Would you be a motorsport doctor?
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Sport and exercise medicine
Would you be a motorsport doctor?
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Don't want hijack the Flying Doctor thread, so here's an alternative, a different form of medicine, both challenging and enjoyable. You don't need to be a petrolhead to get involved in, or
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Forums » Open clinical » Sport and exercise medicine » Would you be a motorsport doctor?
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Would you be a motorsport doctor?
posted at 4/3/2011 5:39 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 2035
First: 12/3/2010 Last: 19/5/2013 |
Don't want hijack the Flying Doctor thread, so here's an alternative, a different form of medicine, both challenging and enjoyable. You don't need to be a petrolhead to get involved in, or enjoy being a doctor involved in motorsport, and you will be welcomed and much needed! Almost every motorsport event must be covered by a doctor or a paramedic, backed up by a rescue unit or ambulance. That's a lot of doctors and paramedics, and it's getting harder to find them! Why should you take up motorsport medicine? First, it's challenging. Most doctors, even working in A&E, get their casualties served up on a spinal stretcher in a well-lit, warm resus room. As a motorsport doctor you may be one of the first at an incident, dealing with a casualty who is still in their car and must be treated while the extraction procedure goes on all round them. That extraction is the task of the rescue crew, who combine the roles filled on public roads by ambulance and fire service people. In only a few minutes, they can have the roof off a car, the casualty on a spinal board and off to safety and definitive care. But that doesn't happen often, I'm glad to say. In rallying, hillclimbing or sprinting, you are more likely to spend a day in the open air, in glorious woods or moors, or if the event is at a circuit in less rural but still wide open countryside. You will enjoy the company of some remarkable people, for rescue crews are not shrinking violets, but have enormous characters. And, if that is what you like, but it's just a cherry on the top, you will see some exciting motorsport, from much closer that any member of the public! Who can become a motorsport doctor? Anyone! Anyone with a full GMC registration and professional indemnity insurance! But I would suggest that you need at least one year of experience in an appropriate specialty, orthopaedics or other surgery, anaesthesia, critical care and A&E are ideal, and you should be an ATLS provider. There are other, more relevant and detailed courses available, such as BASICS http://www.basics.org.uk/ but that is an acceptable start point. You should register with the Motor Sports Association, that regulates motorsport in the UK, which will send you a copy of the Blue Book, the regulations that govern motorsport including medical matters. See http://www.msauk.org/uploadedfiles/msa_forms/NewOfficialsRegistration2006.pdf And you should contact an experienced motorsport medic, and ask to go along with them to some events. The MSA doesn't publish a list of motorsport doctors, but ask around in your hospital or practice. Or contact a rescue crew in your area, who are listed on the Volunteers in Motorsport website: http://www.volunteersinmotorsport.co.uk/listman/exec/search.cgi?search=1&perpage=10&lfield3_keyword=rescue&lfield11_keyword=club&template=_search_results_rescue.html For yes, most officials in motorsport are volunteers. As a doctor, you do get paid, but it';s certainly not in the £100K a year range, more like £100 per event and your fuel costs. But who went into medicine to make money? I'l be glad to advise anyone who wants to take up motorsport medicine - just click on my name next to this post, and 'Send a message'. John |
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Re: Would you be a motorsport doctor?
posted at 7/3/2011 4:06 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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*Moderator*
Posts: 941
First: 10/9/2009 Last: 14/5/2013 |
From twitter ... http://twitter.com/#!/silv24/status/44707440465420289 |
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Re: Would you be a motorsport doctor?
posted at 7/3/2011 4:07 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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*Moderator*
Posts: 941
First: 10/9/2009 Last: 14/5/2013 |
 http://twitter.com/#!/fidouglas/status/44707538188517376 |
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Re: Would you be a motorsport doctor?
posted at 8/3/2011 12:43 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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*Moderator*
Posts: 941
First: 10/9/2009 Last: 14/5/2013 |
Hi John D, we often tweet links to good d2d discussion threads on Twitter so they reach a wider audience. Sometimes people who read the threads through Twitter come onto doc2doc to repond but sometimes they just retweet or say what they think on Twitter. Hope that's helpful Sabreena |
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Re: Would you be a motorsport doctor?
posted at 7/7/2012 6:19 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 2
First: 7/7/2012 Last: 9/7/2012 |
In Response to Re: Would you be a motorsport doctor?: OK, thnaks Sabreena. I direct to them to my previous comment. John Posted by John D Dear John, I know this is an old article but I have just come accross it through Google. I am a 4th year medical student and have been interested in motorport medicine for a while. Is there anything that I can do now to get involved, or do I have to wait until I've qualified? K
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Re: Would you be a motorsport doctor?
posted at 8/7/2012 10:48 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 2035
First: 12/3/2010 Last: 19/5/2013 |
kanwalc, I'll hope to welcome you aboard one day! But meanwhile, you cannot work as a Motorsport doctor until you are fully qualified - ie not in foundation years - and as I mention above, I think that ATLS is a minimum. Meanwhile, several possibilities: As above, see if there is a motorsport doctor in your hospital - we're not that rare! Ditto, find a local Rescue Unit that you cold join as a rescue trainee. AND, for as much or more close contact with the sport, and to fill a great need, be a motorsport marshal, always needed to help to run circuit, rally, hillclimb - any discipline in motorsport. Lok at the "Volunteers in Motorsport" website: http://www.volunteersinmotorsport.co.uk/ to find out where, when, what and how. Best wishes, John |
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Re: Would you be a motorsport doctor?
posted at 9/7/2012 5:40 AM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 1280
First: 9/12/2011 Last: 14/5/2013 |
Excellent info John D. Were I to be a Doctor, I would look into this. From my Paramedic Years I remember trauma cases in Germany, Auto wrecks, very challenging, and oftentimes Sad since we lost a good portion of people in high speed wrecks on Autobahn! But suffice to say, this field of medicine is cutting edge for action. DuaneF |
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Re: Would you be a motorsport doctor?
posted at 9/7/2012 1:05 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 2035
First: 12/3/2010 Last: 19/5/2013 |
Thnak you, Duane! Kanwalk, I should have mentioned, and this could be of real interest to you, to other students and to just qualified doctors, that Pre-Hospital Medicine is now considered an independent specialty, and that training pathways are being designed to parallel the other specilaties. See this page on the BMJ Careers site: http://careers.bmj.com/careers/advice/view-article.html?id=20001168 I don't suppose that this will ever be a big specialty, but you could be in on the ground floor, and rising! John |
Forums » Open clinical » Sport and exercise medicine » Would you be a motorsport doctor?
