Oil rig workers know the dangers presented by their jobs. Most, fortunately, do not experience the trauma faced by their brethren on the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico. However, lacerations, sprains, fractures, and minor injuries come with the territory, and despite their remote locations, oil workers are not immune to upper respiratory infections, kidney stones, heart attacks, or other acute conditions. For years, oil companies have staffed the rigs and platforms with a paramedic, emergency medical technician, or nurse who would assess the worker and telephone findings to a physician on shore. Without the ability to examine the patient or closely monitor him or her, physicians often ordered evacuations to onshore providers. Many workers returned the next day, after receiving treatment.
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