When you’re working at sea, we don’t often get involved in emergency care – which I’m thankful for, as those I’m tasked with providing care for are both close friends and colleagues! Most of the cases that present at sea comprise of either general illnesses or minor injuries.
The hospital that I worked out of was primarily used by those in a low socioeconomic position. Medical care fees were heavily subsidised, which made it a much more affordable option and more widely available than other local private hospitals which are a lot more expensive.
A normal day in the hospital in Mexico is a 10-12 hour day and I worked 5 days a week, although you can do more if you wish. On a typical day there would be several resus patients coming through the door. These are the most seriously ill people and they need immediate attention and often resuscitation. Once the Doctors are happy with your skill set, they will allow you to be directly involved in the patients care.
In addition to resuscitation, there was plenty of opportunity to practise skills such as suturing, cannulation, drug administration, collecting blood samples, interpreting x-rays (under a physicians guidance) and insert urinary catheters.
Suturing isn’t something most ambulance Paramedics do, as it’s an additional skill to basic training. But in Mexico, I was able to really expand my experience and sutured hands, arms, heads, legs, and even faces. Likewise catheterisation isn’t a regular Paramedic skill, but I catheterised male and female patients.
I also inserted a chest drain on one occasion, helped deliver a baby (not my first one though!), assisted in relocating a dislocated shoulder, and performed endotracheal (ET) intubations. While ET tubes are a Paramedic skill, many UK ambulance services no longer use it, so it was great to keep my skills sharp.
