What should I expect?

Wilderness Advanced First Aid will prepare you for emergency situations that involve: prolonged patient care, severe environments, and improvised equipment. This course introduces wilderness medicine and wilderness medical protocols. The course provides the knowledge and skills to save lives and to manage common backcountry medical problems. It is designed for people who work and travel in less remote areas and assistant leaders on backcountry trips.

Topics include: leadership and prevention strategies, CPR, patient assessment, equipment improvisation, managing backcountry and environmental problems, and anticipating complication in the backcountry, as well, this course includes certification in four wilderness medical protocols: anaphylaxis treatment including injection training, field wound management, modified CPR protocol, and spinal injury evaluation.

Prerequisites

No prior first aid training is required. Students must be at least 16 years of age to participate, and we ask that 16 to 17 year olds provide parental permission.

Course Content

The course is 36 hours in length. It is usually conduct in four consecutive days or over two weekends. Although this course is information rich, it provides ample time for experiential learning through skills stations, patient assessment role plays, and simulations with theatrical make-up and stage blood. Simulations are video taped for enhanced feedback.

The cost of the course includes complete lecture notes, review problems, and textbook – "The Outward Bound Wilderness First Aid Handbook".