Offshore Medic

Offshore medics are qualified nurses who work on fixed or mobile oil rigs, looking after the health, safety and welfare of the oil workers. There can be one or two hundred workers on the rig.

The Work

You could be:

• conducting medical examinations and acting as a consultant when recruitment medical examinations are under review


• dealing with illness and injury which occurs on-site: dressing wounds, administering drugs, checking blood pressure, giving anti-tetanus injections


• providing 24 hour cover for emergency treatment and first aid


• maintaining onsite stocks of medical equipment and provisions


• contributing to occupational health and safety services onsite, chairing health and safety meetings and carrying out health promotions


• organising medical evacuations where a worker has to return onshore for immediate treatment


• communicating regularly face-to-face and in writing with both the Onshore Company Doctor and the Offshore Installation Manager (OIM)


• after extra training, fulfilling certain non-medical roles such as Helicopter Landing Officer or Radio Operator.

Conditions

• You spend alternately two weeks (in some cases four weeks) offshore, two weeks onshore, travelling to and from the rig by helicopter. In case of fog you may have to stay a few days longer than expected either onshore or offshore. This can affect long-term plans such as holidays.


• Offshore you work a 12 hour day shift but are on call round the clock in case of emergency.


• Offshore you mostly work in a clean, comfortable office beside the sick bay within the accommodation module of the oil rig.


• You work independently with your only line management, an onshore doctor at the end of a phone.


• When offshore you may be called out to attend to an emergency anywhere on the rig. Outside the accommodation unit it can be cold, wet, stormy, dirty and noisy and you must wear protective gear.


• On the rig the company provide food and laundry services. Most oil platforms have a gym for the use of employees.


• There can be some heavy lifting and a lot of clambering on stairs.


• There might be some trips abroad.

Getting In

• Generally you must first qualify and register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). (see Nurse: Registered (Adult).)


• You then undergo the Offshore Medic course and the Survival course, both approved by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The former lasts four weeks and the latter lasts three days. Total cost approximately £2500.


• To work in this job you must declare any criminal convictions. Certain types of conviction may prevent you from getting in. Contact Disclosure Scotland for details.


• You should be fit and healthy. You must provide evidence that you do not have, and have been immunised against, Hepatitis B.


• You will work for one of the oil companies which generally operate on a global scale.

What Does It Take?

You should be:

• able to work alone - the only source of medical advice is the doctor onshore


• able to get on with a wide range of people with whom you will be in close contact for weeks at a time


• sociable, with a sense of humour


• observant


• confident and assertive


• decisive, with good judgement.

Training

• All medics employed in the North Sea area must undergo HSE approved offshore medic training. This training lasts four weeks and must be renewed every 3 years. It usually happens during the weeks when you are not working offshore. Total cost of training is approximately £2500.


• It may not be necessary for working abroad although most companies employing overseas medics follow the UK guidelines.


• There are a number of centres around the UK and elsewhere which carry out the training. See the Remote Medics Online website (below).


• Pre-entry requirements: you should be a Registered Nurse with Accident and Emergency or Trauma Experience. In some cases qualified paramedics and medical technicians may get on to the course.


• You should also have an HSE offshore survival certificate.


• While you are working, you could then go on to study part time online for the Diploma in Remote and Offshore Medicine. Details are available on the Remote Medics website.

Getting On

• After extra training you could fulfil additional non-medical roles on the rig such as Helicopter Landing Officer or Radio Operator.


• Later on you could move into onshore work as, for example, an occupational health consultant to the oil industry. Further training will help. Useful qualifications include: Registered EMT-Paramedic, Dive Medic Certificate, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pre Hospital Trauma Life Support, First Aid Instructor.

Pay

The figures below are only a guide. Actual pay rates may vary, depending on:

• where you work


• the size of the company or organisation you work for


• the demand for the job.

More Information

See website www.remotemedics.co.uk
This is a support site for medical personnel working in isolation.

Addresses

The following organisation(s) may be able to provide further information.