Offshore, Rig & Remote Medic Education

When Dr Shepherd of Aberdeen wrote the first book on first aid for the army the concept of pre-hospital medicine was born. Since then specialist pre-hospital practitioners have emerged together with the terms Paramedic and Offshore/Rig Medic. They have been considered in the past to be rather similar professionals but are in fact quite different. An ambulance paramedic is highly trained and competent in a narrow aspect of emergency medicine where they are often more knowledgeable and competent than a standard medical practitioner.

An Offshore Medic/Rig Medic supports all medical and health aspects of a remote and isolated community (often oil and gas related) Their area of responsibility can be beyond that of the average doctor and their knowledge base must be wide. In some areas they may be more useful than the average doctor e.g. specialist occupational medicine, hygiene, diving and environmental problems. Their diagnostic skill, however, may need intervention, support and advice from a doctor.

There is thus a need for research on the way forward and the training and continuous professional development of these personnel particularly since the conditions commonly dealt with, the legal structure, the culture and the local environment all cause different problems and considerations in different countries. This is an international problem and in these days of social mobility it is advantageous to have interchangeable qualifications and standards. This liaison has been under consideration since the Institute of Remote healthcare was established as a basis to its conviction that international training and education should largely be conducted on line for both economic and quality reasons. At this time a proposal has been made to a United Arab University that the Institute of remote HealthCare should collaborate with it in bringing Europeans together with UAE specialists and senior Police Authorities together to arrive at the optimum training for the ambulance service of that nation. This will also establish an international research base if the project is established.