"Warriorization" of military health care during the global war on terror: Are there unintended consequences for civil-military relations?

As the “doctor draft” era of medical professional conscription (1950-1973) recedes from our collective national consciousness, today's entering cohort of military healthcare professionals is increasingly unreflective of its civilian peers: educationally and demographically. This trend is compounded by the efforts of the military services to inculcate a “warrior ethos” within their respective medical communities. This trend towards the “warrior” acculturation of the military medical community has increased precipitously since the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01. Over the last seven years, a number of military policy initiatives have sought to bring uniformed medical professionals into closer alignment with the larger “warfighter” community. While these efforts are ostensibly designed to strengthen the bonds between provider and patient, some contend that they have redefined the role of military medical professionals into an extension of the traditional, military command hierarchy. Several of these efforts, most notably the “Warrior Transition Brigade” at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, have received national acclaim without the programmatic evaluation needed to assess their impact on patient care. Some observers believe that these initiatives have minimized the traditional role of uniformed healthcare professionals as quasi-independent, patient advocates, culturally and institutionally insulated from overt command influence. As military medical professionals become an increasingly insular and self-selecting population, an examination of the role they play - both at home and abroad – is overdue.