CoROM cast. Wilderness, Austere, Remote and Resource-limited Medicine. 172-Austere Critical Care Nurse with Dr Chris Carter
Dec 5, 2025
Dr. Chris Carter, a critical care nurse and academic in Zambia, shares his fascinating journey from military nursing to enhancing healthcare education in resource-limited settings. He discusses the significant impact of COVID-19 on critical care needs and emphasizes the vital role of collaboration with local partners. Chris reveals innovative low-cost solutions for nutrition and the importance of adaptable education programs. He encourages new professionals to embrace diverse opportunities and highlights the growing recognition of critical care nursing.
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From Call To A Decade-Long Partnership
- Chris Carter answered a national call to deliver a critical care course in Zambia and discovered there was no funding or program in place.
- He led a needs assessment in 2015 and partnered Birmingham City University to build sustainable critical care education over a decade.
COVID Reframed Critical Care Priorities
- COVID shifted donor attitudes and made critical care investment acceptable and urgent in the region.
- Staying in-country and building local faculty mattered more than remote teaching for competence development.
Whole-Pathway Education Strategy
- The team rebuilt Zambia's critical care education from an unsuitable UK-centric diploma into bachelor's and master's programs.
- They use a UK master's to pump-prime local faculty as a sustainability strategy.
