On Call in the Arctic Pdf

ISBN: 1681778513
Title: On Call in the Arctic Pdf A Doctor's Pursuit of Life, Love, and Miracles in the Alaskan Frontier
Author: Thomas J. Sims
Published Date: 2018-09-04
Page: 304

“A lively and touching debut. Sims’ writing moves at a rapid-pace, in step with the life-and-death tales he recounts, slowing down only to focus on such moving occasions as the birth of a three-pound baby and the painful death of a hospital colleague. Sims has delivered a captivating account of practicing medicine in the furthest reaches of the U.S.” - Publishers Weekly“The best parts of the memoir are, without doubt, the fast-paced accounts of some of the doctor’s medical cases and situations, [which are] fascinating and often harrowing.  It’s apparent that Sims’s time in Nome made a great impression on him.” - The Anchorage Daily News      I decided to become a doctor on a Sunday afternoon. It was the day a family friend, an RN, slipped the tips of her stethoscope in my ears, its bell on her chest, and for the first time in my life I heard the sounds of a living human heart. I was mesmerized by the rhythmic beats, seventy pulses a minute I counted on my fingers, and captivated by notions of blood flowing through arteries and veins, giving life to every part of her body. I was ten years old at the time.     Life happened, and when it did, chances of achieving my dream seemed to slip away. I was born into a family burdened with addictions and had to accept the fact the best hope I could have for my life was to avoid the path taken by my parents and one of my brothers. Yet, despite odds against it, and by the grace of God, I adapted. I successfully made it through college at a major university, medical school, and internship to earn my degree.     At age twenty-six, on the cusp of launching my dream career as a pediatric surgeon, disaster struck. I fell victim to a war nobody wanted and was overtaken by circumstances beyond my control. With a pregnant wife on the verge of delivery and a two-year-old daughter, I was pulled out of my medical training and buried into the remote, frozen wasteland of arctic Alaska. There, to serve as the only physician for over 10,000 people as an officer in the U.S. Public Health Service, I was abandoned in a desolate wilderness, left to provide a home for my family and perform feats of medicine and surgery far beyond my level of training or experience.          At first, I was paralyzed with fear. How could I practice medicine in ways I was never trained? How could I be a father and husband, living in a land so foreign to the life my wife and I had always known? I wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and hide.     Necessity and commitment didn't allow me the luxury of slipping away. Overnight, I was forced to adjust to overwhelming need, archaic facilities, and an unbelievably harsh environment. I had to practice medicine like I never thought possible. I had to learn to be flexible when my training in conventional medicine failed to show me the right decisions to make; to improvise when medical need demanded far more than I was emotionally and physically equipped to deliver; and to stick with my instincts and persevere until problems and situations were brought under control.     Be flexible, improvise, and persevere. The actions were familiar; they were those same principles I used as a child to adapt. They would now be the ones that would guide me through these most demanding of times.     Life and medical practice in the Arctic was severe - isolated, bittersweet, unpredictable, yet filled with laughter and tears. And I adapted to unforgiving living conditions, impossible medical situations and perilous travel, all to deliver frontier medicine and surgery far beyond what I ever believed myself capable. It was never a question of whether or not I wanted to do it. It was a question of whether or not I could succeed.      Writing "On Call in the Arctic" was an emotional rollercoaster ride through a time in my life I once felt I'd never want to revisit. Delivering my own son was an experience I will never forget, yet delivering other babies in remote Eskimo villages under Coleman lantern, performing surgery I was never taught to perform and required to do it without adequate anesthesia and under flashlight illumination, even traveling over a frozen ocean tied to the top of boxes piled on top a snowmobile sled and towed behind a broken down Ski-Doo were experiences I thought best left to my own private memories.     But, with the passage of time, I began to realize the life and work adventures I had in the Arctic made me the man and physician I am today and I'm grateful for every life tingling experience I had there.     My hope is that readers of my book will come to understand how the ability to improvise, be flexible and to persevere allowed me to achieve medical success far beyond what I ever dreamed myself possible, and how they can use those same principles in their own lives to achieve success beyond their wildest dreams no matter where they live or where their life path takes them.

An extraordinary memoir recounting the adventures of a young doctor stationed in the Alaskan bush.

The fish-out-of-water stories of Northern Exposure and Doc Martin meet the rough-and-rugged setting of The Discovery Channel’s Alaskan Bush People in Thomas J. Sims’s On Call in the Arctic, where the author relates his incredible experience saving lives in one of the most remote outposts in North America.

Imagine a young doctor, trained in the latest medical knowledge and state-of-the-art equipment, suddenly transported back to one of the world’s most isolated and unforgiving environments―Nome, Alaska. Dr. Sims’ plans to become a pediatric surgeon drastically changed when, on the eve of being drafted into the Army to serve as a M.A.S.H. surgeon in Vietnam, he was offered a commission in the U.S. Public Health for assignment in Anchorage, Alaska.

In Anchorage, Dr. Sims was scheduled to act as Chief of Pediatrics at the Alaska Native Medical Center. Life changed, along with his military orders, when he learned he was being transferred from Anchorage to work as the only physician in Nome.  There, he would have the awesome responsibility of rendering medical care under archaic conditions to the population of this frontier town plus thirteen Eskimo villages in the surrounding Norton Sound area. And he would do it alone with little help and support. All the while, he was pegged as both an “outsider” and an employee of the much-derided federal government.

In order to do his job, Dr. Sims had to overcome racism, cultural prejudices, and hostility from those who would like to see him sent packing. On Call in the Arctic reveals the thrills and the terrors of frontier medicine, where Dr. Sims must rely upon his instincts, improvise, and persevere against all odds in order to help his patients on the icy shores of the Bering Sea. 

16 pages of color photographs

Authentic, engaging, thought Provoking and REAL! - a triumph of human spirit! Dr. Tom's book is such a very accurate picture of Alaska during that time. Not to mention it is a heart clinching, page turner. It was so exciting for me to read because I traveled to many villages in the early 1980's doing teacher workshops. And it is true, a bush pilot will still drop you off and jump back into the sky only to return when they think it prudent! The book will grab you at the very beginning with Dr. Tom's honest sharing and insight into his personal growth and family challenges as well as a clear reminder of the many conflicts in the culture of our country at that time. Tom's commitment to his family and their well being, as well as his heartfelt desire to be a compassionate helpful physician were central in the book. But not in a saccharine every thing is always rosy way. It is a clear picture of commitment, passion and persistence in the face of brutal harsh conditions of both weather and culture. Alaska is still an amazing place both geographically and culturally. On Call in the Arctic is a great way to immerse yourself in that adventure. You will enjoy a peek into a world you don't know or a wonderful visit to a place you do know. Either way it is a MUST READ.Dr. Sims, I am looking forward to your next book!!Great Read! One amazing story. I probably read this book in less time than any other book I've read, it was very hard to put it down. This undertaking would be overwhelming for any seasoned doctor let alone a new recruit like Dr. Tom. I have nothing but the greatest admiration for him and his wife for the adventure they signed up for!Excellent read After reading Dr. Sims' book, On Call in the Arctic, I must say there were times I couldn't stop laughing and other times were sad. I think anyone who reads this book will see familiar life experiences. The book was a page turner. Without any reservations, I say buy and read this book,you will not be disappointed. Gary Aftoora

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