Because of donations like yours, Andrew was able to take a medical elective with the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany.

In May 2017, WMS student Andrew was able to take a life-changing chance for work experience because of support like yours.

My elective began against the backdrop of discovering I had passed my final exams, so I was understandably in a jubilant mood as I set off for Cologne, Germany.

The most immediate reward for passing finals, aside from proud parents getting more than a bit emotional over the phone, was obvious: I was now able to embark upon a six-week elective at the EAC, the culmination of many years of work, and I’m not just talking about learning medicine.

The European Astronaut Centre (EAC) functions as part of the European Space Agency (ESA). Their Space Medicine Office helps to recruit and train astronauts, and is made up of surgeons, psychologists, specialists and nurses. Getting a placement there was the result of lots of things going right; going to the right events & conferences, meeting the right people, doing the right projects, and of course a previous degree in Astrophysics. All of this had come about following a childhood fascination with the night sky, and it felt quite incredible that I now found myself here (see picture above).

As a medic, I was placed in the space medicine office. On the same corridor as me was an intriguing multi-disciplinary mix of professionals. There were flight surgeons, exercise specialists, biomedical engineers and others all working within close proximity to one another. I was placed under the supervision of one of the ESA flight surgeons, and had been assigned a project, namely to help develop the astronaut medical database. Though it was hard to fully appreciate at the beginning, over the next six weeks this project would be a catalyst for greatly expanding my knowledge of the medical problems associated with spaceflight, as well as a detailed understanding of the long list of medical assessments and training that an astronaut goes through before, during and after a mission.

I can honestly say I have learned some incredibly valuable lessons that went past my expectations. They are varied and numerous, but I will try to summarise the most important ones...

To begin with, my understanding of the physiological challenges associated with human spaceflight and the realities of space medicine has improved immeasurably. Whereas before, most of my knowledge was textbook-based, I now have first-hand experience of this specialty. Collaborating with professionals working within the space medicine office has broadened my awareness of the medical issues facing astronauts. Working with astronaut medical data has shown me the extent of medical tests that astronauts go through and an understanding of a flight surgeon’s duties. Space medicine is a niche specialty and such experience is difficult to come by, so I feel incredibly fortunate to have spent time at the EAC.

On a deeper level, I have gained a substantial insight into what it is to be a flight surgeon. As I have mentioned, this is one of the career paths that I have been considering, but for a long time it was something that felt ‘out of reach’, a job that was perhaps ‘unobtainable’. Maybe this was because of the prestige I associated with the job, maybe it was the fact it’s a very niche specialty, maybe it was purely because it was such an unknown as I had never met a flight surgeon before. I can now say that being a flight surgeon no longer feels like something I cannot achieve. Working at the EAC has given me the confidence that I have the abilities and qualities to succeed in such a place (see picture below). Undertaking a project where I am working in the same environment as flight surgeons, astronauts and aerospace engineers has maybe even ‘normalised’ the experience, but in a good way.

Along with strengthening my belief that I could work there, being at the EAC has also exposed me to the realities of working in space medicine. A day in the life of a flight surgeon is different to that of a hospital doctor in so many ways. For example, flight surgeons work to keep people at the peak of their physical health, rather than helping sick people to get better, which is perhaps the part of work I've found most rewarding. They also have different relationships with their 'patients'; it's not quite like the trusting relationship between doctors and patients in hospitals, which I find very rewarding; it's complicated because their duty to report an astronaut’s fitness to fly carries the potential to undermine open communication. Considerations like these are a few of the challenges of being a flight surgeon, and are things I will need to reflect upon.

One of the most striking aspects of the EAC environment that I will take with me regardless of my eventual choices, is the collaborative culture that is evident on each corridor. Doors are always open and colleagues are always walking in to ask questions or discuss their work. There are regular colloquia where people give talks on their work or updates on mission progress, always ending in a long discussion where staff and students alike are forthcoming with their ideas and questions. I’ve always attached great importance to the sharing of ideas and the collective benefits this can bring, and so seeing this in such abundance was highly motivating to instill a similar culture in my future place(s) of work. Throughout medical school I have pretty much always been involved in research of one kind or another, and I know this will continue throughout my career. I would like to think that there will always be forums through which I can share my ideas and be inspired by the ideas of others. Where I don’t find such opportunities, experiences such as my time at the EAC will surely inspire me to create them.

This elective would not have been possible without the financial support of the Alumni Elective Fund, to which I am most grateful."

Thank you to everyone who donates and makes these experiences possible! Donate online today.