Wild Trials is a yearly event where Wilderness Medicine societies from across England, Scotland and Wales battle it out in a series of expedition and pre-hospital emergency medicine simulated scenarios.
Year Five Student Doctor and Teaching Rep for Liverpool Wilderness Medicine Society (LWMS) Will Jacobs talks us through this year’s competition in Manchester and new friends Harold and Gertrude!
“After running Wild Trials ourselves in 2022 it was great to travel to Manchester last weekend to compete in the competition organised by our friends at Manchester Wilderness Medicine Society.
Year Two Student Doctor Uffa Wilson, intercalating ACE student Bella Walker, Year 4 Student Doctor Aeron Alvorado and I were one of two teams representing Liverpool and were awarded second place, winning a trophy and two inflatable crocodiles (named Harold and Gertrude).
Taking home second place for Liverpool
There was a big turnout from Liverpool. President Maggie Franklin and Secretary Anna Horrocks volunteered to get covered in trauma make-up as volunteer patients, as did our intro weekend organiser Andrew Smith and honorary committee member Ciara Norton. On top of that, two of our past presidents, Dr Rosie Toms and Rachel Kiernan-O'Donnell were asked to be assessors.
The competition itself ran a lot like a clinical exam, if clinical exams were done in teams of four, lasted eight hours and used gallons of fake blood.
As teams we had to stretch our medical knowledge, communication, leadership and lateral thinking skills to their limits to get through simulated scenarios ranging from wilderness staples like hypothermia and altitude sickness to niche challenges including cave rescue planning, scorpion sting induced pancreatitis and a crocodile attack (hence Harold and Gertrude!).
Our second team made up of our treasurer Amelia Alleyne and the brilliant younger year students Lydia Nutting, Jess Johnstone Pratt and Huw Evans fended off most of the competition to place 9th out of the 20 teams there.
Thanks to Aeron's calmness under pressure and amazing handover communication, Bella's sharp diagnostic mind and Uffa's incredible attention to detail my team finished second, 7 points behind reigning champions Warwick.
Students take on one of the simulated scenarios
We were able to undertake this event as part of LWMS. Each year we run multiple events on wilderness medicine which is a blend of expedition, tropical and pre-hospital emergency medicine that centres around using a robust A to E assessment to stabilise and treat patients in remote settings using minimal kit, before any ambulances arrive.
So far this year we’ve had regular weekly teaching alongside a few weekends away including our introduction to wilderness medicine weekend in November to learn about A-E assessments, simulation and radios culminating in a mass casualty!
The society takes part in festival of rescue
We’re looking forward to our advanced weekend this weekend, where we will we running a 24-hour immersive simulation to bring together everything we've learned so far.
We’ve also been out on our Wilder-Walks and helped out as volunteer patients at several events, the last of which had us being cut out of cars by firefighters at the UK Rescue Organisation festival of rescue.
I've been in the society since first year. Through it I've made some amazing friends, had experiences I never thought I would and gained confidence in the all-important A to E assessment that has helped me no end through medical school and clinical placements.
The society and its amazing people have changed my life and I'd recommend it to anyone at any point in med school.
If you're interested in any of the above, you are very welcome to come and give Wilderness Medicine a try! We run teaching sessions made up of a short talk and a lot of hands-on sim in the Guild's library room every Thursday at 7pm and you can get details for them and next year's intro weekend on our Facebook (link), Instagram (link) or by signing up on the Guild website (link).”
Volunteering with the UK Rescue Organisation