Wilderness Medical Training

[1leglance]

I know others around here have attending wilderness medical training but I thought I would post up about my recent experience getting WUMPed...Wilderness Upgrade for Medical Professionals = Wilderness First Responder.

Last week I completed 5 days of intense Wilderness Upgrade for Medical Professionals in Flagstaff, mid 20's at night & mid 40's during the day. And they had us in the snow all the time practicing what we were being taught.

It was a great class and I highly recommend that everyone take some level of wilderness med training through WMI/NOLS http://www.nols.edu/wmi as they have a great setup and my instructors were top notch!. Anything put on by Pete Waka & Marc Yeston is worth attending.

The night training was very cool and I got to be a suprise patient. We had teams of 5 and 1 of our team got "hurt", after 1 hour I then had a "seizure" and that really cranked the pressure up. In the first case they knew it wasn't real, but in mine they weren't so sure.


Read more about it here
http://disabledexplorers.com/id14.html

 

[XXXpedition]

that sounds great. just a bit too far for me :-(((

 

[desertgirl66]

Whoo-hoo! Way to go Lance! A most excellent class with real life scenarios.Great to be a patient at night in the snow :snorkel:

What I really like about the Wilderness Medicine is that it feels real practical, and since becoming a WFR, I am always prepared!

Congratulations on a very hard class and super Medical Upgrade.

 

[1leglance]

Make sure to look at the wmi website as they have classes worldwide....and if not through them then through whoever is close to you. It feels nice to look into your revamped first aid kit and actually envision using each item.

Hey Kristina I thought it was you who had mentioned the class before but I couldn't find the thread when I searched.
I am a visual, gotta do it learner and this class was great, plus laughing helps create more solid memory banks

One tough thing for me is that I am so used to reaching for fresh sterile supplies at the hospital so I liked rethinking my resources and learning new pt monitoring skills.

great class.

 

[4Rescue]

Congrats man, it's good training to have...



I too am a graduate of the WMI EMT-W course. Best month of training ever. Dan Dekay is flat out the MAN as far as EMS trainers go. I now work with a Nurse Pract. that teaches for them and is getting me hooked up to teach as well. I highly recomend WMI over most of the other wilderness med. outfits, the knowledge base is FAR higher and the level of practical training is awsome. Doing full on night SAR practicals is just plain amazing (although a few of the kids in my class got wicked cases of Poison ivy...)

What do you do in the Hospital? (I'm currently an ER tech here in Portland, am in Nursing school, and am a certified Structrual Firefighter looking for a home with a good dept.) I hear you about Sterile field, it's alot different when you've got a real emergency out on the side of a river or on the trail, get the bleeding stoped and get'm in... Try to fight as much infection as you can but it aint no OR eh

Cheers

Dave

 

[stick]

I've always been interested in these classes, but apparently in my part of the country we don't need Wilderness First Aid. They offer no classes even anywhere close to PA. NC is the closest thing I saw on the schedule.

 

[1leglance]

I am a RN in the ICU & surgical recovery areas...I like to change things around so I try to keep my skills up in both areas.

I guess there are parts of the country where training is lacking...we did have some folks in our class (Flagstaff, Northern Arizona) come from quite a ways away saying there was nothing aval. near them.

I can't recommend enough that you should get whatever training you can if you go into remote areas. You might just be all there is and every bit of knowledge helps.

 

[4Rescue]

Cool mate. I'm really looking forward to being finnished with school... My mom has been an ER nurse for 35 years so she was pretty stoked when she found out I was gonna follow in her footsteps.

And I couldn't agree with you more. If you get out there, go take a wilderness First Aid class at the least. It never hurts to know something and you may just save a life...possibly your own eh

Cheers

Dave

 

[Fireman78]

Anyone who travels into and beyond the "Middle of Nowhere" really needs to have this training under their belt. This goes for all parties, regardless of how well you THINK your vehicle is capable/reliable/etc. I took one of these classes back in 93 or so in Squaw Valley, Ca, and it was a really great time, as well as outstanding real world info. I enjoyed talking with all the different folks from all areas and walks of life. I took another one around 99 here in New Mexico, but this one was more geared for survival and map skills. Very cool classes indeed. One thing I can recommened is that you and your group of friends that you took the class with go out once a year or every couple years or so and really practice what you've learned. I mean go out and suffer, take a small pack with bare exentials and nothing else. Imagine you've survied a plane crash or major mech breakdown and you have to hike out to civilazation and survive. no GPS, no tent, ect. Have someone literally drop you off and get back to wherever, or arrange a pick up a couple days later. You won't regret doing it. :campfire:

 

[Angel?]

Congrats Lance! Great job! :bowdown:

Damn, don't those outside simulations get your blood pumping?

Yes, all the WMI instructors are top notch, as are the WMI
courses.

 

[Angel?]

I've always been interested in these classes, but apparently in my part of the country we don't need Wilderness First Aid. They offer no classes even anywhere close to PA. NC is the closest thing I saw on the schedule.

Check out Wilderness Medical Associates, who along with WMI, what I understood from our instructor to be one of the top three in Wilderness Medical training companies. As I understand it, WMI and WMA accept each other's students for recerts. http://www.wildmed.com/Schedule/schedule.htm

There is a WFR by WMA class in Gettysburg PA in May.

 

[Off-Grid Engineering]

I've always been interested in these classes, but apparently in my part of the country we don't need Wilderness First Aid. They offer no classes even anywhere close to PA. NC is the closest thing I saw on the schedule.

One of the best programs in the country is in Conway, New Hampshire. SOLO (stonehearth open learning opportunities) offers WFR and WEMT classes. I have attended several Wilderness Medicine classes and I promise this is one of the best. They also have a satellite campus in NC that teaches weekend courses.

 

[RedRocker]

Congrats man, it's good training to have...
I too am a graduate of the WMI EMT-W course. Best month of training ever. Dan Dekay is flat out the MAN as far as EMS trainers go.

Cheers

Dave

I took that course about 15 years ago in Park City Utah, Dan
was a great teacher for sure.

 

[4Rescue]

I took that course about 15 years ago in Park City Utah, Dan
was a great teacher for sure.

HAHA, Nice man, small world eh, and yeah Dan is one GREAT teacher. I hope to be teaching for them by next year, I'm a fim beliver that WMI is heads and shoulders above the rest of the W-EMS world (there are other good programs, but WMI is the best IMO). Great teachers, great lesson plans, great locations, simply a great education.

Cheers

Dave

 

[jeepmedic46]

Going to be getting my wilderness emt back in the spring. Let mine expire years ago and want to get back into search and rescue. Going to do mine at SOLO in North Conway Nh.