They vary greatly depending on the company, the location, the nationality of personnel, and the need. Take Acadian for instance, they have many shallow water rigs. They can get a helicopter out to most in under an hour. Their advanced scope of practice contains less long term stabilization procedures than say Frontier Medical's deep sea seismic vessel crews. You also will find that treatment in the North Sea also emphasizes the long term need due to the unstable and very volatile weather conditions.
Sutures and nerve blocks are pretty much run of the mill for most remote medics. Tube thoracostomy varies, one concern that you need to keep in mind is that its not just about putting the tube in, you also have to focus on maintaining it. Depending on the rig set up, you may or may not have the tools needed to do so vs. just needling the chest. Central access has really fallen out of favor for the Paramedic run operations as quicker and easier I/O access tools are now available. I know of a few remote clinics that still use them, but they are few and far between. I have seen very few utilize throbolytics, usually only reserved for PA and higher staffed clinics and those with dedicated air crews.
The majority of work for the offshore / remote medic is administrative. In some cases you are the rig managers admin b!tch. Even in the dedicated medical environment, most cases can be handled with only a vital signs machine and an otoscope. Occupational and preventive medicine are the primary functions. If you are looking for the "cool stuff", this is NOT the job for you..........................
I'll try to find my old Acadian protocols and get them to you....................
