On Call in the Arctic

A Doctor's Pursuit of Life, Love, and Miracles in the Alaskan Frontier

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Pub Date Sep 04 2018 | Archive Date Aug 31 2018
Biographies & Memoirs | Health, Mind & Body

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Description

The fish-out-of-water stories of Northern Exposure and Doc Martin meet the rough-and-rugged setting of The Discovery Channel’s Alaskan Bush People in Thomas J. Sims’s On Call in the Arctic, where the author relates his incredible experience saving lives in one of the most remote outposts in North America. Imagine a young doctor, trained in the latest medical knowledge and state-of-the-art equipment, suddenly transported back to one of the world’s most isolated and unforgiving environments—Nome, Alaska. Dr. Sims’ plans to become a pediatric surgeon drastically changed when, on the eve of being drafted into the Army to serve as a M.A.S.H. surgeon in Vietnam, he was offered a commission in the U.S. Public Health for assignment in Anchorage, Alaska. In Anchorage, Dr. Sims was scheduled to act as Chief of Pediatrics at the Alaska Native Medical Center. Life changed, along with his military orders, when he learned he was being transferred from Anchorage to work as the only physician in Nome.  There, he would have the awesome responsibility of rendering medical care under archaic conditions to the population of this frontier town plus thirteen Eskimo villages in the surrounding Norton Sound area. And he would do it alone with little help and support. All the while, he was pegged as both an “outsider” and an employee of the much-derided federal government. In order to do his job, Dr. Sims had to overcome racism, cultural prejudices, and hostility from those who would like to see him sent packing. On Call in the Arctic reveals the thrills and the terrors of frontier medicine, where Dr. Sims must rely upon his instincts, improvise, and persevere against all odds in order to help his patients on the icy shores of the Bering Sea. 

The fish-out-of-water stories of Northern Exposure and Doc Martin meet the rough-and-rugged setting of The Discovery Channel’s Alaskan Bush People in Thomas J. Sims’s On Call in the Arctic, where the...

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Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781681778518
PRICE $27.95 (USD)
PAGES 304

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Featured Reviews

Thomas J. Sims book "On Call in the Arctic" was one of my absolute favorite reads this year! What an amazing journey he shares with the reader. One learns about living in an unusual, harsh environment (Nome, Alaska), Eskimo culture, and what it's like for a doctor to suddenly have to take on the work of an entire team of physicians. Sim's details are beautifully rendered and he brings the relentless Alaskan environment to life. He vividly depicts his community members and family so that you feel you know them almost as well as he does. I loved knowing that each evening I could lose myself in this riveting tale. I hope with all my heart that Sim writes a sequel. This is a fantastic book.

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A Doctor's Pursuit of Life, Love, and Miracles in the Alaskan Frontier

by Thomas J. Sims

Wow. Just wow. This is a fabulous book that I was sad to see end. This book is going to have a permanent home among my favorite books

On Call in the Arctic truly brings you alongside Thomas J. Sims and his family as they start their time in the Arctic, specifically Nome, Alaska. The extreme remote location proves to be a mixture of adventure, hardship, darkness, friendships, personal growth, loss, politics, traditions, and much more.

The retelling of the local (and not so local) patients that come to the clinic range the gamut of ordinary to extraordinary, don't all have positive outcomes, and leave you really rooting for the doc & staff.

On Call in the Arctic is sure to make the reader laugh alongside the Sims family and nod with understanding as they bumble through the ups and down of living in the Alaskan bush. Whether you love to read about the great state of Alaska, medical dramas, family life, or memoirs, this would be a great book for you to dive in to. I will definitely be rereading this!

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