)

From Point of Injury to Definitive Care

Stateside, the training assumes an equally intense, ground-level focus. U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Megan G. Monroe, Class of 2027, tackled a Family Medicine Operational Medicine Selective with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Liberty.

Her rotation offered a clear view of combat casualty care, moving far beyond the sterile confines of a standard classroom. Invited to observe a comprehensive field training exercise, Monroe witnessed the full spectrum of battlefield medicine in real-time. "I watched the entire sequence from the point of injury all the way to Role 4," Monroe noted, referring to the military's tiered system of escalating medical care.

Immersed in the austere environment, she observed foundational frontline care being executed inside a designated medical tent and witnessed the vital execution of helicopter medical evacuations.

To fully grasp the immense stressors and environmental challenges faced by the paratroopers she may soon treat, an attending physician brought her to the weapons range alongside the unit. This exposure is a calculated component of the USU pipeline, designed to cultivate an intuitive understanding of the warfighter's daily sacrifices. Readiness looks different up close.

By thrusting medical students out of their comfort zones and into the operational force, the Family Medicine rotations serve as a quiet driving force behind military medical readiness. Whether managing patient care on the flightline, evaluating combat fitness, or observing trauma response in the dirt, these students are proving their merit.

They return to the university as capable officers as well as medical students, ready to lead in the complex environments of future global missions.