This past month, I attended a Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician W-EMT class
put on by Wilderness Medical Associates at a local university. I can say that
this is by far the best
survival-oriented medical training I have received to date. This particular
class was geared towards those who are already certified at the EMT level.
The class was intense, and I learned a lot of things that were never brought
up in my regular EMT classes.
To start, here is a bit of background on what levels of medical training
are out there. Most of these are accessible to the average person willing
to put
in the time and money.
Basic First Aid - This is what you are typically taught in school, Boy Scouts,
or a one-day class offered by the Red Cross. The most basic life-saving skills
are taught, such as how to manage bleeding, how to recognize when someone
should not be moved due to a possible spinal injury, etc. Everyone should
at least
get themselves to one of these classes. Many times, they are offered for
free or at low cost at a community center, college, etc.
Wilderness First Aid - This is another class that goes over
the basics, but in more depth. The Wilderness First Aid (WFA)
courses will cover topics like altitude sickness, heat/cold emergencies,
and wound care in more depth than
a regular (urban) first aid class. These classes are typically two days or
so.
Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA)
- Similar topics to a WFA class, but goes into much more depth. Typical class
is 4 days.\
Wilderness First Responder (WFR) - This is standard training for professional
outdoor guides and group leaders. A lot of emphasis is placed on patient
assessment, evacuation, etc. These classes are around 8 days, and will be
intense. I would
recommend a class like this to anyone who is serious about survival and/or
outdoor travel.
Emergency Medical Technician - EMT is the certification level that is recognized
at the county and state level, and is the entry-level certification for working
on an ambulance crew, as a tech in an ER or other basic EMS work. It typically
involves 150+ hours of training, plus hands-on contact with patients at an
ER or on ambulance ride-alongs. You will learn basic anatomy, the critical
body systems, how to identify common medical emergencies, extrication, patient
packaging, trauma, delivery of some medications such as Oxygen, and get a
basic grounding in emergency medicine.
Wilderness EMT - This class is EMT plus another 40-50 hours of training.
The additional training covers topics that are specific to the back country
(hypo/hypertherima,
altitude, etc) in more detail than regular EMT or WFR training does and also
introduces six new protocols. These include administering epinephrine injections
for allergic reactions (anaphylaxis), managing sever asthma, reducing simple
dislocations, advanced wound care, cessation of CPR, and clearing patients
for spine injury. This would be about the best level of training most of
us not working full-time in a medical field would be able to get to.
Note that EMT training is typically offered in evening or weekend format
in most areas. I think a good bang-for-bucks training strategy would be to
go
for a first aid or better yet WFR class to get the basics plus wilderness
training, then think about enrolling in an EMT program at your local community
college.
Mine took a semester of night classes to complete, and cost about $300, including
enrollment, rooks and uniform.
The upgrade from EMT to W-EMT is a voluntary class that is not recognized
by the state or county agencies in many cases. However, many employers recognize
it and allow WIlderness-trained EMTs to use that extra training when they
are
away from a hospital/standard EMS.
The class that I took was five full days, and very hands on and intensive.
It was taught at a level of training that assumed students knew basic medical
terminology
and standard EMT skills. We started with classroom review of the important
body systems needed for survival, went over differences in assessing patients
in the back country, then went right into the wilderness protocols. Each
day was 9-10 hours long, and the class included three full-scale disaster simulations,
with made-up patients needing assessment and treatment. The simulations were
videotaped and critiqued in class. There was definitely no room for big egos
here, as everyone made lots of mistakes, and improved their skills from one
simulation to the next. They worked us pretty hard, and expected 100% from
everyone.
The instructors were both outdoors people, one a working flight paramedic
and the other a mountain-school instructor. Their insights and stories helped
flesh
out a lot of detail as to how and why a lot of this stuff is done. Additionally,
a lot of discussion was had about medical topics not in the EMT protocols,
such as applications for OTC and prescription medications for personal use,
and what to expect from ALS (paramedic/advanced life support) crews, aircraft
and search and rescue. Unlike the urban EMT class, they placed a lot of emphasis
on making do with what's on hand, and using hands-on skills in place of equipment
you may not have.
I think an important thing I learned is that just about anyone can be taught
how to do even advanced medical procedures. The hard part, is knowing when to do them (and when not to).
I would encourage anyone concerned about being prepared to look into
one of these classes. I went to the WMA school but we also heard
good things about
the other two schools included in the following links:
Wilderness Medical Associates
http://www.wildmed.com
SOLO Schools
http://www.soloschools.com
Wilderness Medical Society
http://www.wms.org
Regards, - JN