Paradigms for Soft Skills Enhancement in Military Healthcare

Military physicians, whether in active combat zones, military hospitals, or field clinics, require a unique combination of technical and medical knowledge, as well as strong interpersonal skills, to respond to the diverse health concerns of military personnel, civilian patients, veterans, and their families. These interpersonal and cognitive skills, known as soft skills, enable military physicians to cope with complex and often high-pressure environments. This paper identifies the most in-demand soft skills in military healthcare by highlighting the existing skills gap in the field. The study presents the results of 74 individual, semi-standardized interviews with an additional questionnaire conducted with physicians from the Military Medical Academy – Sofia and its regional military hospitals in Varna, Sliven, Pleven, and Plovdiv. The results indicate that social competence and the specific soft skills shaping it arise as the most desired demand in military healthcare. Based on that, we propose a set of approaches that could enhance the requested soft skills during the education of the cadets in the specialty “Medical Support of the Armed Forces”. In general, the proposed measures can improve the training process, ensuring the development of a full-fledged workforce for the Military Medical Academy.