Third Annual Medicine for Mariners and Safety at Sea Educational Conference

January 29 - February 5, 2011

In late January and early February, join an expert medical faculty for the second annual comprehensive seminar on the prevention and treatment of medical problems at sea. The conference is designed for physicians, nurses, health care professionals, and for mariners who simply want to increase their medical skills, self-reliance, and safety at sea. The course is accredited for up to 15 Category 1 CME credits.

Some of the topics to be featured include health maintenance at sea, hazardous marine life, the onboard  medical kit, cold water immersion, hypothermia, drowning, sea sickness, seafood poisoning, solar injury, medical evacuation, telemedicine, dive medicine, and lightning injury.

The course is accredited for up to 15 Category 1 CME credits. The lectures are scheduled each morning from 8:30 to 11:30am and leave the rest of the day free to enjoy all the facilities of Bitter End. There are no lectures on Wednesday, allowing participants to take the full day Anegada Island excursion. There will be opportunities during the week to meet socially with fellow participants, their guests and faculty.

OBJECTIVES  -  Following this program, we expect participants will be able to:

1. Describe the nature and treatment of common medical problems and medical emergencies encountered in recreational boating and diving.
2. Identify the nature and treatment of illness and injuries from hazardous marine life and seafood toxins.
3. Describe the pathophysiology, treatment, and prevention of environmental threats faced by mariners e.g., hypothermia, lightning, hyperthermia, and solar injury. 
4. Discuss the principles of health and safety at sea, and the measures to prevent illness, injury, and death at sea.
5. Describe the principles of medically safe scuba diving.

TARGET AUDIENCE

The target audience includes physicians, nurses, other health care professionals, and sailors who work or play, or who are medically responsible for the health and safety of others in marine environments.

FACULTY

Eric Johnson MD, Past President, Wilderness Medical Society, Director, Emergency Services, Teton Valley Hospital, Driggs, ID, Past Co-Medical Director, Center for Wound Healing & Hyperbaric Medicine, Emergency Medicine of Idaho, Consultant in dive and wilderness medicine, NAUI diving instructor, Associate Clinical Faculty University of Washington, Mt. Everest Base Camp Physician in 2006 and Himalayan Rescue Association volunteer. Frequent speaker at wilderness medicine, and dive medicine conferences around the world. Speaker at previous Medicine for Mariners programs.
Address: PO Box 722 Driggs, ID 83422 

Michael Jacobs MD, Director, MedSail educational conferences (6th year), U.S. Coast Guard Licensed Captain, Co-author of “A Comprehensive Guide to Marine Medicine,” author of chapter “Survival At Sea” in Textbook of Wilderness Medicine (past two editions). Speaker at Safety at Sea conferences and Wilderness Medical Society conferences; practicing physician on Martha’s Vineyard. Speaker at previous Medicine for Mariners programs. Practices Internal Medicine on Martha’s Vineyard, and is the Director of Vineyard Medical Services.
Address 364 State Road, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 

SAMPLE PROGRAM SCHEDULE  (subject to change)

Saturday, January 29, 2011
 Participants arrive at Bitter End, Virgin Gorda
 6-7:30PM Welcome North Sound Cruise and reception

Sunday, January 30
 8:30-10:00 AM Seasickness- prevention and treatment; solar injury-  the ABC’s of UVA (Michael)
 10:00-11:30 Treatment of Injuries at sea: new haemostatic  agents, techniques of splinting and improvisation (Eric) 

Monday, January 31 
 8:30-10:00 AM Health maintenance at sea, telemedicine, evacuation  of sick and injured at sea (Michael)
 10:00-11:30 Dive medicine-principles of medically safe scuba diving and snorkeling (Eric)

Tuesday, February 1
 8:30-10:00 AM Hypothermia and cold-water immersion (Eric)
 10:00-11:30 Man overboard- recovery and medical issues  (Michael & Eric); Hyperthermia and heat illness (Eric)

Wednesday, February 2 
Free day- Scheduled Anegada Island excursion,  opportunities for extended dive, fishing or exploratory trips to  surrounding islands 

Thursday, February 3
 8:30-10:00 AM Drowning and Near Drowning (Eric); Recreational  boating accident (Michael)
 10:00-11:30 Marine Medical Kits (Michael and Eric)

Friday, February 4
 8:30-10:00 AM Lightning injury: physics, physiology and prevention;  Seafood toxidromes (Eric)
 10:00-11:30 Hazardous Marine life (Michael; Questions (Michael  and Eric)
 
Saturday, February 5
Depart for home
 
Participants will receive the syllabus on CD, as well as a copy of “A Comprehensive Guide to Marine Medicine” by Drs Eric Weiss and Michael Jacobs.

ACCREDITATION

The Wilderness Medical Society (WMS) designates this educational activity for a maximum of 15 hours AMA PRA Category I Credits™. Each physician should only claim credits commensurate with the extent of the participation in the activity.

Most state boards of Registered Nurses accept AMA Category 1 Credit as meeting continuing education requirements for license renewal. Nurses should check with their state board regarding use of CME credit.  

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of the Wilderness Medical Society and Michael E Jacobs MD.  The Wilderness Medical Society is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
  

There are no commercial supporters for this activity, and no written agreements.
 

There are no financial relationships controlling the content of this program. This applies to all faculty members. Any consulting relationships to publications or companies in the marine industry will be disclosed at the start of the conference.

SEMINAR FEES

The seminar fee of $695*, with an Admiral’s Package, includes all lectures, course materials, and CME certification. For those participants not requiring CME’s, the cost is $595*. 

*subject to change 
         

Contact Dr. Michael Jacobs with any questions:  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it