Expedition & Wilderness Medicine is pleased to announce the launch of the much- requested Dive & Marine CME accredited wilderness medical training course on the Great Barrier Reef
Topics covered will include pre-expedition medicals, diving-related illness, marine envenomation, emergency treatments and casevac plans. Practical sessions include boat handling, search and rescue and underwater communications. We will aim for at least 2 dives a day, including a night dive. At the end of the week, participants should feel confident to act as medical officer on a diving expedition, or in any diving medical practice
Diving & Marine Medicine participants will arrive in the Gladstone area and transfer to the Eastern Voyager on a Sunday morning. It is advisable to fly into the region on the Saturday if possible to get over jet lag before starting the course. You’ll then meet the rest of your group, with whom you’ll be living and diving over the following week. One of the challenges of expedition life is living in close quarters in a group, with people who you would not naturally choose as companions…so please bring a positive attitude and a sense of humour!
As our CME accredited Diving and Marine Medicine course in the Maldives hoves into view in October Dr Rob Conway, founder of award winning marine conservation charity Blue Ventures, looks at Malaria and its risks to diving.
An increasing number of us are heading to more remote areas to discover that dream dive, which means that you may be exposed to an increasing number of diseases.
Malaria is common and caused by the parasite Plasmodium. There are several different types that effect humans, most commonly Plasmodium falciparum. The others are less common and cause a milder form of the disease that is rarely fatal.
Malaria is transmitted by female mosquitos (Anopheles sp) that bite from dusk. Males feed on plant nectar and so do not transmit malaria. They transmit the parasite whilst feeding on your blood. These migrate to the liver and over 7 to 30 days multiply before bursting and infecting red blood cells in waves. Therefore an infected individual may feel waves of fever that are characteristic of the disease. Other symptoms include severe headache, shivering, arthralgia (joint pain) and vomiting all of which may be confused with a diving related illness. Signs include enlarging of the spleen and anaemia. In severe cases there is blood in the urine, renal failure, seizures, coma and death.
If you are heading to an endemic area be smart. Avoid getting bitten by using a suitable repellant, wear long sleeves and trousers from dusk and sleep under a net. Take an anti-malarial medication for the correct amount of time. The most common drugs include mefloquine (Lariam), doxycycline (an antibiotic) and a combination of atovaquone and proguanil (Malarone). There is no evidence that any of these are contraindicated in SCUBA, but efloquine is not universally accepted by all doctors and there is little data on Malarone at depth. Each has its own benefits and pitfalls. Some require you to take them for a period of time before and after a trip, remember, the parasites life cycle can be over a month. Consult a physician before departing.
If you suspect malaria, seek medical treatment immediately. Look for flu like symptoms from 7 days after entering a malarial area. Work along the lines of it is malaria until proven otherwise. I evacuated someone from Madagascar on a diving expedition with convulsions, I had no idea at the time of the cause, it turned out to be malaria. If you are going remote then there is a rapid test available (ICT kit) and take a stand by emergency treatment with you such as artemether-lumefantrine (Coartem) or quinine plus doxycycline.
Previously Expedition Medicine had run it’s Diving and Marine Medicine course in the Bander Khayran area of the Oman coast but decided to change location to guarantee great diving to the Maldives. So, in October of this year an eclectic band of medics from literally all over the world joined Diving Medic Dr Lesley Thomson – who has treated divers at the Plymouth and Aberdeen Hyperbaric Units, Dr Robert Conway founder of award winning marine conservation charity Blue Ventures, Dr Mark Read a marine biologist and Head of the endangered species unit of the Great Barrier Reef National Park and Mark Hannaford veteran of over 25 years of adventure travel and expeditions to all of the worlds continents aboard the dive boat Ari Queen for a week amongst the coral atolls of the Maldives.
The diving standard was set by our first ‘proper’ dive after our initial check dive when we dived at a Manta Ray feeding station. I don’t think any of us were really prepared for the spectacle surrounding us. Diving down to about 25 metres we positioned ourselves below the reef edge and it wasn’t long before a mass of manta rays, both fully grown adults and juveniles, were looming out of the slightly murky water and gracefully glided over our heads. This really set the standard for the diving on the course, which reached a pinnacle on the last dive where a mass a over 10 Grey Sharks were spotted amongst huge flight of Eagle Rays, White tipped Reef Sharks, a giant Napoleon Wrasse and the most relaxed Hawksbill Turtle that any of us had ever dived with, calmly grazing next to us as we admired the gallery of marine life whilst a territorial Titan Trigger Fish took a fancy to our dive guide!
The teaching side of the course maintained equally high standards, with a range of specific diving medicine related topics covered, including decompression sickness and diving physiology. The team also drew upon Lesley’s experiences as a medical officer and diving medic for the British Antarctic Survey, Rob’s years of marine conservation work in Madagascar, Mark Read’s encyclopaedic knowledge of the underwater world and Mark Hannaford’s quarter century of experience of running expeditions and adventure travel.
If you are getting the impression that it was a pretty action-packed course you would be right - some days lecturing did not finish until 10pm! - but it was also hugely enjoyable! The enormous wealth of experience amongst the delegates meant that their input and knowledge added a great deal to the overall leaning. In terms of meeting like-minded people it was a great opportunity to establish some great networks and share contacts.
The Diving and Marine Medicine course in the Maldives is accredited by the Wildness Medical Society for CME points and also counts towards gaining a Fellowship of the Wilderness Medicine (FAWN). A full list of the topics covered can be found on the Diving Medicine course page of the Expedition Medicine website.
Dates for next year’s course are to be confirmed exactly but will be mid-October 2011 – send us an email here admin@expeditionmedicine.co.uk to preregister your interest.
Dr Leslie Thomson Course Director of the Diving and Marine Medicine course talks about her hyperbaric experience and diving in Antarctica
Dive Medicine expert and founder of award winning Blue Ventures marine conservation charity Dr Rob Conway explains why he likes the course so much.
Dr Mark Read of the Great Barrier National Park talks about what he gets out of the Diving Medicine course.
Dr Klassje Doorenbosch, a GP from Perth, Australia, a delegate on the Dive Medicine course gives her feedback.
Expedition Medicines recent Diving and Marine Medicine course in the Maldives was judged by all to be a outstanding success – even this grazing Hawksbill Turtle seemed to get something out of it!
Specifically aimed at Tour Medics and medical professionals accompanying groups/tours outside of the UK.
This product has been developed in conjunction with specialist industry brokers, Campbell Irvine and is open to all UK-resident medically-qualified professionals.
It is designed to work alongside your current UK medical malpractice cover and is competitively priced to reflect this.
Cover provides worldwide territorial limits and has a worldwide excluding North America legal jurisdiction as standard. Cover will not operate for UK risks, as these will be covered by your existing policy. The policy is underwritten by recognised Medical Malpractice Insurers.
Quotations are very quick and easy to obtain. Further information and application forms are available from Alan Pattison at Campbell Irvine on 020 7937 6981 or alan@campbellirvine.com
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The latest foreign course to gain accreditation through the WMS and the ACCME is the Diving and Marine Medicine Course, which this year will be in the Maldives. So not only do you get to have a fantastic, educational and exciting adventure but you also gain 20.25 CME points as well. There are only 2 places left so if this interests you, please drop us a line soon
Diving and Marine Medicine Training Course – Indian Ocean
3 – 9 OCTOBER 2010 ABOARD THE LIVEABOARD MV ARI QUEEN, THE MALDIVES
Expedition Medicine are very excited at being able to offer an inspirational course for all those medical professionals responsible for clients or expedition team members in a diving or marine environment.
This is a 6 day course, aiming to give participants an understanding of conditions likely to occur whilst working as a doctor on a diving expedition. Topics covered will include pre-expedition medicals, diving-related illness, marine envenomation, emergency treatments and casevac plans. Practical sessions include boat handling, search & rescue and underwater communications. There will be at least 2 dives a day, including a night dive and hopefully a visit to the hyperbaric chamber on Kuramathi Island – the largest facility in the Maldives. At the end of the week, participants should feel confident to act as medical officer on a diving expedition, or in any UK diving medical practice. Read the ‘What to Expect’ section below to get more of an idea of what the course entails.
MINIMUM COURSE REQUIREMENTS
All participants are expected to at least have a PADI Open Water qualification (or equivalent) with a minimum of 10 dives. Ideally participants should have PADI Advance Open Water qualification (or equivalent) as we will be doing some current diving. Conditions are dependent on dive sites, currents and times of year. If your qualification is not recent we recommend you complete at least 2 or 3 refresher dives before the course so that you get the most out of the fantastic diving the Maldives offers.
If the group is mixed, the dives will be split into 2 groups, so that each group is diving to its own ability. PARTICIPANTS MUST BRING WITH THEM THEIR DIVE QUALIFICATION CERTIFICATES AND LOG BOOKS AS PROOF OF DIVING QUALIFICATIONS.
The Diving And Marine Medicine Course is accredited for FAWM points but we are waiting for confirmation of these as the Diving medicine course has moved to a new location.
This is a free training seminar, limited to 25 places, for people involved in filming or media projects abroad in locations where medical cover is not close at hand. It will highlight the biggest risks and you will learn how to administer immediate care and the importance of including the medical provision in your planning.
Anyone who is part of a media crew or production company working on location abroad in remote environments or who is filming and photographing adventurous activities.
Interested? Then contact Piers Carter on Piers@expeditionmedicine.co.uk or 07801 104604
All of Expedition and Wilderness Medicine Courses are approved for credit by the Wilderness Medical Society (WMS) for the Academy of Wilderness Medicine Fellowship Program (FAWM). For more information visit: www.wms.org The Wilderness Medical Society has entered a partnership with Expedition and Wilderness Medicine to offer you an opportunity to earn credits towards the WMS Academy of Wilderness Medicine Fellowship program (FAWM).
This is an exciting postgraduate qualification in Expedition and Wilderness Medicine which is likely to become the gold standard in this field.
What is the FAWM?
The Fellowship in the Academy of Wilderness Medicine is designed for individuals who want to be acknowledged for their professional achievement in Wilderness Medicine, and wish to validate their training for their patients, and clients. This initiative between Expedition and Wilderness Medicine and WMS offers a means to identify those who have achieved a demanding set of requirements. Society members enrol in the Academy and, by completing Expedition and Wilderness Medicine courses, receive credit for specific, identifiable experience, accumulating credit toward becoming a Fellow.
Any current member of the Wilderness Medical Society who successfully completes the requirements will have the distinction of being a registered member of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine and entitled to use the designation Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine (FAWM) and may reference it on resumes, business cards, and advertisements. The Academy maintains a demanding set of requirements that validates each member’s qualifications in wilderness medicine. C
andidates for the Academy participate in Expedition and Wilderness Medicine Courses and receive credit for the topics covered. When candidates fulfil the requirements of the Core Curriculum and demonstrate other required experience in Wilderness Medicine, they qualify to be reviewed to become members of the Academy with the designation “Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine.”
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