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Hello to all our readers,

Welcome to the latest edition of the EML newsletter which we hope you'll find useful and interesting.

We are very excited about our new Desert and Diving courses for 2008 along with our usual favourites, polar, jungle and UK all growing successfully.  We are also chuffed to bits as our UK EML Course has featured on the front page of the BMJ Careers. 

Happy reading.

Whats inside

Course news -what’s going on and where

We are very excited out our new Desert course next August and Diving medicine course next October, we envisage these courses to be very popular so if you are interested best to get your skates on. 

Polar Course - Norway 14th - 23rd February 2008.
LIMITED TO 30 PLACES
A winter extreme climate expedition medicine course for or anyone wanting to work in a polar, high altitude or arctic environment.  For further details click here.

EML UK Course - Keswick, Cumbria 17th - 20th March 2008.
LIMITED TO 60 PLACES
Held in the stunning Newlands Centre, Keswick this course is for anyone aspiring to become and expedition medic.  Read about the recent course in the BMJ for further details about the course click here.

NEW Desert Course - Namibia 15th - 21st August 2008
LIMITED TO 30 PLACES
Expedition Medicine is very excited at being able to offer a comprehensive course for all those medical professionals responsible for clients, patients or team members in a desert environment.  The course aims to introduce participants to the skills required to be a valuable member of a desert expeditionary team, and to care for and treat injuries and illnesses likely to occur in this harsh environment.    Set in the stunning Damaraland area in Namibai, for further details click here.

Jungle Course - Costa Rica - 9th - 15th November 2008. 
LIMITED TO 30 PLACES

Our jungle course is going strength to strength we are now running our 3rd course in Costa Rica.  Ideal for those interested in tropical and jungle medicine.  For further details click here.

NEW Diving Medicine- Oman 2008 - October dates TBC.  To register your interest, please email Luci.
 LIMITED TO 30 PLACES

For application forms or further details visit our website.

 

BMJ Front Cover for EML UK Course

We are delighted with the edition of BMJ Careers 18th August as an article by Dr Any Morris about the EML UK course was on the front cover.  Amy gave an honest account about the course which can be read here or below.

THE WAY I SEE IT - The call of the wild


Amy Morris describes a course with a difference
BMJ Careers imageAs a junior doctor or healthcare professional it is easy to catch the course bug. You compete with colleagues to attend every available course to get those valuable spaces on your CV filled. The Expedition Medicine and Leadership UK course was a course with a difference, however. Great for anyone interested in the outdoors and wanting a general overview of medicine and health in remote environments.

This year it was hosted at Newlands adventure centre in Keswick in the Lake District. The accommodation was in dormitories with bunk beds, meals were served in a canteen reminiscent of school dinners, and the lectures were in a communal room. Having said that, the food provided by the centre's staff was excellent, and there was a well stocked bar on site for the evenings in. The location was fantastic, tucked away in the middle of the mountains of the Lake District, giving those of us with a call to the wild the chance to experience it during the evenings and time off. Transport was not provided; some delegates decided to brave the M6 by car, and others chose to come by train and bus.
The course attracted about 60 attendees with a variety of backgrounds. It was open to anyone with a medical background, and although it was mainly doctors who attended there were also nurses and paramedics. Some people came with groups of friends, but there was also lots of individuals. Experience ranged from myself, a new foundation year 1 doctor with little medical or expedition experience, to longstanding paramedics with emergency and major incident training, to consultants and general practitioners. The course cost £595 plus VAT which included all food, the event manual, and accommodation.
The four days were filled with lectures, practical sessions, and demonstrations. There were also talks in the evening from medics with interesting stories to tell. The timing of the course was about two weeks after the Cumbrian rail incident and one of the BASICS doctors who coordinated the scene was able to attend to recount his experience of the event.
There was also a wealth of experience shared from the tutors and lectures including expeditions and how to evacuate casualties, altitude medicine, diving medicine, health in a hot environment, health in a cold environment, how to promote good communication, how to lead a team, and one of the lecture highlights—expedition dentistry. I learnt that as a qualified doctor you are also qualified to remove teeth, something I never knew and will hopefully never have to do.
The practical sessions ranged from those with a medical background such as fracture immobilisation and RTA rescue scenarios, to more generic skills such as basic rope handling and safety on steep ground. The culmination of the course was a morning simulation of a mountain rescue task with volunteers from the local mountain rescue team. Groups of nine people were sent out to rescue volunteers from one of the local mountains and bring them to a rendezvous point where the local air ambulance came to show us what they could offer and how casualties are loaded into a helicopter. The scenario also offered the opportunity to see how coordinating a rescue and the use of air evacuation can prove problematic and not always be the miracle saviour you had hoped for.

The evening lectures were there to inspire people about what will be available in future. For example, we had lectures from Dr Jim Milledge who has done a lot of research on altitude physiology and was part of the team that worked in the silver hut in the Himalayas with Edmund Hillary during the 1960-1 Everest expedition, when they also made the first assent of Puma Dablam (6400m); Dr Theo Weston, a Cumbrian general practitioner and BASICS doctor who, as already mentioned, helped to coordinate the medical management of the Cumbrian rail crash just a couple of weeks earlier; and Dr Sean Hudson, a Keswick general practitioner and expedition medic who regaled us with his tales of casualty evacuations and the troubles he encountered while on expeditions.
I would highly recommend the course for anyone who has an interest in the outdoors, mountaineering, climbing, trekking, and travelling and think it is a must for anyone who is thinking of working as an expedition medic. The possibilities and opportunities available are vast and the course also touches on what is available and where to take your new-found confidence and information. One of the participants is shortly off to Greenland on an expedition that was offered to him while attending the course.
Other courses are offered in other locations such as jungle medicine in Borneo, polar medicine in Norway, and desert medicine in Namibia, and this course has enthused me to think about attending some of these courses and the possibility of a career in expedition medicine. For more information, visit the expedition medicine website www.expeditionmedicine.co.uk for details of upcoming courses and jobs on offer.
[Amy paid to go on this course.]
Amy Morris, F1 doctor WestCumbriaHospital, Whitehaven, Cumbria

Dr Claire Roach writes about her time on the recent Borneo Jungle Medicine Course

I could barely pronounce Kota Kinabalu, let alone picture what it may be like.  The capital of Sabah in Malaysia was the starting point for the week of Expedition Medicine. From the plane all I could see in the darkness was jungle and winding rivers lit by the moonlight.  I was nervous at the thought of learning jungle medicine in image 02Borneo, home of the head hunter and many wild and exotic flora and fauna. I was travelling alone to meet 19 other medics at “The Hyatt” in Kota Kinabalu. This was the meeting point for the beginning of the course and was in stark contrast to what we were about to endure. The company I found myself in proved to be an education in itself   Most were single travellers with diverse professional and national backgrounds.  There was a Pharmacist from the CzechRepublic, a General Surgeon from the far north of Sweden, and Paramedics and various other medical professionals from all over the world.  They all had their own reasons for wishing to take part in this gruelling course which would involve sleeping in hammocks in the jungle for seven days, setting up camp and lighting fires in an environment of 35 degrees centigrade and 80-90% humidity. There were often torrential downpours lasting several hours resulting in rivers rising over 1.5m in 30 minutes causing flash floods directly adjacent to the camp.

image 04The aim of the course was to teach each person to be a capable expedition medic and able to assist an expedition leader in the jungle.  This involved learning how to care for groups of 20+ people who were first time visitors to this treacherous environment, together with the recognition and treatment of common jungle diseases, bites, stings and infestations. An expedition leader would also be required safely to evacuate a group or patient out of this type of environment in an emergency.  We learned the art of making a stretcher from two bamboo trunks and three t-shirts, crossing rivers 20m across and over a metre deep, at the same time keeping one’s rucksack containing food and bedding dry.  Other skills included making camp fires and choosing the best location in the jungle to set up camp for the night. The week was led by a team of six.  There were two general practitioners from the Lake District with years of expedition medicine experience, one ex-nurse turned field skills teacher now living in Borneo and a wildlife biologist from Queensland, Australia who specialised in the capture and research of crocodiles.  He was known for working closely with the late Steve Irwin. The two other team leaders were local trackers that led us through the jungle.  They proved to be an inspiration in survival skills with the capability of creating up a full blown kitchen and dining area out of bamboo, vines and stones in a matter of minutes. Armed with merely a perang, these descendants of past head hunters were completely self sufficient in the jungle.  They were able to find their way through areas of forest that the average person would get hopelessly lost in.  They taught us navigation skills within the jungle, and how to find an exit in the event of needing to evacuate and transport an injured party.

Over the week we undertook several jungle treks during which we learnt which natural substances could be used for various ailments. On each trek we reinforced the learning of navigation within the jungle. We had several lectures on common tropical illnesses, one of which was given by Dr Nagappan, a senior consultant in Tropical Medicine who had flown in from Tawau to give a very informative lecture on malaria.  We learnt about a fifth form of malaria, Plasmodium Knowslesi, a benign form, mostly seen in primates but also isolated in humans. As the week the progressed we were left more and more to our own devices in the erection of shelters and the lighting of fires to ensure we mastered these essential skills. image 05

As an expedition leader in the jungle setting it was not just these medical and physical abilities that were needed but a strong and level head. It is essential to maintain an air of calm during all eventualities and to encourage fellow team mates during times of fatigue and low morale. The jungle medicine course fully equipped candidates to survive in the jungle environment, to care for others and to recognise and treat the common illnesses often encountered on a jungle expedition.

Dr Claire Roche
Clinical Fellow in Emergency Medicine
Countess of Chester Hospital.

SITUATIONS VACANT

Job opportunities in Nepal, the Amazon, Cuba, Costa Rica and Nicaragua are just some of the locations where there are positions vacant – for an opportunity of a lifetime click here.

Dr Fiona Elliott and a high altitude hernia!

Max the EL max had done his chat on the first night about how Across the Divide works closely with the local community, our values on responsible tourism, environmental issues, employing local people for camp and giving something back to the community when a chap was helped into camp with an enormous unbilical hernia. 

The guy was a farmer with a wife and two small children and lived near the Socma camp where the group were staying.
Farmer and his wife and childrenThe doc had a look at him and said he needed an op.  Now being a farmer the guy was understandably upset as he didn’t have the money for the operate but within 3 minutes the participants had had a whip round and all chipped in and paid for the guy to have his hernia repaired in cuzco hospital shortly afterwards.

I saw him 2 weeks later for a review as we were the next group through and his next contact with a doctor. He was doing very well. He was eating drinking and passing motions normally, his wound was healthy and dressed. Max donated some money from our funds to cover the time he needed to stay resting and away from farming in order to heal properly. He is the breadwinner and was unlikely to stay away from work as the family was.

This highlighted to the group ATD’s principles and was pretty impressive really. You got the feeling everyone felt pleased to be involved with such an organisation. And I think the group who paid for the actual op must have felt the same.

This is a photo of him with his wife, son and baby.

Expedition medicine Jungle Medicine Course – Borneo, June 2007

As the rain continued to thunder down in the tropical rainforest of Sabah, Borneo, the group huddled together like emperor penguins trying to conserve heat in the deep Antarctic.  Several people cooked dinner over a fire struggling to stay alight from all the rain, while others dug drains to channel water away from the kitchen area.  Periodically, people left the security of the tarps to check their hammocks located in the jungle around the campsite and to re-position their bashas to keep everything dry inside, while others blew the steam from mugs of tea or coffee so they could down them before they got too cold from the rain.  Despite all these things and the fact that many people were experiencing conditions well out of their comfort zone, all I could see when I looked around me were smiling faces and people trying their best to achieve ‘jungle nirvana’, as defined by the unstoppable and indefatigable Dr Hudson.

This night was the perfect opportunity for the participants to use all the skills and techniques they had learnt during the first Jungle Medicine Course held in Borneo during June 2007.  In the days leading up to our night in the jungle, the participants had been lectured and tutored in expedition medicine and field skills in a course that was tailor-made for medics wanting to be better prepared for working in this challenging environment.  Participants learnt about tropical medicine; common diseases and infestations; venomous animals and how to treat envenomations and bites; tips for selecting the best kit for jungle expeditions; navigation in the jungle; how to do river crossings; how to light a fire in the jungle; how to erect a hammock and set-up a campsite and how to identify snakes and treat a snakebite victim. The course participants were also treated to a lecture on the signs, symptoms and treatment of malaria by one of Malaysia’s leading authorities on the subject, Dr Nagappan.  To ensure the course was truly ‘hands-on’, the majority of subjects were delivered in the jungle, with everyone sweating it out in the tropical schoolroom.  Local guides Nas and Hanry also took the opportunity to teach everyone about the medicinal properties of local plants.  From treating heart problems, stomach complaints and flagging libido – the local guides had a plant from their jungle pharmacy to treat the aliment.

From a teaching and training perspective, the adverse conditions experienced during the night could not have been more opportune.  The conditions reinforced the importance of proper kit selection and the need to be prepared.  Unfortunately, a couple of the participants had arrived with hammocks that were little better than overgrown onion sacks.  Despite the opportunity for some well-earned laughter at the thought of what a thoroughly uncomfortable night these poor buggers were going to spend if they used their own kit, local agent Simon managed to drag spare hammocks from his tardis-like backpack and the situation was averted.  Despite the rain, which lasted well into the night, everyone woke dry and happy and with a unique experience to remember.  Later that afternoon, whilst languishing on the deck of a charter vessel hired for the course’s sunset cruise and following the consumption of conversation-lubricating beverages, I overheard many a tale of personal heroics from the night in the jungle.  Not a bad way to end a fantastic week in the jungle….

From my perspective (and I admit I’m horribly biased!), one of the highlights of the course was seeing the looks on participants faces as they were given the opportunity to free-handle (under close supervision) three non-venomous snakes provided by a local aquarium.  As most participants were from the UK, the chances of ever doing this again was pretty remote, so everyone’s cameras were kept very busy.  The snakes were well-behaved; the sun was shining; and everyone was smiling.  Sure beats a day in the office!

New contact details at EML HQ

We are delighted to announce that Luci Ridout re-joins the team after her recent maternity leave and new arrival baby Lyla.  Luci joins us part-time and will be dealing with all the course enquiries.

Luci can be contacted on 01935 700322 or by email.  

WELCOME BACK!

Discount entry into the South or North Pole Races

Polar hallenge image
Polar Challenge the organisers of the ‘Race to the North Pole’ and the ‘Race to the South Pole’ have teamed up with EML to offer some excellent discounts. 

Follow these links to either race and mention ‘Expedition Medicine’ and you’ll save £200 on your entry fee.

North Pole Race
South Pole Race

EML Guest Speak launches new website

500 miles - homepage

Jamie Andrew EML guest speaker, has just launched a new website.  Jamie and fellow quadruple amputee Olivia Giles have just launched a new charity called 500 miles.  The charity aims to help amputees and other disabled people in deprived parts of the world.  We wish them all the best in their new venture.

 

Join Across the Divide on a fundraising challenge

 

Open charity challenges are designed so you can raise money for a charity of your choice - it could be your local hospice or a major cancer charity.  ATD have been delighted at the response to their new open events for 2007/2008.  The dog sledding, China and Kilimanjaro challenges are selling out fast but they still have places left on the Sahara, Peru, Ladakh and Everest challenge events - so book now to avoid disappointment later. Find out more about Across the Divide here.

For further information email us at events@acrossthedivide.com.