Becoming a Dive Doctor

[lulubelle]

Glad that some of you noted the subspecialty choices. Can't imagine that surgery and dive medicine would be a complimentary pair of paths?

To my knowledge, all of the hyperbaric docs at Duke, or at least most of them, are trained in Anethesiology and hyperbaric medicine. They do work with DAN, but in the same capacity that many other centers and dive medicine providers do.

Good luck. PM Duke Dive Medicine.

 

[freewillie]

I contacted DAN. They do not have a formal dive medicine program, and redirected me to the Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society.

The other uses of a hyperbaric chamber is to help heal wounds. As part of a hyperbaric medicine team there is the possibility of a general sugery specialty which would surgically treat these wounds as well. The director of our hyperbaric chamber is actually a general surgeon.

 

[Doc Harry]

There is no such thing as a "dive doctor." That is, there is no such thing as a board certification in dive medicine. I am sure that you can find jobs here and there that carry the title of "dive doctor," but it is not a title that is recognized by any of the specialty boards.

You can specialize in hyperbaric medicine after you finish your residency. In the surgical pipeline, you are looking at 4 years of medical school and then a grueling, sleepless 6-to-10 year surgical residency.

After residency, you can study and take the board certification test in hyperbaric medicine.

As a general surgeon, the marriage of surgical wound care and hyperbaric medicine would be wonderful from a clinical viewpoint. It doesn't get any more complementary than that.

Not sure of the balance sheet of such a combination, though. In 10-15 years, who knows what a career in medicine will bring. It may or may not be a profitable combination. Something to discuss with people currently in the field.

 

[cheezeburgernfries]

I just wanted to thank everyone for their quick replies and information. I really appreciate your comments.

I am starting my rotations this summer and plan on specializing in surgery or emergency medicine. After my residency, hopefully I can explore some of the programs related to hyperbaric medicine that you all mentioned.

Thanks again for all your replies.

 

[TSandM]

I can imagine that a combination of surgery and hyperbaric medicine could be useful, but if you want to specialize in difficult wounds, you would probably need a plastics fellowship to be competitive and truly useful.

We have a local physician here who has appeared to be trying to make a niche as a dive medicine doctor for at least the last six years, and it appears he's very knowledgeable about a variety of dive-related topics (this is Dr. Kay, whose ear video is famous here). But judging from the amount of times he's moved practice in that time, it hasn't worked out as well as he would have liked. I just don't think that, even in Seattle, there is enough specifically dive-related pathology to keep a physician busy full-time.

 

[ScubaDocER]

I just wanted to thank everyone for their quick replies and information. I really appreciate your comments.

I am starting my rotations this summer and plan on specializing in surgery or emergency medicine. After my residency, hopefully I can explore some of the programs related to hyperbaric medicine that you all mentioned.

Thanks again for all your replies.

Interestingly enough I was faced with similar choices between surgery and emergency medicine . You don't have to be an anesthesiologist to specialize in hyperbaric medicine. It is an accredited subspecialty of emergency medicine. One of the chambers here in Atlanta is run by a group of emergency medicine docs. If you wish to enjoy hyperbaric medicine as a full time vocation, especially as it relates to diving, then you might want to consider a location close to water or popular dive sites. Most of the hyperbaric folks I know that are land locked do predominately non diver related cases, i.e., wound care, carbon monoxide exposure, etc.

 

[insanediver]

check out Hyperbarics International :: Home. The owner and chief instructor pretty much started the field, and has taught a huge percentage of the world's diving doctors. as well as chamber techs, DMTs and so on.

 

[scubadiveilat]

Your in the right direction already!

Once you complete medical school and are certified as a General Physician(at least). is step one. Being a certified Advance Open Water Dive is the second step. From there on to be a Dive Doctor is another month or so of a course program. Depending the extent (venue, country, state, program option etc.) you want to go.

How many languages do you speak? If your thinking outside the US there are many options and programs that you can do internship and work. Your career will advance fast, less expensive and your get hand on experience.

Keep me posted the option are enormous.

In US the Top universities have the program. But they'll be a lot more expensive than that mentioned above.