Medical students from the Warwick Wilderness Medicine society have been celebrating their success at the recent national 'Wild Trials' competition, where their two teams came second and third out of a total of 24. Sachin De Stone, committee member for Warwick Wilderness Medicine and one of the society's trip coordinators, tells us more.

Every year, medical students from the Wilderness Medicine societies from across Britain congregate to take part and compete in the Wilderness Wild Trials. Teams of four students are faced with responding to medical scenarios set in challenging environments in a pre-hospital setting. Teams are assessed by doctors and peers in their practising of good medicine, team work, problem solving, patient and bystander manner and, of course, flair.

The scenarios this year ranged from paediatric resuscitation from a drowning, managing the pelvic and shaft of femur fracture of a climber stuck on a small ledge, locating and talking down a suicidal patient suffering from an alcohol/paracetamol overdose, exercised-associated hyponatraemia in a ultra-marathon desert runner, to a mass casualty scenario with eight patients, many critically ill, who had been struck by a fallen electricity pylon. In addition, teams are expected to demonstrate wilderness skills (fire and shelter building etc) and navigate an orienteering challenge in the local area.

Of the 24 teams competing, Warwick entered two teams: the Condors (Sophie Williams (3^rd year), Will Lovely (2^nd), George Godfrey-Fausset (2^nd), Joe Phillips (1^st)) and the Curlews (Alex Finn (3^rd), Sachin De Stone (2^nd), James Sweatman (2^nd), Emma Patterson (1^st)) to compete. Each team was required to have at least one pre-clinical student and no more than one final year student.

The Warwick teams came second and third respectively out of 24 teams, coming top of all the medical schools (Swansea paramedics, the only paramedic team, put in an incredibly strong performance to come first). And let’s not forget, the Condors also came second in the Bake Off with their helicopter cake!

Warwick Wilderness Medicine

Warwick Wilderness Medicine is one of Warwick Medical School’s most active student societies for students who love the outdoors and want to practise good pre-hospital medicine in challenging environments. The society, run by students, has run three trips so far this year. The most recent was to Pembrokeshire, which allowed 44 students to go surfing, sea cliff climbing, hiking, and receive training on water rescue and drowning resuscitation - culminating in a huge scenario off the cliffs of the Atlantic Ocean.

The society also offers weekly supervised climbing training on campus and has held a weekend’s certified training in pre-hospital medicine with some of the UK’s leading consultants in the area. Our exciting news is that we are collaborating with the Trauma Society to run a national level pre-hospital conference on pre-hospital and emergency medicine at the end of the year.

If you’d like know more or get involved, please find us on Facebook or contact us at wilderness.medics@warwick.ac.uk.