MEL 8132: Outdoor Medicine Elective

Drs. Jorge Marcet and Ryan Naughtin

This senior medical student elective is intended to teach the practical and theoretical medical skills necessary to identify, treat and prevent medical problems unique to the outdoor environment. The course is directed towards the outdoor or travel enthusiast who may find themselves in situations outside of the traditional clinical setting where they may be called upon to provide medical assistance. There will also be ample opportunities for students to present outdoor medicine topics to peers and junior medical students. 

This is a year long elective from May through April. Students will register for the course during the period of their choice. Meetings will mostly be held on Saturdays approximately 1-2 times a month, but may be held on weekday evenings, during lunch meetings, and some overnight activities. There will be a required 120 hours of attendance at meetings and there will be at least 160 hours available to attend to accommodate senior students on externships. The culmination of the course is the Annual Florida Outdoor Medicine Conference usually held during the last month of the academic year in the Florida Keys (students are encouraged register for course during this month). Students are also encouraged to plan to attend the Annual ACWM Southeast Student Wilderness Medicine Conference usually held in March as well as conferences of the Wilderness Medicine Society. There may be other activities that require travel to places such as Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Everglades National Park, or other distant locations. Students should also budget at least $250 for admission fees and equipment rental throughout the year and approximately $500-$800 for the Annual Florida Outdoor Medicine Conference. 

Examples of Meetings: 

• "No Lifeguard on Duty" held at Ben T. Davis Beach and learned about Basic Water Rescue and Submersion Incidents. 
• "A 3-Hour Tour" held on an island in the Tampa Bay and learned about Seafood Toxidromes while catching Pufferfish.
• “Disney World Marathon Weekend” providing medical support to endurance athletes from around the world.

Objectives

1. Practice medical skills to be used in situations outside of the hospital setting
2. Gain knowledge of medical conditions related to various outdoor environments and activities
3. Develop understanding of emergency and disaster response systems
4. Increase students' ability to present medical information to peers 
5. Gain practical outdoor recreational skills and exposure to local resources

Evaluation

Students will be evaluated by the course director at the end of the course. Students will be evaluated based on attendance and participation of course meetings (50%) as well as assigned outdoor medicine topic presentations (50%). Students will be required to attend 120 hours of meetings/activities over the 11 month period. There will be opportunities for at least 160 hours of meetings/activities. Students may expect to be given specific topics or scenarios to present at each meeting they plan to attend. Presentations will be evaluated by course directors and contribute to the presentation portion of the final grade.