‘We don’t want to stop you fighting...’: Interactional strategies in combat sports medical work

This paper draws on observation and interview data from an empirical study of doctors, nurses, paramedics, EMTs and other staff who offer medical services at combat sports events in the United Kingdom.  The paper employs symbolic interactionism to interpret strategies that these ‘fight medics’ use in order to claim and maintain power in contexts which are largely devoid of the usual trappings and mechanisms of medical authority.  Their work takes place in sporting environments that are not subject to formal regulation by governing bodies; it is usually performed in spaces that are not fit-for-purpose and are rarely within their ability to control; it is undertaken with patients who are likely to lie to them; and is executed under the auspices of promoters whose priorities often do not align with their own.  As such, fight medics must draw on interactional skill and strategy to navigate successful performances on the job, claiming authority through effective self-presentation and relationship construction with key players in the field.  As well as discussing some of the strategies so used, we also highlight the potential for this form of power to be misused by individuals whose claims to medical authority may be more-or-less successful in situ, but whose credentials and abilities as medics are otherwise dubious.