Antarctica bound
Anyone who knows me will not be at all surprised by today's announcement- I'm headed to Antarctica! Yes, that's where the South Pole is along with penguins, seals and orcas. No polar bears (that was the Alaskan Arctic) or other furry mammals.
And how did this opportunity come about you ask? I worked in New Zealand 2018/19 and heard that as a Kiwi doctor, I could work in Antarctica. Unfortunately I was working there as a Locum on a work visa and needed to be a permanent resident to be considered. Then when I was in Alaska 2019-2021, I met a doctor who had worked in Antarctica who wasn't a Kiwi at all. He told me that the US sends docs down twice a year to cover the health needs of scientists/explorers at 3 stations (learn more here https://www.usap.gov/) and he told me how to apply. I did so that night but never heard back.
Fast forward to January 2024. I was waiting on a locum assignment in Virginia to finish my credentialing so I could start work in between jobs. They were taking FOREVER and I was getting increasingly frustrated. Then I got an e-mail out of the blue from the team hiring docs for the McMurdo station in Antarctica. Apparently the doc scheduled to go down Feb-Sept changed his mind and his back-up wasn't going to be cleared to deploy. I was on the list of past applicants and was one of many that received an e-mail asking if I had availability and interest. I replied right away and within a day it was determined I was the perfect candidate. I let the Virginia job know I was out and started on getting my medical, dental and criminal background clearances. It was a busy 3 weeks with doctor/dentist appointments, fingerprinting and seemingly endless paperwork but I was cleared and now I'm a flight away from being back in New Zealand at the USAP in Christchurch. After a few days of orientation and picking up my extreme cold weather gear (ECW), I'll deploy to the ice, tentatively on Monday Feb 19th.
I have a lot to learn when I get to Antarctica. I'll be the only doctor at McMurdo along with a PA (Physician Assistant) and we'll be managing the health of ~150 people. They will all be in relatively good health with medical clearances similar to my own, so I will mostly be managing acute illnesses and injuries that come up (colds, twisted ankles, etc). There's always a possibility of more significant health problems (heart attack, stroke, serious infections, etc), that's where my expertise will be stretched. The colleague I met in Alaska diagnosed an acute appendicitis within a week of arriving on the ice, so it can and does happen.
I have to learn basic dentistry, how to operate the x-ray and ultrasound machines as well as running labs and dispensing medications. Not too concerning but shoot, I haven't needed to do any of that. I was in Alaska for 2 weeks in Dec 2023 and had to draw blood there, so I guess I'll have a tiny leg up for labs though the rest, we shall see. Thankfully I'll have access to specialists and dentists by phone and even video conferencing when needed so I don't have to wing it too much.
I'll update more once I'm down on the ice but until then, it's settling in that I'm really doing this.
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