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Thinking of a Polar-based medical career?

Thinking of a Polar-based medical career?

WEM Marketing Deptpolar medicineNo Comments, ,

Join us in the stunning Southern Alps of New Zealand for an action-packed week of Polar & Expedition Medicine. This world-renowned practical 6-day course gives you the opportunity to experience and become fully immersed in a polar environment first hand, where you’ll travel by ski, snowshoes and dogsled as well as experience an overnight stay in your own carefully constructed snow shelter.

Led by our expert team, all of whom bring a phenomenal amount of expertise and knowledge of polar and high-altitude environments, you’ll learn the essential expedition medical skills required to care for and treat illnesses and injuries likely to occur in this harsh environment.

The course aims to enable attendees to:

  • Increase their knowledge about Polar Medicine and learn the essentials of polar travel, survival and cold weather medicine while immersed in a polar environment
  • Acquire and develop specific survival skills applicable to Polar Medicine
  • Develop leadership and decision making skills required when working in resource-limited environments
  • Enhance knowledge and skills relating to understanding, diagnosing and treating cold weather and altitude illnesses and injuries when presented
  • Understand and develop the non-technical skills required for Polar Medicine and Expeditions in general, such as leadership and decision making skills, teamwork and being able to work together in an under-resourced austere environment

What will l learn on the Polar Medicine course?
Through hands-on workshops and scenarios, this highly practical course is supported by a comprehensive curriculum of cold weather and altitude medicine, taught through lectures and fully immersive workshops. You’ll cover a range of topics, such as avalanche awareness, basic navigation, primary survival in the wilderness, pre-expedition planning as well as shelter construction and cold water immersion and hypothermia, all preparing you for work, expeditions and micro-adventures in polar and high-altitude environments.

Who would benefit from attending this course?
Expedition medicine offers an exciting combination of medical practice and the outdoors, so any health professional who is involved in medicine in the outdoors and is interested or considering accompanying a cold weather expedition would benefit the most. If you are willing to think and work outside the box this is a great course for you.

With the role of an expedition medic requiring many skills, our Polar Medicine course offers the perfect opportunity to learn new skills and enhance your basic expedition knowledge as well as focus on key cold weather and high-altitude survival skills in the extreme.

Mark Hannaford, Managing Director & Founder of World Extreme Medicine (WEM) said: “This course gives attendees the opportunity to challenge themselves in a real-life extreme environment, a polar setting is dramatically different from anywhere else on earth.

Our expert team of medics, logisticians and SAR professionals will be combining lectures, workshops and discussions with lots of hands-on experience to give course participants vital insight into the preparation required for an expedition as well as the ability to cope under pressure and perform to the best of their ability in an austere and resource-limited environment.

From this course, they can go anywhere. They could provide medical support for scientists working in Antarctica, become a medic on a polar expedition or with more training go on to work in other exciting areas and austere environments.”

___________________

Where else in the world could you receive such hands-on experience, be part of a unique learning experience and have an adventure of a lifetime. To find out more and to experience our Polar Medicine course for yourself, please click here.

Take your EXTREME medical career to the next level – book your place today!

Photo Credit: Andrew Peacock

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Expedition and Wilderness Medicine: Frequently asked Questions (FAQ’s)

Expedition and Wilderness Medicine: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

WEM Marketing DeptExpedition & Wilderness MedicineNo Comments, ,

We asked our remarkable WEM faculty, many of who have a depth of experience, living and working in the most remote corners of the world, achieving notable success in the face of extreme challenge and adversity the most frequently asked questions they get asked regarding this course.

What content do you cover in the Expedition and Wilderness course?
This comprehensive course covers a broad range of topics over the course of the 4 days blending engaging lecture content with hands on practical workshops ending on the last day with a real-time search and rescue simulation. Attending the course will teach you the key skills essential to all expedition medics including:

  • Pre-expedition planning
  • Security on expeditions
  • Climate specific lectures
  • Group management, behaviour and CRM
  • Expedition dentistry
  • Mental health on expeditions
  • Hill skills
  • Wound care

Are these courses just for doctors?
No, expedition medicine opportunities are open to a wide range of medical professionals although doctors, nurses and paramedics are the most common roles advertised for. The good news is this list is growing as the range of practitioner roles within healthcare grows. We have also found that as the expedition world evolves and groups with more complex needs are commonly taking part in expeditions, the range of healthcare providers required can be incredibly varied.

Do I need experience?
No experience required, you’ll find on the course there is a huge mix of people with various degrees of expedition and travel experience. Throughout the course we’ll be discussing what skills are needed to build and make yourself a great expedition medic, but above all a great expedition team member or even leader. All we ask from you to really gain the most from this experience is a positive mindset and a thirst for adventure.

Do we get outside much?
Absolutely, we try and spend half the day outside so we can replicate real-life expedition conditions as much as possible. Typically this is come rain or shine, adverse conditions are all part of what makes expedition medicine so exciting, splinting a leg while dealing with soggy boots, soaking wet waterproofs, mud, driving rain, wind and on uneven ground is great fun…there again it could be lovely sunny t-shirt weather, you never can predict these things in the mountains. It’s uncommon to get enough time to stray too far into the hills so we suggest that people add another day or two to really enjoy the local environment. Plas y Brenin for example has a view of Snowdon from the bar and dining area, with the mountain in view it would be a shame not to set a few hours aside to get up there.

I’ve got a trip planned; will we be able to discuss it?
Yes, absolutely it’s actively encouraged and part of what are highly experienced faculty are here to help you with! We encourage as much interaction as possible; you can ask questions at any time and workshops session are highly interactive. Our team is with you all week and are always happy to chat about upcoming adventures, we find that breaks and meals are a great time to sit down and chat with the team about your plans.

If you want to open up your medical career and mix adventure into your career then this is the course for you!

To find out more information about our Expedition and Wilderness Medicine courses or to book your place on what we promise will be an incredibly inspiring 4 days, please click here.

 

Other blogs that may be of interest, include:

 

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Expedition and wilderness medicine

4 excellent reasons to choose our renowned Expedition and Wilderness Medicine course

WEM Marketing DeptExpedition & Wilderness MedicineNo Comments,

If you’re a medic with a passion for adventure and travel looking to enhance your career then our internationally renowned Expedition & Wilderness Medicine course is for you!

This 5-day comprehensive introductory training course in expedition and wilderness medicine brings together likeminded medics from a variety of backgrounds and career stages all sharing the same common desire – to bring more adventure into their careers and blend their passion for travel, adventure and the great outdoors with their medical skills. Our Expedition & Wilderness Medicine course provides a good basic entry level into expedition medicine for those with no or little experience just beginning their extreme medicine journey. It’s also equally as useful for those who have previously been on expeditions as medics but are now wanting to add more strings to their bow.

With a 50/50 mix of engaging lecture content and hands on practical group work taking place over the first 3 days and evenings spent socialising, taking on challenge tasks and special guest lectures, the final day will focus on a search and rescue scenario where you’ll combine all your newly learnt skills to locate, rescue, treat and evacuate a casualty. Throughout the course you will be encouraged in new ways of thinking and new approaches to problem solving as well as challenging your abilities to adapt to unpredictable situations – a must-have when taking on any type of expedition.

4 excellent reasons to choose our Expedition and Wilderness Medicine course:

  • Earn CPD credits and further your career – add more adventure to your career and bring new challenges by learning and enhancing your knowledge and skill set to ensure you are in the best possible position to further your career. For those attending and completing the course, accreditation will be offered (we estimate 24 hours of CPD) through the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
  • Expedition and Wilderness topics explained – across the 4 days you’ll cover a broad range of topics including expedition planning, security, managing difficult people, dentistry, climate specific lectures, hill skills as well as having the unique opportunity to hear inspiring ‘real-life’ stories from the WEM faculty.
  • Practical hands on experience – throughout your time with us, there will be practical workshops on field-proven techniques to inspire and enhance your skills; helping you to become a more effective and highly valued practitioner of expedition and wilderness medicine.
  • Expert faculty – between them our remarkable expert team have a depth of knowledge and experience, living and working in the most remote corners of the world, achieving notable success in the face of extreme challenge and adversity.

If you needed any more reason to join us on our next course and take your career to the extreme, you might be interested to know Expedition and Wilderness Medicine course alumni have left to take part in expeditions across the globe, responded to natural disasters and emergencies and have gained placements with organisations such as Raleigh International, UK-Med, Team Rubicon and Médecins Sans Frontières.

Our Expedition and Wilderness Medicine course also comes highly recommended from past course attendees:

I’ve literately spent my last 4 days messing around on hills and learning some expedition medicine. Would recommend ‘Expedition and Wilderness Medicine’ course from @ExpedMedicine to anyone who is interested in working outside of the hospital or GP practice.

George, 2019 Expedition and Wilderness Medicine course attendee

Take your first steps to becoming an expedition medic that could see you travelling the world, simply choose your preferred dates and location and book your place today!

October 2019 – Lake Bohinj, Slovenia
October 2019 – Corfe Castle
March 2020 – Keswick
May 2020 – Plas y Brenin

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Other blogs that may be of interest, include:

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WEM Ocean Medicine Plymouth

Ocean Medicine Course: take your medical career in a new direction

WEM Marketing DeptOcean MedicineNo Comments, ,

Our ground-breaking 4 day Ocean Medicine training course in Plymouth is designed to give medical professionals a highly practical and immersive training experience for any Ocean-going events and expeditions. So, if you’re wanting to provide medical cover for water-based expeditions – this is the course for you! It’s also a great refresher for anyone already working in the field.

4 excellent reasons to attend our Ocean Medicine course:

Further your career – this course has been specifically designed for medical professionals who might be interested in supporting marine based challenges, sporting events, ocean swims, extended sailing trips and expeditions. World Extreme Medicine course alumni have left to take part in expeditions across the globe, responded to natural disasters and emergencies, gained placements with leading organisations such as Raleigh International and Médecins Sans Frontières, as well as set off to swim Cape Horn, row unimaginable distances and help others achieve their lifetime ambitions on the water.

Earn CPD credits – for those attending our Ocean Medicine course, accreditation will be offered (we estimate 24 hours of CPD for the complete course) through the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Our course provides the perfect opportunity to increase your ocean and marine medicine skill set enabling you to become a more effective medic.

Highly practical training experience – our highly qualified team will deliver content through practical and fully immersive workshops, lectures and group discussions which will involve a significant amount of time on the water and working in small groups. You’ll learn clinical skills and field proven techniques that will ensure you leave the course feeling confident in your ability to provide medical cover on a water-based expedition.

Expert team – led by our expert WEM faculty including Dr Bryony Pointon, Dr Claire Bailey, member of the all-female Round the World Race Crew, Nikki McLeary, Ocean Swimmer Nuala Moore and Ian Couch, veteran on many Atlantic Rowing Challenges we have developed the best curriculum for this course through consultation with a group of world-renowned ocean explorers, sports people and logisticians. Using their combined expertise and vast experience this pioneering course will provide you with real-world skills and an understanding of conditions likely to occur whilst on a marine based expedition.


Join us and experience our Ocean Medicine course for yourself. Be part of something amazing and take your extreme medicine career to the next level.
Book your place today!

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Paediatric Trauma and Acute Care course

Paediatric Trauma and Acute Care course: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

WEM Marketing DeptTraumaNo Comments, , , ,

We asked Eoin Walker, a London HEMS Paramedic, UKMED Team Member, WEM MSc in Extreme Medicine Faculty and our Paediatric Trauma course leader to run through the most frequently asked questions he gets asked regarding the course.

What content do you cover in the Paediatric Trauma course?
The course offers a fully immersive and highly practical hands-on approach to learning including various slow time simulations relevant to situations and scenarios you might find yourself, group workshops and faculty panel discussions. Attending the course will teach you the key skills needed to assess and stabilise a critically ill paediatric trauma patient in a pre-hospital environment including:

  • Paediatric trauma assessment and airway
  • IO (Intraosseous infusion) access and pain management
  • Paediatric traumatic and medical cardiac arrests
  • Breaking bad news in paediatric death, the 2nd patient
  • Integrated parent relationship management, non-technical skills and troubleshooting
  • Collapsed infant from Asthma, Anaphylaxis, Sepsis and Seizures
  • Medical assessment tools and FOI
  • Panel discussions with paediatric case scenarios
  • Kit familiarisation
  • Variations in approach to paediatric patients including the differences in Airway, Breathing and Circulation

Is cardiac arrest – medical and traumatic covered on the course?
Yes, both are covered across the two days within their own 45 minute integrated workshops, as well as enhanced fidelity simulations to increase learning and improve skills and WEM panel discussions with some of the country’s leading paediatric specialists including specific paediatric case scenarios.

How do you adapt care for a pre-hospital environment?
Decision making in any medical situation can be a challenge, add to that a high stress situation and a paediatric trauma patient and you as the health professional needs to be confident in providing the gold standard of critical care we all aspire to. Within a pre-hospital environment we will teach you how to follow and adapt the ceiling of care principle, where the aim is to provide continuity of care and ensure good communication is prevalent throughout.

Do you cover pain management for children?
Yes, this topic is covered extensively on the first day of the course within a workshop and also as part of slow time simulation reflective of a paediatric fall from height scenario. It’s important to understand the unique and challenging problems a paediatric trauma patient can present with and how best to assess and proficiently manage the patient, to achieve the optimum outcome.

How do you achieve paediatric splintage?
There are various adaptions taught within the course and all will be dependent on the patients’ trauma, range of movement and environment. We will discuss in great detail and focus your skills through hands on practical experience.

Which airway techniques are preferable?
Airway control is a critical skill for any pre-hospital healthcare provider and as such we advocate various airway techniques which will depend on the environment your find yourself in. Techniques will be taught through a combination of taught lectures, workshops, simulation and plenary discussions and will include supplementary additions to both intubating through a supraglottic airway (SGA) and Endotracheal intubation (ETI).

Do you teach around assessment tools in Paediatrics?
Yes, these are essential to form a general impression of our patient and will be used to assess and determine the treatment given. We will teach and discuss the Paediatric Assessment Triangle (PAT) that consists of three areas of assessment: Appearance; Work of Breathing; and Circulation to Skin with adjunctive TICLS – pronounced ‘tickles’ – that looks at muscle tone, irritability, consolability, look (gaze) and speech.

If you want to feel more confident in treating sick children together with how to proficiently manage traumatic and medic paediatric cardiac arrests, then this is the course for you!

To find out more information about our Paediatric Trauma and Acute Care course or to book your place on what we promise will be an incredibly inspiring 2 days, please click here.

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World Extreme Medicine Founder Mark Hannaford awarded the World’s First Honorary Associate Professorship in Extreme Medicine

WEM Marketing DeptUncategorisedNo Comments, , ,

We are thrilled to announce that our renowned Founding Director and CEO, Mark Hannaford is to be the first person in the world awarded an Honorary Associate Professorship in Extreme Medicine by the University of Exeter.

As a pioneer of programmes of social change and medical innovation, this incredible honour is to be bestowed in recognition of Mark’s international standing in the development of extreme medicine and his significant, ongoing academic contributions to the University of Exeter’s Medical School’s innovative International Diploma & MSc in Extreme Medicine.

The University of Exeter state that ‘the title ‘Honorary Associate Professor’ should be conferred on a person who is academically qualified for the status proposed. The individual must be a leading authority in the subject with an international reputation. The individual will also normally have experience of, and a demonstrated commitment towards fostering excellence in research and/or education.” With over 30 years’ experience working in worldwide extreme environments, Mark Hannaford is widely credited as one of the drivers behind the growing importance of Extreme Medicine both in the UK and globally.

Remarking on his Honorary Professorship, Mark said, “For once in my life I have been left speechless, literally devoid of words. I am deeply honoured to receive this award, which coincides with our recent 18th anniversary celebrations at World Extreme Medicine. This award wonderfully compliments my Fellowship from both the prestigious Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Society of Arts, which were both received for my pioneering work in the field of the promotion of expedition & wilderness medicine in the UK. For someone who is not surgically or medically qualified, I feel humbled and privileged to have received such an honour, and even more so as it’s the first Honorary Professorship in Extreme Medicine in the world. This honour serves to recognise the growing importance of Extreme Medicine and reinforces WEM’s position as a global leader.”

Mark’s main contributions include fundamentally changing the provision of medical care on expeditions, building the world’s largest online community of medics working in remote areas, the world’s largest subject conference and the development and implementation of the world’s first MSc programme in Extreme Medicine with the University of Exeter Medical School through World Extreme Medicine (WEM), the world’s leading provider of specialist training courses for medics taking their skills into challenging environments. Mark has also helped to facilitate the raising of over £103 million for charity.

As Founding Director of WEM and now the established World Extreme Medicine global Conference, Mark has created a unique platform for inspiring medical minds to meet, share experiences and promote cross-disciplinary working. The #WEM19 Conference stimulates new thinking, extends professional relationships and shares new and more effective approaches to medical practice in challenging environments.

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WEM Trauma courses

5 reasons how our unique trauma courses can enhance your critical care career

WEM Marketing DeptTraumaNo Comments, ,

Join us on one of our insightful and highly interactive 2 day trauma courses that will teach you the fundamental skills needed to asses and stablise the most difficult of trauma patient cases while working in an extreme pre-hospital environment. By understanding the medical skills required, following a stepwise approach and providing this gold standard of critical care we aspire to, it will lead to improved patient outcomes and survival, quite literally meaning the difference between life and death.

For aspiring critical care and paediatric trauma specialists our Paediatric Trauma and Pre-Hospital Trauma courses provide the perfect introduction and taster to enhance your study and further your career.

The Paediatric Trauma and Acute Care course – often presenting in a high stress situation, these patients present unique and challenging problems for those first to the scene. If you want to feel more confident in treating sick children together with how to proficiently manage traumatic and medic paediatric cardiac arrests then this is the course for you.

Pre-Hospital Trauma Care course – exploring the pathophysiology, primary injuries and secondary injuries involved in trauma, this course will also teach the management of such injuries to minimise sequelae from secondary traumatic injuries and also identify sensitive and specific tools and signs of injury to help identify time critical cases.

5 excellent reasons to attend our Paediatric Trauma or Pre-Hospital Trauma courses:

  • Learn how to optimise patient care and survival – our trauma workshops are designed to produce a more resilient, effective and efficient approach in treating critically injured patients (both paediatrics and adults) in what will often be extreme and difficult circumstances due to the patient’s trauma, but also regarding the environment you may find yourself in.
  • Further your career – perfect for nurses, doctors and paramedics wanting to pursue and specialise in trauma care both in and out of the hospital, our trauma courses act as a great introduction to trauma and pre-hospital care. They are a great bridger course, especially for those aspiring to apply for air ambulance positions.
  • Dynamic and hands on experience – our highly qualified and well-equipped practitioners will deliver content through dynamic medical and trauma simulations, lectures, workshops and group discussions. You’ll learn clinical skills and field proven techniques that will ensure you leave the course feeling more confident in your ability to perform in a highly stressful situation.
  • Expert team – our expert trauma faculty led by Eoin Walker, Pre-Hospital Mass Causality Incident Management Paramedic and HEMS paramedic will be drawing on their own personal and extensive experience (many with 15 years plus) of attending and practicing pre-hospital and paediatric trauma medicine and sharing their knowledge and skills used on a daily basis to provide a fully-immersive experience of how to optimise the care and survival of the patient
  • Earn CPD credits – for those attending either our Paediatric Trauma or Pre-Hospital Trauma course, accreditation will be offered (we estimate 12 hours of CPD) through the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Our trauma courses provide the perfect opportunity to increase your pre-hospital medicine skill set enabling you to become a more effective practitioner.

Join us and experience our The Paediatric Trauma and Acute Care course and Pre-Hospital Trauma Care course for yourself. Be part of something amazing and take your extreme medicine career to the next level. 
Book your place today!

 

Other blogs that may be of interest, include:

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Nat Taylor Ice Maiden

Dr Nat Taylor of the historic Ice Maidens expedition joins us as faculty for WEMski

WEM Marketing DeptUncategorisedNo Comments, , , ,

This time last year, Nat Taylor had just completed an incredible 1,700-mile expedition, as she formed part of the badass all-female group ‘The Ice Maidens’, who skied coast-to-coast across Antarctica using muscle power alone (and broke a record or two along the way). This year sees Nat pull her ski boots on for a slightly different challenge, as she joins us as faculty for WEMski, our mini-conference with a difference.

Nat will be talking about the incredible ‘Ice Maidens’ mission, the brainchild of Nat and her colleague Major Nics Wetherill, where they wanted to take on a formidable challenge that would inspire women of all ages and abilities to take part and do something they wouldn’t normally be doing, or even think was possible. They would be able to collect data on female endurance in extreme environments and show that women have the mental strength and physical endurance to operate in the most hostile environment on earth.

The only conditions to participating in this ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity would be that applicants were serving in the Army (regular or reserve) and were female. In total 250 people came forward and were put through rigorous tests in the UK and in freezing conditions in Norway on a winter survival skills course that would simulate the Antarctica environment before the final six were selected.

The ‘Ice Maidens’ set off on 21st November 2017 for an incredible feat that would see the soldiers led by Nat and Nics endure 62 days on the ice, navigating crevasse fields while pulling sledges weighing up to 80kg and travelling up to 43km a day, all whilst battling temperatures as low as -50 degrees. This expedition was to be one of the biggest adventures of their lives and where for some, lifelong dreams were made!

Using her experience as an explorer and renowned endurance adventure racer, Nat has pushed her body to its limits on many an occasion, and fully understands what it takes, both physically and mentally to take control, carry on and push through in extreme and stressful situations. This is even more prevalent in Nat’s ‘day job’ as a Regimental Medical Officer and General Practitioner serving with the First Battalion the Rifles, based in Wales; having previously served in Germany and Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

With WEMski content centred around real-world experiences of extreme physical and psychological challenges, excellence in leadership, expedition medicine in the extremes, plus much more, we couldn’t think of a better placed person to join WEM faculty than Nat. She’ll be inspiring and educating our attendees with her own experiences of working in dangerous and stressful environments, as well as sharing her incredible ‘Ice Maiden’ story.

Be part of something amazing, book your place today!

Other blogs that may be of interest, include:

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Capt Lou Rudd

Captain Lou Rudd MBE of recent Antarctic fame joins our 2019 WEMski guest speaker line up

WEM Marketing DeptWEMSkiNo Comments, , , ,

An inspiration to us all, we are delighted to have Captain Lou Rudd join us for this years’ WEMski mini-conference fresh from his epic expedition of crossing Antarctica solo in an unsupported and unassisted gruelling 920-mile journey lasting 56 days – a remarkable achievement!

With a career in the British Army, and as a qualified military ski instructor and Arctic warfare instructor, Lou is no stranger to extreme cold weather environments, but it would take an extraordinary amount of determination, mental and physical willpower to take on and complete such a dangerous expedition. No less so, because this expedition was personal, Lou was undertaking this expedition in memory of his close friend and explorer Henry Worsley, who died attempting an unassisted solo trip just 30 miles short of completing the record solo crossing in 2016.

Stretched to the limits and showing a mental resilience one can only imagine in one of nature’s most inhospitable environments, Lou pushed the boundaries of human endurance hauling a 140kg sled through wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour and freezing temperatures below minus-40 degrees – all conditions he had trained for in the months prior, but still none the less brutal. It was the mental aspect that was a little harder to prepare for, so to alleviate the long weeks of solitude and to have a human voice in his head, Lou took comfort in listening to audio books including Winston Churchill and other biographies as well as listening to a 1980’s music playlist with the likes of Bono and Bruce Springsteen.

Mental health and the ability to deal with working in stressful environments is one of the main themes and discussions taking place throughout our week at WEMski and they don’t come more extreme than a solo trek across Antarctica. We can’t wait to hear Lou share his unique experiences with the delegates at WEMski where he’ll inspire and provide a unique insight into the clinical psychology of leadership, teamwork and the coping mechanisms he’s used when in extreme situations. It is these skills that medical professionals can then transfer to their everyday working life be they in the hospital environment or on an expedition.

Experience WEMski for yourself and be part of something amazing, book your place today!

Other blogs that may be of interest, include:

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One Medicine Conservation Course in Namibia

5 excellent reasons to attend our amazing ‘One Medicine’ Conservation Medicine Course

WEM Marketing DeptConservation Medicine2 Comments, , , , , , , ,

Working with the world-renowned N/a’an ku sê Foundation, we’ve designed a brand-new Conservation Medicine course unlike anything else in this area of extreme medicine, a ‘One Medicine’ course. If you’re keen to take your medical skills into conservation projects, nature reserves, remote communities or simply have a passion for conservation, this course is for you!

Open to both medical and animal health professionals you will explore the amazing work of conservation projects and what is required to take your medical skills into the wild. This amazing gathering will allow you to learn from the best, plus you will have the opportunity to network and meet like-minded people from around the world.

One Medicine is a movement to create networks and collaborations between human medicine and veterinary medicine.

5 excellent reasons to attend the Conservation Medicine Course:

• World-renowned team – a highly specialised group of experts including Dr Rudie van Vuuren (physician and conservationist), Marlice van Vuuren (conservationist), resident vets and the N/a’an ku sê Foundation’s medical team will be sharing their experiences and delivering an unrivalled syllabus of content.

• Topics – during the course you’ll explore conservation medicine, African zoonosis, venomous animals, wildlife immobilisation (theory and practical), anti-poaching, survival in the bush, life in remote clinics, rural outreach and infectious diseases.

• Hands on experience – there will be practical workshops on field-proven techniques to inspire and enhance your skills; helping you to become a more effective and highly valued practitioner of remote conservation medicine. You will also visit Epikuro, a remote settlement which is home to the Foundation’s Lifeline Clinic seeing first-hand how this medical facility is serving the wider community.

• Further your career – enhance your knowledge and increase your skillset to ensure you are in the best position possible to further your medical career and become a more effective and highly valued practitioner.

• One of a kind course – newly relaunched this Conservation Medicine course is one like no other. Using the emerging interdisciplinary field of conservation medicine this unique course serves to address the gaps with Zoonoses; infectious diseases of animals (usually vertebrates) that can naturally be transmitted to humans through both academic and practical sessions.

Be one of the first to experience our Conservation Medicine, a One Medicine, course and take your extreme medicine career to the next level. Book your place today!

 

Other blogs that may be of interest, include:

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Desert Medicine Course | World Extreme Medicine

Desert Medicine: kick start your career as an extreme medic

WEM Marketing DeptDesert Medicine2 Comments, ,

Sign up to our 2020 Desert Medicine course and you’ll find yourself on a journey of discovery and learning in one of the most beautiful settings on earth. The stunning Sharqiya Sands in Oman play host to our Desert Medicine course providing the perfect desert environment; rolling sand dunes, spectacular mountains and only Arabian nomads and camels for company.

As with all the World Extreme Medicine courses, our aim is to provide a practical training course that endeavours to make those attending more comfortable using the medical skills they already have in an austere environment. Quite often in such extreme conditions, the environment can become a distraction and the focus taken away from the casualty and their needs. By offering practical learning in a specific environment and providing the skills needed to survive, course attendees will become better at diagnosing and practising their medicine, which in turn will lead to better patient care.

The Desert Medicine course aims to enable attendees to:

  • Be better equipped and confident in providing the right assessment and treatment in a desert environment.
  • Acquire and develop extreme medicine skills that can be used in any austere environment as well as specific skills applicable to desert medicine.
  • Enhance knowledge and skills relating to understanding, diagnosing and treating endemic illnesses, trauma plus specific desert and heat-related illnesses when presented.
  • Understand and develop the non-technical expedition skills required in a desert environment such as pre-expedition planning, communication, navigation and trekking, plus evacuation and rescue scenarios.

What will I learn on the Desert Medicine course?
Our Desert Medicine course is a great example of an amazing training programme on the ground in one of the most inhospitable places in the world. This course runs more like an expedition; so real-life experience learning about core and desert specific field skills such as public health, navigation and casualty evacuation chain, interspersed with specific medical training. Plus, the best part of the course, actually getting out into the desert and sleeping under the stars – a magical experience not to be missed!

As part of the medical training on our Desert Medicine course, you will be looking at managing the endemic diseases often seen in the desert. You’ll be learning and talking a lot about the heat and acclimatisation, how to manage heat illness, as well as dealing with potential traumas associated with the sort of vehicles used in our journey.

Who should attend this course?
This specialised course is open to any qualified medical professional wanting to expand their knowledge and skill set in Desert Medicine; with a particular focus on heat-related illnesses and endemic diseases. The course offers a unique learning opportunity whether you are looking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience in a beautiful location or need to learn new skills for your job. It’s perfect for potential and existing expedition medics looking to take their medical skills into the extreme, physicians who want a higher level of understanding or anyone wanting to work in an austere environment, as a lot of the core field skills learnt can be transferred across the various environments.

The medics who would benefit the most and are those that will actually find themselves working in the desert or in a hot environment. The majority of attendees from last year’s course were medics who were going to be working in a desert environment and from their feedback, they found the course really beneficial.

Where else in the world could you receive such hands-on experience, be part of a unique learning experience and have an adventure of a lifetime. To find out more and to experience our Desert Medicine course for yourself, please click here.

Take your medical career to the next level – book your place today!

 

Other blogs that may be of interest, include:

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Desert Medicine in Oman

Meet the team behind our Desert Medicine course

WEM Marketing DeptDesert Medicine, Uncategorised1 Comment, ,

We’ve brought together a fantastic team of individuals for our unforgettable Desert Medicine course taking place in Oman this January; all with an amazing wealth of experience across the world’s deserts. They will be sharing their extensive knowledge and skills to give you a comprehensive understanding of how to lead and provide medical cover on desert expeditions.

Meet this highly specialised team who will be delivering an unrivalled syllabus of content:

Sean Hudson MBE, Co-founder and Director of World Extreme Medicine

As a former Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the first person in the UK to become a Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine, Sean is the perfect person to lead our Desert Medicine course. Using his impressive knowledge and advanced expedition experience, Sean has ensured this will be an adventure you will never forget!

Sean has been involved in a wide variety of expeditions over the last 20 years, from trekking across the Darien Gap and the Thar Desert, to working as a trekking guide and Chief Medic for Raleigh International in Namibia and Zimbabwe. Plus, in 2016 he was the medical lead for the expedition ‘Crossing the Empty Quarter’, the first ever crossing of the Rub Al Khali; the largest sand desert on earth and one of the hottest, driest, most inhospitable and loneliest places on earth.

In 2002, Sean co-founded Expedition and Wilderness Medicine (now known as World Extreme Medicine), which seeks to provide comprehensive training for medical professionals working as expedition medical officers in a variety of extreme and remote environments; and in 2004 Sean became a medical consultant to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, working throughout the Middle East.

Sean and has been exploring and working in desert environments throughout his career and in 2017, he was awarded an MBE as Co-founder of World Extreme Medicine and Medical Lead, UKMed, Cumbria for services to Providing Medical Aid and Education.

Alex Bamford, Military Doctor (Royal Marines)

Originally trained as a physiotherapist, Alex went on to study medicine and is now a doctor in the Royal Navy, spending the last few years serving as a Royal Marine Clinician. Having developed a taste for endurance sport, including running through the Amazon for Men’s Fitness Magazine as part of their ultra-marathon team, Alex is no stranger to challenging environments and extreme medicine.

It was during an ultra-marathon through the Namib desert when he developed rhabdomyolysis, the breakdown of damaged skeletal muscle, that Alex first became curious about the field of wilderness and extreme medicine and has since led him to become involved in the medical support of events in the UK and abroad.

Alex joins our team having completed the 2017 British Trans-Americas Expedition, a six-man military expedition that rode from Ushuaia, Argentina to Prudhoe Bay in Alaska on CCM GP450s. As the medical officer on this incredible 20,000-mile motorcycle record attempt, Alex was responsible for the planning and execution of the medical component of this expedition. From managing a whole team with altitude sickness in the remote Bolivian Andes to being hit by a car in the murder capital of the world, the trip was certainly eventful and put his wilderness medical skills to the test. Over our 6-day course, Alex will share his experiences and lessons learnt from planning and executing remote overland travel.

Mohammed Al-Zadjali, Outward Bound Oman Deputy General Manager

Mohammed Al-ZadjaliMohammed and his team at Outward Bound Oman will be running the logistical elements of our Desert Medicine course.

Having spent much of his time instructing and leading groups of people on challenging journeys across the desert, Mohammed knows the stunning Sharqiya Sands like the back of his hand and will be using his skills to lead the group across the immense sand dunes on a linear path leading them back to base camp.

Mohammed was also part of the amazing expedition team (alongside Sean Hudson and Mark Evans) who recreated the 1930 journey led by British explorer Bertram Thomas. The 2015 ‘Crossing the Empty Quarter’ expedition traced the route taken by Bertram and his team, a journey of 1,300 kilometres, across the biggest sand desert on earth. In keeping with the original expedition this challenging journey was conducted solely by foot and camel train; negotiating sandstorms, unforgivable desert landscapes and combatting the scorching heat.

Mark Evans MBE, Executive Director of Outward Bound Oman

Mark Evans, MBEWith twenty-two years spent living and travelling extensively across Arabia, Mark brings an incredible knowledge of exploration and an unrivalled knowledge of the area, particularly in Oman. It was his entrepreneurial spirit and passion for exploration and education that led him to set up Outward Bound Oman in 2009, our base for this Desert Medicine course.

His incredible achievements include completing an 80-day camel expedition, a 49-day crossing of the Rub Al Khali, a 55-day 1,700 km solo kayak journey along the entire coastline of Oman from Musandam to Yemen, and extensive remote 4×4 journeys throughout Saudi Arabia and Oman.

In 2011 Mark was awarded the MBE for his work using expeditions to promote intercultural understanding between young people from western and Arab cultures. Mark is a fellow of the Explorers Club of New York, and The Royal Geographical Society in London and in 2018 was made an Honorary Fellow of The Royal Scottish Geographical Society.

 

Join us in January 2020; learn with this incredibly experienced and knowledgeable team, and be part of something amazing. Book your place today!

 

Other blogs that may be of interest, include:

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World Extreme Medicine Desert Medicine Course

5 fantastic reasons to attend our extraordinary Desert Medicine Course

WEM Marketing DeptUncategorised3 Comments

Join World Extreme Medicine for an unforgettable 6-day Desert Medicine course in the stunning Sharqiya Sands, Oman; where you’ll focus on learning the medical and survival skills required to lead and provide medical cover on desert expeditions. If you’re keen to take your medical skills into an extreme environment such as the desert, this course is for you!

Using the recently opened Outward Bound Oman Desert Centre as your base, the WEM faculty team led by Sean Hudson MBE, who brings an incredible wealth of exploration knowledge and working in desert environments to the course, and was awarded an MBE for services to ‘Providing Medical Aid and Education’, will take you on a two-part expedition through the Sharqiya Sands. It’s here you’ll learn to work with the environment, overcome the obstacles of the desert and increase your knowledge and skill set regarding Desert Medicine.

This specialised course is open to all health professionals and is ideal for potential and existing expedition medics looking to take their medical skills into the extreme. This amazing gathering will allow you to learn from the best, plus you will have the opportunity to network and meet like-minded people from around the world.

5 excellent reasons to attend the Desert Medicine Course:

  • Expert team – our expert Desert Medicine team led by Sean Hudson, MBE will be drawing from their own personal extensive experience across the world’s deserts and sharing their knowledge and skills, giving you a comprehensive understanding of how to lead and provide medical cover on desert expeditions.
  • Hands on experience – throughout your week with us you’ll learn clinical skills and field proven techniques that will ensure you leave the course feeling confident in your ability to lead and keep your expedition team healthy in a desert environment.
  • Earn CPD credits and further your career – enhance your knowledge and increase your skill set to ensure you are in the best position possible to further your medical career and become a more effective and highly valued practitioner. For those attending and completing the course, accreditation will be offered (we estimate 30 hours of CPD) through the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
  • Desert Medicine topics explained – during the course you’ll explore many topics including standard operating procedures for a desert environment, pre-expedition planning, basic navigation and communication in the desert, burn management, heat-related illness and hydration, how to manage snake, scorpion and spider envenomation’s and managing fractures and dislocations in the wilderness.
  • Unique desert location – offering exceptional wilderness conditions of the like you’ll not witness anywhere else in the world; with towering sand dunes reaching 100m in places, spectacular mountains that reach up to 10,000 feet into the sky and a desert that extends over an area of up to 10,000 square kilometres.

Our Desert Medicine course also comes highly recommended from past course attendees:

“I took the course in 2017. It was an excellent adventure and a real learning lesson. The Oman sites were beautiful, and everyone was professional. I have been to a few events like this, but you can tell the staff and guides were also having a great time. A blend of wilderness medicine, along with the much needed “this is what really works, I know I tried it” knowledge. I would recommend to anyone wanting to explore and learn outside the box.”

Jeremy, 2017 Desert Medicine course attendee

___________________________________________________________________________________

Join us in January 2020 and experience our Desert Medicine course for yourself. Be part of something amazing and take your extreme medicine career to the next level.
Book your place today!

 

Other blogs that may be of interest, include:
Why Shariqiya Sands provides the perfect desert classroom
Desert Medicine: kick start your career as an extreme medic
Meet the team behind our Desert Medicine course

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Desert Medicine course classroom

Desert Medicine Course: Why Sharqiya Sands in Oman provides the perfect desert classroom

WEM Marketing DeptDesert Medicine3 Comments, , ,

Offering exceptional wilderness conditions of the like you’ll not witness anywhere else in the world; with towering sand dunes reaching 100m in places, spectacular mountains that reach up to 10,000 feet into the sky and a desert that extends over an area of up to 10,000 square kilometres – Oman is the perfect home for our World Extreme Medicine Desert Medicine Course.

Over one-week the WEM faculty team led by Dr Sean Hudson MBE who has been exploring and working in desert environments throughout his career and was awarded an MBE for services to ‘Providing Medical Aid and Education’, will take you on a two-part expedition on foot, supported by vehicles and camels through Sharqiya Sands, your home for the duration of the course and where you will learn to overcome the obstacles of the desert, increase your knowledge and skill set regarding hot weather medicine and work with the environment to make the most of your desert expedition.

Here are just a few of the reasons that make Sharqiya Sands the perfect desert classroom:

  • The location
    Sitting on the edge of the largest sand desert on the planet known as the ‘Empty Quarter; the hottest, driest, most inhospitable place on earth, lies Sharqiya Sands. A remote yet inspirational vast wilderness covering 12,500 square kilometres that provides the perfect environment to explore the desert and learn desert medical and survival skills amongst the stillness of the dunes.
  • Accessibility
    Although remote, today you can reach Sharqiya Sands in less than two hour’s drive from the capital city of Muscat, on a modern, three-lane highway. Despite the new road, once you are in the sands, they remain one of those unique, increasingly scarce, silent places where mobile phones don’t work, and where there is little evidence of human activity beyond the local Bedouin community.
  • Unique desert conditions
    As you will discover when on the course, Sharqiya Sands is a ‘living’ desert offering unparallelled conditions perfect for challenging expeditions. Due to its unique location bordering the coastline, the nearby sea regularly results in a heavy dew and thick fog that provides 1mm of rainfall a day delivering life-giving moisture to the arid desert but can also mean you wake up with a wet sleeping bag! This thick fog can make navigation a challenge, especially first thing in the morning, so basic navigation skills are an essential part of your learning on this course.
  • State of the art training facility
    Authorised by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Al Said, ruler of Oman, the Outward Bound Oman Desert Centre is a spectacular purpose-built centre for outdoor learning, the first of its kind in Oman. Officially opened in October 2017 it provides an ideal base located amongst the dunes of the Sharqiya Sands from which to start and end your Desert Medicine learning experience.
  • Sharqiya Sands is the most intensely studied desert ever
    The Royal Geographical Society ran the first integrated geographical survey of one of the greatest sand sea deserts in the world, the ‘Oman Wahiba Sands Project’ between 1984 – 1987 with their top scientists analysing this unique desert environment. The survey showed the area has a unique range of mobile, stable and cemented sands (aeolianite) and a diverse flora and fauna with over 16,000 invertebrate species and 130 flora species in this environment of unique importance.
  • A warm welcome and great hospitality
    It’s well known across the lands of the Empty Quarter of the Arabian Peninsula that the Sultanate of Oman is one of the most hospitable countries in the world. The Omani people are known for their legendary hospitality and an unofficial policy of “everyone is my friend, no-one is my enemy” means you will be met with a warm welcome and a friendly face.

To find out more about our Desert Medicine course, please click here. Take your medical career to the next level – book your place today!

 

Other blogs that may be of interest, include:
5 fantastic reasons to attend the extraordinary 2018 Desert Medicine Course
Desert Medicine: kick start your career as an extreme medicine
Meet the team behind our Desert Medicine course

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Would you have the confidence to assess and treat a high-stress Paediatric Trauma case?

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Paediatric trauma and the acutely ill is on the rise within the health service, and with plenty of enthusiastic feedback requesting such a course, our Paediatric Trauma and Acute Care course is back by popular demand following its successful launch in 2018.

Eoin Walker, a London HEMS Paramedic, UKMED Team Member, WEM MSc in Extreme Medicine Faculty and the Paediatric Trauma course leader said:

“Paediatric trauma and illness is thankfully so rare that when a case does present itself, there can be a nervousness and anxiety that pre-hospital providers feel when treating these patients. Through my own experience dealing with trauma patients, I truly believe that knowledge breeds confidence, which is why a course such as this new Paediatric Trauma course provides the perfect opportunity to get smart, improve your knowledge and skills and ultimately provide the gold standard of critical care that we aspire to.”

When dealing with our smaller patients, it’s vital to understand a paediatric trauma will need to be handled in a different way, as they will present a different pattern of injury than an adult in trauma, which means the assessment and treatment of the underlying illness will require a different approach that many medical professionals won’t have come up against before. Fortunately, these cases are rare and often unique, but it does beg the question ‘Would you know how to handle and have the confidence to assess, treat and manage such a high-stress situation?

We believe it’s prudent to train for all eventualities, especially when specific knowledge and skills could potentially optimise the outcome and intervention required, which is why this course has been specifically designed for all medical and allied health professionals dealing with paediatric emergency care around the world and for those working in challenging and under-resourced conditions.

Mark Hannaford, Managing Director & Founder of World Extreme Medicine (WEM) added:

“As a parent and the founder of WEM, I have been wanting to get this course off-the-ground for quite a while. Our aim, working with the remarkable Eoin Walker and with a number of well-placed partners, is to make this overseas specific so WEM medics working in low-resourced medical systems will be better equipped to deal with paediatric emergencies helping to save lives and improve, one small step at a time, remote healthcare”

This practical 2-day course will provide universal guidelines on how to treat paediatric trauma patients in a pre-hospital environment, practical integrated workshops and enhanced fidelity simulations providing you with the skills to feel more confident in treating sick children plus group discussions to share knowledge and experiences as well as the opportunity to examine best practice around scene management and high stress situations.

The course will also cover areas such as paediatric trauma assessment and airway, remote paediatric care, intraosseous insertion access and pain management, paediatric traumatic cardiac arrest and medical assessment tools which you may be unfamiliar with. There will be panel discussions with paediatric case scenarios and the opportunity to learn non-technical skills & troubleshooting, a necessity when dealing with paediatric trauma cases as they play such a big part in how you treat the injured patient.

The Paediatric Trauma course aims to enable attendees to:

  • Feel better equipped and more confident when presented with a paediatric trauma case, so they feel comfortable providing the right assessment and intervention.
  • Acquire and develop specific skills applicable to paediatric trauma medicine.
  • Enhance knowledge and skills relating to understanding, diagnosing and treating paediatric trauma when presented.
  • Understand and develop the non-technical skills required in paediatric trauma cases such as scene management, listening, handover, leadership and following the correct shared mental health model.

To find out more about our Paediatric Trauma and Acute Care course, please click here. Take your medical career to the next level – book your place today!

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Thai Cave Rescue: What was the impact of being trapped underground?

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Thailand Cave Rescue

World Extreme Medicine and expedition medic Dr Alex Rowe explains the impact of being trapped underground and the challenges they would have faced.

What were the main challenges?
When we look back at the challenges faced by these children, with the lack of safe water, and also the lack of food, it can be split it into 2 things. The main risk to their health would have been with the water and risk of infection which would cause diarrhoea and potentially quite serious dehydration. The food aspect wasn’t quite so important, and they should be able to make a full recovery from the lack of food.

What impact could lower oxygen levels in the cave have had?
If the reduction in oxygen is gradual, then actually the human body could adapt to that. If the oxygen levels were reducing they would have got symptoms that are similar to altitude illness, such as headaches, nausea and a reduction in appetite. If there was a more rapid reduction in oxygen concentration they could go on to develop lung complications and brain complications as well, but at present, this doesn’t look to be the case. There would have also been another issue with the gases in there, in particular, the increased levels of carbon dioxide. There would have been a risk that it would gradually build up in the body, and again make you feel nauseous, it would make you flush, it would make you feel hot and eventually, it would probably make you feel drowsy and eventually would cause unconsciousness.

What did the doctors do to help those trapped in the cave?
The longer anyone is trapped, the worse their bodies will become, so their muscles will be wasting, they’ll be getting weaker over time, and the important thing here is to actually make sure they have the right nutrition. So, they will need a good amount of protein and a good amount of carbohydrates; really the usual balanced diet. Ideally, you would want to be using the muscles as much as you can, but the downside of that is if you start using muscles and doing active exercise that then increases the amount of oxygen you need.

How does a long period in the dark affect people?
The main issue with being in the dark is actually total lack of time perception, and also you tend to lose your normal body rhythms as well. So normal circadian rhythms are lost, and your body can’t really cope with that. And then in terms of the eyes as well, interestingly over time, especially in pitch black, the eyes stop being able to respond to light. It makes the eyes incredibly sensitive when people leave any prolonged dark environment. However, that is reversible.

Will their bodies be able to recover?
The physical problems are probably recoverable unless they received any severe injuries during the rescue attempt and even those can be rehabilitated. But, in terms of the physical aspect, that should all be rebuildable with rehabilitation and good diet.

The teammates have now been reunited in the main hospital in Chiang Rai city and are said to be in quarantine for the time being while they are closely monitored, receive vaccinations for rabies and tetanus and build up their strength.

Thongchai Lertwilairattanapong, an inspector for Thailand’s health department, told reporters: “From our assessment, they are in good condition and not stressed. The children were well taken care of in the cave. Most of the boys lost an average of 2 kg in weight during their time trapped in the cave.”

What is re-feeding syndrome that WEM referred to?
We were very fortunate to have the input of Karen Allsopp a Specialist ICU Dietitian in Macclesfield

‘You asked at what point the boys’ metabolisms will be now.  If they’ve had very few calories so far, then they’ll still be in the starvation stage – where the body adapts by minimising insulin levels, and running with low blood glucose levels and adjusting renal excretion of electrolytes down to a minimum.

Once calories are introduced – which for hospital patients in the first instance is often as iv dextrose – the levels of insulin rise quite abruptly – especially if the calorie input is high. Blood glucose levels will rise, sometimes to above 8 mmol/L even in non-diabetics. This shift to anabolism, drives movement of potassium, magnesium and phosphate from the blood into the intracellular space. This can result in hypo-kalaemia/magnesaemia/phosphataemia with potentially serious consequences.

The introduction of carbohydrate can also ‘use up’ the last remaining supply in the body of thiamine, tipping the patient over into acute thiamine deficiency. If not treated by administration of thiamine within a few hours, the neurological effects can include permanent nystagmus and permanent loss of short term memory. This Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome of course is most often seen in the West in patients with alcohol dependency – but can also occur during following starvation during the refeeding phase. A fascinating example is as mentioned, Dr James Scott who was lost in the Himalayas for around 40 days and wrote up his experience in the Annals of Internal Medicine. He started off with a higher BMI than the boy’

Please see many references on the syndrome: e.g http://www.schn.health.nsw.gov.au/_polici…/pdf/2013-7036.pdf & https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg32/chapter/1-Guidance… – see point 1.4.6.

 

Mark Hannaford Managing Director & Founder of World Extreme Medicine added:
“In a world seemingly striven by differences and polarity this rescue was a superb example of international collaboration and teamwork. 

It had us all, from start to finish, on the edge-of-our-seats from the initial finding of the boys by the amazing divers from the British Cave Rescue Council to the final safe extraction but a diverse collection of specialists from the Thai military to an international cohort of special cave divers.

Amongst the celebrations, we set aside a moment to remember the selfless heroism of Saman Gunan a rescue diver who sadly died in the process of the rescue operations.”

You can also see Dr Alex Rowe on Victoria’s Derbyshire’s BBC2 show discussing in more detail what the immediate health concerns would be now the boys have been rescued.

#ThaiCaveRescue #ThailandCaveRescue

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Meet the team behind our Conservation Medicine Course

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Working with the world-renowned N/a’an ku sê Foundation we’ve designed a brand-new Conservation Medicine course unlike anything else. Our one-of-a-kind course brings together the unique experience of Dr Rudie van Vuuren (physician and conservationist), Marlice van Vuuren (conservationist), resident vets and the N/a’an ku sê Foundation’s medical team.

Meet this highly specialised team who will be delivering an unrivalled syllabus of content:

Dr Rudie van Vuuren

Possibly best known for representing his country in both the 2003 Cricket World Cup and the 2003 Rugby World Cup, this former sportsman is now one of Namibia’s leading physicians (he is personal physician of the President of the Republic of Namibia Dr. Hage Geingob) and a well-respected conservationist.

In 2000 Dr Rudie van Vuuren married Marlice van der Merwe (as she was known then) and it was in 2006 after following his passion for wildlife and conservation that along with his wife Marlice and other founding members they created N/a’an ku sê Lodge and Wildlife Sanctuary, Namibia’s only charity lodge; a place where the conservation of animals and culture are interlinked.

True to its name, N/a’an ku sê means ‘God will Protect us’ in the San language, and the N/a’an ku sê Foundation’s vision is an Africa where humans and wildlife can live and thrive together. The foundation aims to conserve the land, cultures and wildlife of Namibia through encouraging participation, education and innovative activity.

Marlice van Vuuren

Marlice van Vuuren (née van der Merwe) grew up surrounded by the orphaned and injured animals on her parents’ farm,

Harnas, where, for more than 30 years, injured or orphaned animals have found refuge. Her strong bond with Namibia’s San Bushmen, with whom she grew up with on her parents’ farm, not only made it possible for Marlice to learn their language fluently, but also instilled in her a deep affinity for their culture, their traditions and the plight they face in being considered third-rate citizens in Namibia.

In 2000 Marlice married Dr. Rudie van Vuuren, a man sharing her love for Namibia, its often-threatened animal species and unique people. Marlice’s inherent calling, prompted by her lifelong work and dedication to rehabilitating animals and advocating for Namibia’s dwindling cultures, led to the birth of the N/a’an ku sê mission – to conserve the land, cultures and wildlife of Namibia, and rescue species threatened by an ever-shrinking habitat.

Besides her ongoing work in animal care and involvement in N/a’an ku sê’s varied research projects focusing on evidence-based findings in mitigating human-wildlife conflict, Marlice has lent her expertise with animals to a significant number of filming projects. Since the age of 13, Marlice has been involved in various film productions and documentaries, including ‘Beyond Borders’ with Angelina Jolie and in 2008 her life was covered in the documentary directed by Philip Selkirk, ‘Marlice – A Vision for Africa’.

Other notable clients have included BBC, ITV, SKY and National Geographic, with prominent documentary series’ featuring Marlice and a number of the N/a’an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary animals. The vast list includes BBC’s ‘Big Cats’, National Geographic’s ‘One Strange Rock’ (the most ambitious National Geographic documentary series to date), SKY’s ‘A Day on Earth’, BBC’s ‘The Hunt’, SKY’s ‘Cats: An Amazing Animal Family’, BBC’s ‘Animals with Cameras’ plus many more.

No doubt Marlice will continue to dedicate her life to a cause that has formed the crux of her existence for so long – that of conservation.

Dr. Kobus Hoffman, BVSc. Veterinary Science, BSc. Veterinary Biology

Dr. Hoffman qualified as a veterinarian from the world-renowned Onderstepoort Veterinary Faculty of the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Since qualification in 2012, Dr. Hoffman has worked in various disciplines of veterinary science including private practice wildlife and large animal veterinarian, as well as working as a companion animal (cats, dogs and horses)

His passion for veterinary science, however, lies in wildlife conservation and immobilisation. Dr. Hoffman attended the Zimbabwe wildlife capture course held at Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve, presented by some of the most experienced wildlife veterinarians in Africa, where he was awarded the top student award for 2014. He has further completed a practical wildlife forensics course and attended an Advanced Wildlife Immobilisation and Field Practice course held in the Kruger National Park, South Africa.

Dr. Hoffman assisted in the translocation of 85 elephants in Zimbabwe and was involved with the immobilisation and implantation of activity and temperature monitors in 20 wild lions for a research project. Currently living in Windhoek, Dr. Hoffman is the head veterinarian for the N/a’an ku sê Foundation.

Burton Julius

Burton is a wildlife conservationist and human capacity development practitioner, leveraging capacity for social change and responsible stewardship for our planet.

His enthusiasm for wildlife conservation, the environment, and human capacity development started two decades ago in his home country of Namibia and led to his Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography, Regional Studies and Globalization Theory at Bard College. Following his undergraduate experience, Burton became an educator in the state of Massachusetts and decided to pursue further academic training. He has since earned a Master of Arts degree in International Environmental Policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California.

 

The conservation career path Burton has embarked on has led him to a number of fascinating places and given him equally rewarding experiences and impactful projects both in America and Tanzania. He’s recently found himself back in Namibia, doing what he loves by joining the N/a’ an ku sê Wildlife Foundation’s Research Department, where he has the wonderful privilege of being involved with the human-wildlife conflict initiatives nationwide.

Join us this December; learn with this experienced, knowledgeable team and be part of something amazing. Book your place today!

The WEM Conservation Medicine is a ‘One Medicine’ course.  The origin of the One Medicine concept has been linked to the 19th-century German physician and pathologist, Rudolf Virchow, whose discoveries on Trichinella spiralis in pork led to valuable public health measures (1). Virchow coined the term “zoonosis” and proclaimed that there should be no dividing line between human and animal medicine. Source Article.

 

Other blogs that may be of interest, include:

 

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Conservation Medicine, A 'One Medicine' Course

What is Conservation Medicine?

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First used in the 1990’s the term ‘Conservation Medicine’ describes the broad ecological context of health. It represents an emerging interdisciplinary field that studies the multiple two-way interactions between pathogens and disease on the one hand, and between species and eco-systems on the other.

Conservation Medicine attempts to examine the world in a fully inclusive way by bringing together the disciplines of health and ecology through the study of the ecological context of health and the remediation of ecological health problems. It overtly recognises the health component of conserving biodiversity and addresses the effects of disease on rare or endangered species as well as the functioning of ecosystems. It is also concerned with the impacts of changes in species diversity or rarity on disease maintenance and transmission.

World-renowned physician and conservationist Dr Rudie van Vuuren, who alongside his expert team will be leading the World Extreme Medicine Conservation Medicine course in Namibia, says “Conservation Medicine is working together with other disciplines in the field of disease and conservation to create healthier ecosystems, recognise and treat diseases that cross the human-animal barrier, prevent outbreaks of these diseases and better understand how our natural environment is inter-dependent.”

Why is Conservation Medicine needed?
Over the last two decades, as human populations have constantly grown and expanded, quite often at the cost of wildlife habitat with animals and plants around the world becoming increasingly threatened, this, in turn, has had a secondary effect of narrowing the disease interface barrier. Complex health issues are now becoming more commonplace and so people are recognising that human health and the health of the planet are inextricably linked.

It has become more apparent that one cannot look at disease only from a human perspective anymore, we now need a multi-disciplinary approach where cause and effect should be addressed. By combining biomedical, ecological and veterinary sciences together, it enables us to explore the connections and understand the ecological causes of changes in animal and human health, trace the environmental sources of pathogens and pollutants, and understand the consequences of diseases to populations.

Who practices conservation medicine?
Due to the uniqueness and the various disciplines involved, Conservation Medicine provides a new vision to those people studying and immersed in the following fields:

Medical Professionals With many conservation research expeditions and projects taking place in developing countries, where medical facilities are either non-existent or poor, it is vital that there are medical professionals on the ground with the practical skills, knowledge and understanding needed to perform in highly complex and demanding situations.As medics take their medical skills into the wild, Conservation Medicine allows them to learn about such as things as Zoonosis, survival in the bush and infectious diseases that are relevant to their environment; as well as understanding and being part of life in a remote clinic or rural outreach programme.
Veterinarians Veterinary medicine and veterinarians are uniquely placed to be involved with conservation medicine (aka one health concept) as they have a broad exposure to all 3 role players (human, animal and environmental health).Why do veterinarians get involved? Veterinarians realise that whether you farm with cattle or whether you are interested in conservation, without a healthy environment for the animals to flourish in, the farming enterprise/conservation effort is helpless.
Ecologists Conservation Medicine goes a long way toward teaching us to analyse health problems in an ecological context as more and more we are starting to see a connection between ecosystem health, human health and animal health with the greater understanding of global climate change, and the wide-ranging influence of human effects on the planet.
Geologists Conservation Medicine covers human and wildlife health issues linked with either geological processes or the tools that geoscientists use, such as satellites and subsurface monitors. A geologist’s role in Conservation Medicine is to understand and deal with the relationship between natural geological factors, such as the role of rocks, soil and groundwater in controlling the health of humans and animals. They also need to understand the influence of ordinary environmental factors on the geographical distribution of such health problems.
Conservation biologists Modern diseases and the susceptibility to diseases from humans to animals and vice versa are no exception to these global challenges we face. Conservation medicine is one such innovative approach with which to address these challenges, especially diseases. In order for us to understand the relationships of organism to their environment, then, much like running a diagnosis, we start by understanding the historical behaviour and factors that influenced and led to the current state of imbalance. This enables for an accurate diagnosis, which makes treating the diseases, the imbalance or each of these current conservation challenges more effectively.

The future of Conservation Medicine
In a world where the global impact of human activity is evident in the dynamics of every local ecosystem and habitat, from human-modified landscapes to modern day environmental threats such as global warming, acid rain, air pollution, urban sprawl, demand is now dictating the need to renew the link between medicine and natural history and take a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to the conservation of biodiversity.

More conversations are taking place between interdisciplinary fields than ever before and practitioners are consistently finding themselves exploring new and unfamiliar terrain as they seek to develop and apply global health management practices, policies and programmes that protect the ecosystems essential to animal and human health. By joining forces under a common denominator: health, this new found working partnership will ignite a powerful new global awareness that conservation of biodiversity and of healthy functioning ecosystems is necessary to the health of individuals and populations, human and otherwise.

Introducing the new World Extreme Medicine Conservation Medicine Course
Due to the importance of this subject and with such growing demand for medical skills in this field, as more conservation projects are founded and remote communities more accessible and in need of medical help and assistance, we have developed a new and exciting Conservation Medicine course to add to our incredible roster of inspirational extreme medicine training courses. Open to both medical and animal health professionals this fascinating subject is explored in great depth and will provide skills that can then be utilised in real-life situations.

WEM Founding Director, Mark Hannaford says: “It was following a discussion in Windhoek with Dr. Rudie van Vuuren, a physician and conservationist that we agreed the area of Conservation Medicine was wholly unrepresented by our training courses. Now, more so than ever, as the interrelated worlds of animal and human medicine meet, there is a need to gain further knowledge of zoonosis epidemics and disease outbreaks so that they might be easier to identify and contain.”

“Following our discussion, a plan was set in motion for us to work together in Namibia and create a unique training course like no other. Having already been operating in Namibia for a number of years running our desert medicine courses, we were convinced of the training value Dr Rudie and his team would bring. We are really excited to have created an amazing course that will allow clinicians to look in greater detail at animal psychology and spend more time understanding what we might learn from animal medicine.”

“As well as learning the practical skills required to work in the wild, we wanted to expose people to the extraordinary desert environment of Namibia and bring them into contact with the diversity present in this beautiful country. Through this partnership, we also have the opportunity to advertise when vacancies arise for new medics in his Bushman clinic, so the skills learnt through our training course can be put into practice and provide a willing medic with a career-changing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Working alongside and the world-renowned N/a’an ku sê Foundation we have brought together leading physicians, conservationists, veterinarians and ecologists to deliver an unrivalled syllabus of content that explores the relationships among animal, human, and environmental health and how professionals can work together to make our ecosystem healthier and restore biodiversity.

The course aims to enable attendees to:

  • Learn and enhance their knowledge about Conservation Medicine and the interactions between human, animal and ecosystem health.
  • Acquire and develop specific veterinary and survival skills applicable to Conservation Medicine.
  • Enhance knowledge and skills relating to understanding, diagnosing and treating Common African Zoonosis.
  • Understand how a Conservation Medicine approach can be applied to a range of practical real-life situations by assessing, assimilating and applying scientific evidence and responding with an appropriate solution.

Through hands-on workshops and field trips, lectures and guest speakers, you’ll explore a wide range of topics, such as conservation medicine, African zoonosis, venomous animals, wildlife immobilisation (theory and practical), anti-poaching, survival in the bush, life in remote clinics, rural outreach and infectious diseases, all preparing you for work on the wilder side of life. You’ll also experience as part of this one of a kind course, special highlights throughout your stay that will leave memories to last a lifetime, including a carnivore feeding tour, traditional Namibian braai and your choice of a Cheetah walk, baboon walk or horse ride through the reserve.

To find out more about our newly relaunched Conservation Medicine course, please click here, and if after reading all about the course you still need convincing that this is the course for you, read our other Conservation Medicine related blogs which reaffirm why this one-of-a-kind course is not to be missed!

The WEM Conservation Medicine is a ‘One Medicine’ course.  The origin of the One Medicine concept has been linked to the 19th century German physician and pathologist, Rudolf Virchow, whose discoveries on Trichinella spiralis in pork led to valuable public health measures (1). Virchow coined the term “zoonosis” and proclaimed that there should be no dividing line between human and animal medicine. Source Article.

Other blogs that may be of interest, include:

 

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Meet WEMski speaker Aldo Kane – Former Royal Marine Commando and now Safety Director for some of the world’s largest TV and film productions.

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As an extreme adventurer, former Royal Marine Commando and now a specialist in providing safety and guidance in extreme environments for a selection of the largest film and television productions in the world; Aldo Kane has plenty of captivating stories to share. He will be joining us at the inaugural WEMski mini-conference in the Italian Alps, discussing his own real-life experiences of extreme and psychological challenges and how those stressful situations impacted his life.

Aldo’s love of the great outdoors first came from his involvement in the Scout movement, where at a young age alongside his twin brother, they would go off on adventures around their stomping ground Arran, Loch Lomond and Glencoe and spend much of their time abseiling and camping their way across the Scottish countryside. It was this love for adventure that led him to join the Royal Marines after leaving school at the age of 16. The pinnacle of his military career was to become a sniper for the Royal Marines, a much sought-after post that he served in for more than a decade and one that would take him on exploits around the world.

During his military career, Aldo also became a medic, mountain leader, climbing instructor, and diver, and it was these skills that he used when he left the Royal Marines as a grounding to form his company ‘Vertical Planet, which is now one of the world’s leading providers of safety, security, medical and risk management services to the film and TV industry. Aldo and his team have provided climbing support at El Capitan in America, ventured into active volcanoes with Richard Hammond, diving supervision in Madagascar, helped Steve Backshall through Venezuelan mountains and offered caving support in Slovakia.

As well as travelling the world, Aldo is also part of ‘Team Essence’, a team of adventurers that take on extreme challenges in some of the world’s most inhospitable environments. His first challenge was as part of a successful five-strong world-record breaking team, including fellow WEMski speaker Jason ‘Foxy’ Fox that rowed from continent to continent (Portugal to Venezuela) across the Atlantic Ocean, in a time of 50 days, 10 hours and 36 min, raising a massive £120,000 for the NSPCC.

From death-defying military conflicts to working on the set of Hollywood blockbuster ‘The Avengers’ and advising actors Henry Cavill, Tom Hardy and Adrien Brody, we can’t wait to hear Aldo share his unique experiences with the delegates at WEMski.

We are thrilled to welcome Aldo to our WEMski faculty and to give you a little taste of what Aldo will be talking about at WEMski, we asked him these three questions…

Q. What skills would you say are vital in an extreme and challenging environment?

A. I believe the best skills for extreme environments are the practical life-saving skills that are specific to each environment. However, I do believe that ‘soft skills’ are much more important in an extreme expedition scenario. Skills such as the ability to work in a team, emotional quotient (EQ), a good attitude, courage, determination and above all cheerfulness in adversity are vital.

Q. What first interested you in practising extreme medicine / taking on extreme physical and psychological challenges?

A. I joined the Royal Marines at the age of 16 and became a sniper at the age of 18. I have spent my entire career in some of the world’s most extreme and physical environments, and have had to learn a few basic medical skills to allow me to operate both on my own and as part of a small team. It’s always a good idea to have rudimentary medical knowledge and skills when out in the field.

Q. What has been your scariest ‘extreme’ challenge/situation and why?

A. I am lucky or unlucky (depending on how you look at it) enough to have experienced several extreme challenges to date, both through work and others as part of a challenge to test myself. One of my scariest challenges includes rowing across the Atlantic Ocean from Mainland to Mainland as part of a crew that rowed the longest route in the fastest time – despite capsizing 3 times! I’ve also carried out a full descent of the Balium river in West Papua New Guinea and worked with Narcos in South America.

To find out more information on WEMski or to book your place on what we promise will be an incredibly fun, diverse and inspiring week, please click here.

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Polar Medicine in the Arctic Circle

Polar Medicine course heads to the Arctic Circle…

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With WEMski in the Italian Alps just around the corner, another group of doctors and medical professionals is soon to be heading to the cold extremes of Alta, a town in the far north of Norway, to learn medicine and survival skills that will help them on future expeditions in polar conditions.

The course has been developed for medical professionals, expedition and wilderness medics working in cold and high-altitude environments, and will run from the 4th – 10th March 2018 near Alta in Northern Norway

The Polar Medicine course aims to use the winter evenings to cover the essential expedition medical skills required to care for and treat injuries and illnesses likely to occur in this harsh environment, whilst the days are spent in the field, learning practical skills.

The course takes place over seven days and nights, and participants will encounter challenges such as shelter construction, cold water immersion and navigation. At the same time, they will learn about common cold temperature conditions such as frostbite, hypothermia and plan for these eventualities.

London-based Matt Edwards, a senior Emergency Department doctor and pre-hospital physician in Kent, Surrey and Sussex, will lead the group. He has experience of medicine in cold extremes, having spent a couple of seasons providing medical cover to scientists with the British Antarctic Survey, and supported Across the Divide Arctic dog sled expeditions.

Matt said, “With the pressures on NHS doctors and nurses constantly increasing, the polar medicine course gives medical professionals an opportunity to experience working outside of a hospital environment, in conditions that are hostile to humans.

“While the skills that they learn in Norway equip them to support expeditions into the Arctic and Antarctic regions for science, exploration or industry, we find that the attendees’ learnings serve them well on their return to clinical environments in the UK.

“The course focuses on treatment of medical conditions and situations that are common in the polar regions, but within a framework that teaches attendees survival skills in austere conditions. Doctors have to experience the challenges of moving around and living in the freezing cold in order to be useful expedition medics in these areas.”

The fact that this course is useful to hospital medicine has been recognised by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, which awards 30 Continued Professional Development points to attendees.

Mark Hannaford, founder of World Extreme Medicine, said, “This course gives attendees the chance to test themselves in a real-life extreme environment, possibly for the first time in their careers.

“Every extreme medic starts somewhere, and we may just find that the week in Norway ignites the expeditionary spark in some of the attendees.

“From there, they can go anywhere. They could provide medical support for scientists working in Antarctica, or with more training go on to work in other exciting areas such as deserts, high mountains or in conflict zones.”

The next instalment of the World Extreme Medicine Polar Medicine course takes place in New Zealand 22nd – 27th July in New Zealand.

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