Great White Space: Take on a real career challenge in one of the remotest areas in the world.

There's something to be said about getting away from it all, and there are few places on Earth where you can do that more effectively than Antarctica. At 14.25 million square kilometers (5.5 million square miles), this continent is slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the United States. Antarctica is the world's coldest, windiest, highest, and driest continent. It is a land of rock and mountains, ice and icebergs, penguins and seals, and no indigenous people.

What's Up at the Bottom of the World?

The three National Science Foundation bases in the Antarctic (all of which employ healthcare workers) are McMurdo Station, Admundsen-Scott South Pole, and Palmer Station. Because the closest hospital is in New Zealand, which is a five-hour flight away (if the weather permits a plane to land – and for many months it may not), the bases must be self-sufficient. Dr. Ron Shemenski, an American emergency medicine physician, has overseen the healthcare at all three of the research stations for the last two years and is responsible for putting together the healthcare teams in each of them.

McMurdo:

McMurdo Station, on Ross Island, is the largest base and the logistics hub for the other two stations. McMurdo consists of a harbor, landing strips, a helicopter pad, and about 85 buildings, the tallest of which is three stories. The coastal position and temperate summers (average high in January – which in Antarctica means late summer – is 3C/37.4F) provide an ideal location for a range of research including marine and terrestrial biology; biomedicine, geology and geophysics; glaciology and glacial geology; meteorology, aeronomy, and upper atmosphere physics.

With a staff of more than 1,200 in summer (October to February) and about 187 in winter (February to October), McMurdo's summer medical staff includes two physicians, one National Guard flight surgeon, one physician assistant (PA), a dentist, an X-ray tech, a lab tech, a physical therapist, and two nurses. During the winter period, summer camps are closed and station residents can be isolated for the entire eight-month period, with weather making in-and-out flights impossible. With the smaller winter population, the medical staff is reduced to one physician and one PA. McMurdo's clinic is open from 7am to 4pm; during the summer, personnel take call every third night, and, during the winter, they take call every night.

Admundsen-Scott South Pole Station:

South Pole Station lies 820 nautical miles due south of McMurdo. Its summer staff of 220 is reduced to 58 in the winter, and, year-round, the station is tended by one physician and one PA. Ozone-hole research from South Pole Station provides invaluable environmental data. Since there is nothing upwind for 3,000 miles, other atmospheric studies have the benefit of the cleanest air in the world. Seismographs monitor earthquakes and arms-treaty compliance worldwide. A large telescope will soon upgrade the station's astrophysics research capabilities.

Palmer Station:

Palmer Station, on the coast of Anvers Island, is near the southernmost points of Argentina and Chile. Palmer hosts research on weather and on biological studies of birds, seals, fish, and other wildlife. Since it is above the Antarctic Circle, the temperatures are more moderate, but storms, snow, and ice are more prevalent. One physician cares for the 40 summer and 18 winter staff. Palmer is accessible year-round but only by a four-day boat trip across Drake Passage – which has some of the roughest waters on Earth.

At South Pole and Palmer, the physician and PA are on call 24/7.

Who on (the Bottom of the) Earth Would Want to Do This?!

So who would want to work in such a harsh, isolated environment? "We tend to attract young people with extensive travel experiences," Shemeski explains.

According to Shemenski, Antarctica also attracts those looking for a challenge: "This work will test your good, old-fashioned diagnostic skills. I have to use my hands, ears, and eyes – not a CT scanner. We have to take our own X-rays, start our own IVs, administer our own meds, and do our own lab tests."

But developments in the field of telemedicine are rapidly advancing the sophistication of Antarctic medical care. The filmless, phosphor-plate X-ray machine enables stateside consultants to receive digital images sent via satellite in a matter of seconds. And in July 2002 (mid-winter), when a construction worker ruptured a patellar tendon while working on a housing facility, the repair was accomplished by the winter staff, through a telemedicine-conference with consultants at Massachusetts General, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

Yes, You Can Have Fun in Antarctica

Off-time activities at McMurdo are varied. There is a newspaper, a radio station, a library, a coffeehouse, and two bars. In the summer, 24-hour sunlight provides ample opportunity to cross-country ski, hike, or run. The gym includes a weight room, bowling alley, climbing wall, and courts for basketball, volleyball, and indoor hockey. TV and radio broadcasts from the US are available via satellite, and internet access is available, though the small bandwidth makes for slow surfing. There are online college courses and weekly science lectures. There is also a variety of hobby groups.

At the more remote Palmer and South Pole stations, the staff have to be more resourceful about organizing activities. At Palmer, there is high-speed internet and 24-hour telephone service. South Pole Station has no radio or TV, but they do have an extensive library of DVDs and videos, and the internet connection is available only for about eight hours a day. Gym facilities are more modest, and hobby groups and entertainment depend on the particular talents of the current staff. Says Shemenski, "During my tour at the South Pole, we had yoga, ballroom dancing lessons, and pilot ground school. At the smaller stations, the staff become like family. Movies are social events."

And if you really need to get away from everyone, there is a hydroponic greenhouse with full spectrum lights, which makes a great place to hang out by yourself.

Do You Have What It Takes?

"Our people need to be resourceful and flexible," says Shemenski. "People with leadership skills are able to train their community to help in a crisis." And in such a tight-knit environment, personality really is key to working here. "They must be able to get along and work with a close community. We can't have any prima donnas here," laughs Shemenski, adding, "I can tell you that we have a lot of staff returning year after year."

More Information?

• CIA World Fact Book

• National Science Foundation Polar Programs

Would you like to share your experiences or observations about living abroad? Email us today at submissions@medhunters.com.

Great White Space

What's Up at the Bottom of the World?

Who on (the Bottom of the) Earth Would Want to Do This?!

Yes, You Can Have Fun in Antarctica

Do You Have What It Takes?

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About the Author

Joseph E Murray, Paramedic

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