A Dream of Kamchatka and a Call from the Chief Physician: The Story of Disaster Medicine Physician Andrei Solonin
Disaster medicine physician Andrei Solonin spoke about his professional journey and his move to Kamchatka. He dreamed of working on the peninsula, and the chief physician of the district hospital offered him an offer while he was on a train.
From programmer to intensive care work
Andrey Solonin didn't initially plan to pursue a career in medicine and intended to study programming in Moscow. However, after a sober assessment of his abilities, he decided to enroll in medical school.
His doctor parents opposed this choice and tried to dissuade their son. To convince him not to pursue a career in the medical field, his mother took Andrey with her on duty and showed him the workings of the intensive care unit.
And there's a driveway, some kind of birth, a full intensive care unit. And I'm like, "Sold out."
He eventually began intensively preparing for admission and was successfully accepted to the Amur State Medical Academy in Blagoveshchensk. After completing his residency, he remained to work in the region, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A fateful meeting and a move to Kamchatka
Moreover, a chance encounter intervened in the doctor's life during a train ride, where he met a young woman—an ambassador for Kamchatka. Impressed by her stories about the peninsula's natural beauty, Andrei became obsessed with the idea of finding work there.
However, the doctor initially doubted the reality of such a scenario.
I tell her: it won’t happen that the phone will ring and I’ll be offered a job in Kamchatka
However, it was at this moment that he received a call from the chief physician of the Kamchatka Regional Hospital offering him a job.
Andrey Solonin has now moved to the disaster medicine service. Consequently, he now runs his own blog, which details the challenging daily lives of Kamchatka doctors saving lives in the most remote corners of the region.
