Rocking all over the world

		There aren't many medics who can describe what they do as rock and roll, but for Stew Holden, it's a pretty fair depiction.

An Advanced Life Support Paramedic, who started his career in the military and progressed to working for the President of the UAE, he now works for remote site medical specialists, Frontier Medical, supporting crews in some of the most far-flung places, miles from land on a seismic survey vessel. In Stew's experience, when the boat rocks, everything rolls. It's a uniquely challenging environment.

After a life on land, how difficult was it to get your sea legs? If you've an exceptionally steady hand and a knack for wedging yourself between strategically positioned furniture, you'll soon learn to adapt. If it's very rough, it can be difficult to complete a delicate procedure when both you, the equipment and your diet coke are rolling from side to side. Fortunately, there are days when the sky is blue, the water calm and we all get back to normal.

Is that the toughest part of the job? No, it's being so remote - sometimes not even in the range of a helicopter. It can take days to get to shore with crew boats and then only in calm conditions and in daylight hours. It means everyone is extremely reliant on the quality of care onboard the vessel.

How do you cope? By having the right medicines and equipment to do the job. I am pretty fortunate in having a well-equipped clinic and it's my number one priority to make sure we always have everything we need. In doing that you often have to debate with the crew who come from all over the world and invariably have their own ideas about which medicines to use, few of which would be classified as accepted treatments in the developed world. When a crewmember recently asked for ten needles, I naturally replied 'what for?' He had read on the internet that if someone has a stroke, applying a needle to each finger will reverse it. He didn't get the needles and was discouraged from sharing his ideas with other members of the crew.

What advice would you give to a medic following in your footsteps? Swot up on stomach problems, muscle aches and pains, which are normally inflicted in the gym - and skin conditions. These are common because all the water we use is desalinated and it's pretty hard on your skin.

Does the climate cause any other problems? Yes, the environment does more than just effect your complexion. Recently when checking the eyewash stations, a plastic bottle completely shattered when I squeezed it, the heat and salt having made it brittle.

So, what are the high points? Seeing people get better and treatments working. Unique to life on a boat is that you can be with the same crew for a couple of years. They become like family, so when someone gets sick it's like your family getting sick. There's an emotional attachment so it's always good when they recover.

And the low points? Missing my real family - my wife, little girl and now new baby son. Modern technology makes working away from home a lot easier, I can phone, email and fax. I'm not exactly an old timer in the industry and can only imagine how hard it must have been to be away and not have a satellite phone or the internet.

How has technology changed your role? The internet is a fantastic tool when you are remote, but the wrong information in the wrong hands can be deadly, I encourage everyone to check any medical advice or information through me. That way, hopefully, I'll never find anyone lying on the floor with needles in their fingertips.