The Head of the Childrens' Ward at Redcliffe General Hospital and naval reservist, LCDR Terry Slader, is putting his medical skills to good use at the United Nations Military Hospital in Dili, East Timor.

As a clinical nurse consultant in paediatrics, LCDR Slader is normally restricted to treating Australian children in a modern mainstream hospital.

In East Timor he has had to help treat a range of injuries including vehicle accident victims, sufferers of cerebral malaria and even a local gored by a bull.

LCDR Slader works as part of a five-person resuscitation team consisting of a medical officer, an airway and spine manager, two members responsible for IVs and other procedures and a recorder.

"A number of the protocols and procedures I've learnt here will fit very well into some of the civilian emergency work I do. The structure has certain principles about it that will be beneficial to my civilian job."

He said the biggest stress for team members was not knowing when a resus would be called or in what numbers.