UKC

Hi

I'm looking to start planning my 7 week elective placement for mid July-September next year and was wondering if anyone had any tips or advice about how to combine this with a long climbing expedition?

Have thought about contacting commercial expeditions to see if they would be happy taking a student; if anyone knew of companies most open to this or who have managed this arrangement in the past that would be great if you had any info or contacts

Cheers, Tom

In reply to Tom Cox:

Hi Tom, I think it unlikely that a commercial company would take you unless you paid like everyone else; medical students have good medical sense but aren't docs and cannot prescribe and unfortunately are only qualified to be a first aider really. I'm not trying to be harsh - I'm a junior doc and climber - but it would be a big insurance risk for a company.

I hope this is wrong but I doubt it will be!

In reply to nickinscottishmountains:

thanks the info man; would definitely be expecting to pay if by some small chance I was allowed on a commercial expedition!

In reply to Tom Cox:
I'm not a doctor, Tom, but I've run a bunch of expeditions and often field questions about taking doctors. If, as above, you can't actually get on a commercial expedition, understandably, then maybe consider getting some other position in a country that expeditions go to.

Bodies are the same all over, but conditions, logistics, language and other things are not. Having experience in a location can be a real bonus when seeking a job and if you learn Spanish, Urdu or Nepali along the way then so much the better.

I'm in no position to give career advice on anything, but I've noticed that doctors, more than anyone else I've met in climbing, get serious pressure from within their profession to choose - either get 'serious' about practising medicine, especially surgery, or go a 'lesser' path and keep climbing and doing trips and working as a doc however. In some ways that might start now, where you make these choices, because by choosing something interesting that might get you on a trip, you're 'missing' a chance to do something else more professional that your peers are doing. From my observations, being a doc is a great way to have a flexible and adventurous life while retaining some financial security, so if you can do that and want to, go for it.

In reply to Tom Cox:

In your position (albeit some years ago) I talked to our Dean about this exact question. He (very gently) said no way. It's one thing helping your mates, but entirely different on a commercial expedition when you would have a specific role that you should be good (and experienced) in. I was disappointed but realised he was probably right: subsequently I realise now he was *really* right. You certainly could go on expedition, but go as a member who happens to know a bit more about physiology and biochemistry than most first aiders but is probably much less experienced than any good first responder. We don't get taught much about wilderness medicine in med school...still less experience.

We looked at sailing to Svalbard for our elective - but it was January/February/March so that wasn't really an option

In the end went to Peru and Bolivia, went round remote bits of the countries taking samples from assorted skin lesions for PCRing up for leishmaniasis; getting stuck in the Upper Huallaga Valley (at the tail end of the Sendero Luminosa rebellion, made some of the Mexican drug cartels look like beginners), and getting mildly lost in the Cordillera Apollobamba with the late, great Yossi Brain before I got cerebral oedema. None of which was anywhere near as dangerous as going out in La Paz with Yossi.

It's a great chance to travel and have an adventure. We also saw an awful lot of pathology (having seen someone dying of tetanus I have even less sympathy with the anti-vaxxers), and learnt quite a lot about our abilities (and lack thereof). It's an opportunity you may never get again, so make the most of it!

PM me if you want - I'm in NZ - but not a place for expeditions really as the coffee is way too good

good luck!

b