25/06/2025
Elective Spotlight!
📍Denali, Alaska
One of our incredible PGY3's (soon to be amazing attending), Peter Quayle, shares his experience during an austere elective in Denali.
Last spring I spent my elective with the Denali Climbing Rangers through the National Park Service in Alaska. During my month on Denali, I practiced high-altitude and wilderness emergency medicine in one of the most remote and stunning environments imaginable. From treating frostbite, HAPE, and HACE to managing traumatic injuries and coordinating emergent helicopter evacuations, this experience was a powerful mix of medicine, mountains, and mission-driven teamwork. I feel so lucky to have been part of the search and rescue operations that help keep climbers safe on North America’s highest peak and connect my love for the mountains with my professional training.
At MMC, our residents have two months of elective time (one during PGY2, one during PGY3) to harness and delve into medicine in a way that feels most authentic to them. What an amazing opportunity!