As Dr. Jeffrey Hernandez tells it, Transocean offered him a job aboard the JOIDES Resolution when he was working at a medical clinic in Singapore, shortly after their ship's doctor unexpectedly quit. “When does the ship leave?” he asked. “Three days” was the answer. So in three days, Dr. Hernandez had a new job, a new office, and a new way to travel around the world.

As the doctor on the JOIDES Resolution, Dr. Hernandez needs to be prepared for any medical situation that may arise onboard the ship. In his 13 years working on the ship, he has resuscitated the victim of a heart attack, treated strokes, and cared for dislocated arms and severed fingers. He has even attended to a deceased crew member and ensured proper handling of the body until reaching port. He has called helicopters in for assistance, trained the staff in CPR, and handles all the standard seasickness of each expedition. The most common ailments onboard the ship are the common cold, skin conditions, and allergies. As a precaution, the ship always keeps track of locations of the nearest shore side medical facilities.

The most challenging part of being the ship’s doctor is that Dr. Hernandez is the only medical person aboard. He has to do everything himself and in an emergency can’t rely on the assistance of nurses, residents and medical technicians to help him – simply because there are none! Luckily, Dr. Hernandez is well prepared for this challenge. He speaks Arabic, Chinese, English, and his native Filipino tongue, which helps him communicate with many of the service staff on the ship. Since Dr. Hernandez comes from the Philippines and previously received training in family and emergency medicine in the United States, he can combine the best of both Eastern and Western medicine.

When he’s not assisting patients, Dr. Hernandez is the rig safety training coordinator. This means that he helps everyone else aboard to learn all the safety procedures they need, to take required courses, and to get recertified when necessary. All of these procedures mean that accidents – and the need for emergency treatment – will be kept to a minimum.

Staff Name: Jeffrey Hernandez

Majors: Pre-med, Biology, Animal Physiology, Human Anatomy

Education: Medical School

Courses: Molecular Biology, General Biology, Chemistry, Calculus

Experiences: Working in clinics

Hometown: Philippines

IODP Experience: 13 years in ODP and IODP

Life Experience: Medical clinic in Singapore, family medicine, emergency medicine

Interests: traveling, spending time with family

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