The University of Sint Eustatius, in association with the Antilles Institute for Hyperbaric and Undersea Medicine, offers elective programs of study in hyperbaric medicine.

The expanding field of hyperbaric medicine involves the breathing of high-concentrations of oxygen at significantly elevated pressures to provide therapeutic benefit in several clinical conditions.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy confers demonstrable benefits in select patients, chiefly through the reversal of hypoxia and the hastened removal of pathological gases (e.g., carbon monoxide). By these means, hyperbaric oxygen has become a prominent front-line or adjunctive component in the treatment of 13 clinical conditions:

 Decompression Sickness
 Gas Emboli
 Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
 Gas Gangrene
 Blood Loss Anemia
 Necrotizing Soft Tissue Injury
 Radiation Necrosis Injury
 Intracranial Abscess
 Problem Wounds
 Thermal Burns
 Crush Injury
 Refractory Osteomyelitis
 Compromised Skin Grafts and Flaps

For students whose medical studies are well managed, participation in a hyperbaric program provides the opportunity to expand scientific and medical experience.

Medical students undertaking elective training in the practical and theoretical underpinnings of hyperbaric oxygen therapy may experience enhanced competitiveness in the pursuit of residencies in a variety of fields.

 The diverse pathologies underlying the illnesses treatable with systemically active hyperbaric oxygen suggest that hyperbaric oxygen therapeutics are best understood and deployed in a multidisciplinary context.
 Hyperbaric medicine is recognized as a subspecialty of Emergency Medicine and Preventive Medicine.
 The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has approved Board Certification for physicians in Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine.

An additional advantage enjoyed by participants in the Programs of Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine is that the opportunity for hands-on patient contact may occur as early as the first term of medical studies.

The clinical populations most likely to be encountered by medical students on Sint Eustatius in this context reflect the geographic intersection of scuba diving (recreational and industrial), which can lead to decompression sickness and gas emboli, and endemic systemic disease (e.g., diabetes) that commonly leads to the expression of problem wounds.

To accommodate the varied aptitudes and interests of medical students pursuing training in hyperbaric oxygen therapeutics on Sint Eustatius, four academic programs have been engineered. The Master’s Program, which culminates in a Master of Science in Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine, requires three academic terms of study (with additional time often being required for the completion of the Master’s thesis). The Diploma Program, as a rule, requires two academic terms for completion. The Advanced Technical Program is typically completed during a single academic term. Requirements for the Introductory Technical Program can be met in as little as a few days.

Medical students should note that studies in the Programs of Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine are typically undertaken concurrently with courses in the Basic Sciences in the University of Sint Eustatius. As such, enrollment in the Programs of Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine need not prolong the stay of medical students on Sint Eustatius.

Health care practitioners and other interested persons are also welcome to participate in the programs. For further information related to this opportunity, please visit www.eustatiantube.org.