Jungle ninja training

I had an awesome time with Medforce/Trekforce in Belize and Guatemala. I spent the first 3 weeks on a brand-new course run for medical students in the jungle, where we were taught by an experienced doctor about expeditions and wilderness medicine.

Lessons were informal and fun, and covered topics such as: altitude medicine, tropical medicine, dessert and diving medicine, and practical skills such as making stretchers, evacuation plans, suturing (on chickens, which we then ate!) and the practialities of remote medicine. These were interspersed with 'scenarios', where one of us would be assigned as medic, and would be the medical lead on a scenario such as a snake bite or a fractured leg.

We spent the first week at base camp (in San Ignacio, lovely little town), then the next two weeks in the jungle with the Trainee Expedition Leaders (TELs), who taught us jungle skills such as firelighting, fauna and flora, jungle observation, camp layout and machette work. One of the highlights of this part was the solo night, where we'd spend the night in the jungle on our own. We also had our own 3-day trek, which was tough, but very rewarding - especially finding a campsite full of mangos!

I then joined the trekker programme for the next 3 weeks as a medic and a trekker, and took part in the El Mirador trek to Guatemala (lots of walking but supported by mules), then advanced jungle training week. This was the most hardcore week, where we set up wild camp, and learnt to make shelters, traps, knots and navigation. We also had a belt kit night, where we went off in pairs and had to make our own shelters for the night. It was the worst night's sleep I've had in a long time, but there was no better feeling than waking up from your home-made shelter and spending the next day at the beautiful waterfall by waterfall camp. There wasn't much medical to do for me (aside from a bit of sickness, a sprained ankle, some caterpillar stings, blisters and a bit of tropical medicine), but that is a good thing for the group!

Overall, I had an amazing time, and wish I could go back there. We were taken care of very well, by the leaders and by the TELs, and I learnt loads of valuable bushcraft skills as well us plenty of expedition medicine to set me up for the future! Well worth the time and money.