# Wilderness EMT course



## dry-fly (Sep 23, 2010)

Hey all, has anyone here taken a wilderness course from an outfit called Wilderness Medical Associates?  Tell me about it if you have......

http://www.wildmed.com/medical-professionals/wilderness-emt-upgrade.html

I've seen adds for another group called Remote Medical, I guess they staff expeditions all over the place with medics.  Anyone ever do this kind of work??

http://www.remotemedical.com/

Thanks guys!


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## TnF75 (Oct 4, 2010)

Sounds very interesting


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## TnF75 (Oct 4, 2010)

Sounds very interesting


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## Epictetus (Oct 15, 2010)

Not sure about Wilderness Medical Associates but I did go to Remote Medical International for my Wilderness EMT. Hit me up if you have any specific questions about their program, I'll be glad to answer anything I know info for.


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## skivail (Oct 17, 2010)

I can only speak for my part of the world, but in eastern Canada, WMA is the most repsected company for wilderness medicine training.


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## O 2 (Oct 21, 2010)

Wilderness Medical Associates (WMA), Wilderness Medical Institute of NOLS (WMI), and SOLO are considered 'the big three' of wilderness medicine education. Based on their years in the business and number of students taught annually

This is rapidly changing though, as many other groups are providing quality wilderness medical education too. RMI is really good, I know a number of their grads who were really pleased. I went with SOLO cause they were near by. 

A good question to ask is what types & scope of scenarios they have as this is key for wilderness med. For example WMI does a ton of intensive scenarios while others less. 

You can't really go wrong with any of the 4 listed here.


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## RNL (Nov 20, 2010)

dry-fly said:


> Hey all, has anyone here taken a wilderness course  Anyone ever do this kind of work??
> 
> Thanks guys!



Well, I was an expedition doctor during the Annapurna I South Face Expedition in 2005 (Himalaya, Nepal) so if you have any questions feel free to ask.

I used to work in the remote areas of Africa as a doctor too.


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## Southernfire (Dec 6, 2010)

I have not taken a wilderness EMT course as of yet. However, I am enrolled in wilderness first responder for next semester. It is a weeklong course during spring break. I have completed EMT-B but have yet to take my registry. I will update and let you know about the course after i complete it. And hey, if i like it after i take registry ill go for the WEMT.


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## LSalander (Feb 3, 2011)

*WEMT - worth it?*

I'm thinking about enrolling in the EMT Upgrade course with NOLS in the summer to get the WEMT certificate.  Just wondering if this is just jumping the gun (still looking for an EMT-B job).  It sounds awesome, right up my alley, but $600-$700 ain't chump change.  

Anyone have anything to say about the certificate and how useful it is?  I want to go to paramedic school next year and would consider the tuition well worth it if it helps getting accepted.


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## JR-WEMT (Feb 5, 2011)

As an EMT you can take a Wilderness Module (40) hours with SOLO for your WEMT. I did mine at SOLO Southeast in western NC at NOC - Nantahala Outdoor Center. 
http://www.noc.com/noccom/outdoor-school/solo-wilderness-medicine/
NOLS-WMI also has a Wilderness Upgrade for Medical Professionals http://www.nols.edu/wmi/courses/wildupgrademedpros.shtml

I added the course information below.

Wilderness Module for Medical Professionals
A 5-Day Bridge Course From the Street to the Outdoors
Acquire the skills needed to manage a wilderness emergency.  The SOLO Wilderness Module is a 5-day program that upgrades current street first responders to the WFR level.  EMTs, doctors, nurses, PAs and paramedics will receive Wilderness EMT (WEMT) certification upon completion. This is a fast paced and highly recommended course for medical professionals that already have an advanced knowledge of patient care and seek a better understanding of wilderness protocols and procedures. The focus is on learning the skills to improvise medical treatments when separated from definitive care by distance, time or circumstance.

The Module covers subjects such as: 

Principles of Long-Term Patient Care,
Wilderness Patient Assessment System
Principles of Long-Term Soft Tissue Injuries
Principles of Long-Term Musculoskeletal Injuries
Environmental Emergencies (Hypothermia, Frostbite, Non-Freezing Cold-Related Injuries)
Heat Stroke
Heat Exhaustion
Dehydration
North American Bites and Stings
Severe Weather,
Lightning & Avalanche
Barotrauma and Marine Bites & Stings
Case Histories and Mock Rescues

This course counts for 40 hours of continuing education. Cost $349.00 
The closest NOLS class for me would have been TN, cost $600.00

The main SOLO campus is in Conway, NH. SOLO Southeast is near Bryson City, NC and SOLO Colorado is at Apex Mountain School in Avon, CO. I would love to take a NOLS-WMI course if I can find one closer to Florida. 

I believe the Wilderness component adds to your EMT skills, I know it did for me. I also think that having your WEMT is an advantage when looking for a job, especially in the more rural areas of the country. Good luck!


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## crossatwood (Feb 6, 2011)

I've taken the WEMT course with WMA and it was a blast. Lot of interesting stuff was covered. I'm sure it varies depending on your instructors but we did some great stuff. Extricating from tight spaces where you can't move obstacles, wound cleaning in the field, dislocations in the field and a bunch of other things. The main focus my instructor put on aside from the standard syllabus was improvisation. We use tentpoles and duffle bags to splint and anything else you can think of to do wound care and for the final scenario my instructor actually got a plane fuselage and put it in the woods to incorporate a search plane crashing in the middle of the wilderness call. I had a ton of fun and learned a lot. Like i said it will depend on your instructor but track down a good instructor (and a lot of the WMA guys are good and some are quite the characters from what i hear) and you will learn a lot and get a unique perspective on Wilderness EMS and take some of it to every call you do. Enjoy.


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## Southernfire (Feb 8, 2011)

*Wilderness First Responder/EMT*

There are three or four organizations that provide WFR. I will get a list together along with website links and put them on here in a day or so. In the meantime my Outdoor Leadership Instructor (Who sponsors our WFR course) made mention that the ODL program along with our college's EMS department are looking for a Stokes Basket. It started out just looking for one but now I am looking for two, one for each department. If you or anyone you know of might have one that you/they would give/donate or sell for really cheap send me a private message.


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## Handsome Robb (Feb 8, 2011)

That list would be awesome. I'm looking for an add-on class to add WEMT to my EMT-I near me.


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## Southernfire (Feb 9, 2011)

*Wfr*

The organizations that i am going to list offer Wilderness First Aid thru Wilderness EMT and beyond


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## Southernfire (Feb 9, 2011)

*Organizations That Offer Wilderness Medical Courses.*

1. National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS)- 
Offers Wilderness First Aid (WFA), Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA), Wilderness First Responder (WFR), and Wilderness EMT (WEMT).
WFR- http://www.nols.edu/wmi/courses/wildfirstresponder.shtml
WEMT- http://www.nols.edu/wmi/courses/wemt.shtml

2. Wilderness Medical Associates International (WMA)- 
Offers WFA, WAFA, WFR, WEMT, Wilderness Advanced Life Support (WALS), and Offshore Emergency Medicine (OEM)
WFA- http://www.wildmed.com/outdoor-professionals-and-enthusiasts/wilderness-first-aid.html
WAFA- http://www.wildmed.com/outdoor-professionals-and-enthusiasts/wilderness-advanced-first-aid.html
WFR- http://www.wildmed.com/outdoor-professionals-and-enthusiasts/wilderness-first-responder.html
WEMT- http://www.wildmed.com/medical-professionals/wilderness-emt-upgrade.html
WALS- http://www.wildmed.com/medical-professionals/wilderness-advanced-life-support.html
OEM- http://www.wildmed.com/outdoor-professionals-and-enthusiasts/offshore-emergency-medicine.html

3. Remote Medical International (WMI)-
Offers WFA, WFR, WEMT, and Remote Medicine Upgrade & Re-certification (RMUR)
WFA- http://www.remotemedical.com/wilderness-medicine-training/Wilderness-First-Aid-WFA
WFR- http://www.remotemedical.com/wilderness-medicine-training/Wilderness-First-Responder-WFR
WEMT- http://www.remotemedical.com/wilderness-medicine-training/Wilderness-EMT-WEMT
RMUR- http://www.remotemedical.com/wilderness-medicine-training/Upgrade-EMT-Wilderness-Recertification


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## EMTaylor (Feb 13, 2016)

RNL said:


> Well, I was an expedition doctor during the Annapurna I South Face Expedition in 2005 (Himalaya, Nepal) so if you have any questions feel free to ask.
> 
> I used to work in the remote areas of Africa as a doctor too.



Do you  know of much work like this? I've mostly heard that most wilderness medical jobs are volunteer based. But I'm wondering what opportunities, if any, there are for a wilderness medic as far as trips/expeditions. Or is this background education mostly found in national park jobs?


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## meatanchor (Mar 22, 2016)

It's a requirement for leading trips at a lot of schools/adventure guiding companies.  The EMS side of it is usually a responsibility in addition to your usual duties of making the trip go smoothly, teaching outdoor skills and dealing with teen drama.

For expeditions, my experience has been that medical experience is a way of getting yourself in the door for an expedition you really want to go on.  You almost never get paid and often have to come up with your own expenses.  But it does get you in, even when there are better players competing with you.


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## Old Tracker (Mar 25, 2016)

Do any of you have any information/feedback on AWLS? It's too late for me to go, but this sounds like a reasonable price.

https://awls.org/courses/cleburne-tx/

http://awls.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/AWLS-Cleburne-TX-Conference-Guide-V1-3-16.pdf


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## TME Training (Apr 18, 2016)

TME Training in Dover, TN is doing the ASHI Wilderness EMT upgrade May 2-6, 2016.  Same guidelines as the others, same content, much cheaper rate.  Carries a 2 year certification.  3 1/2 days in the classroom and 24 hours in the wilderness.  Call 731-924-8478 for more info.


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## kev54 (Apr 21, 2016)

I took mine through Remote Medical International and loved it.  I lined up a job at a western based hospital in Kabul doing public health work and ER tech/EMT work with it but eventually had to decline it because of a health issue. It also helped I had done aid work abroad already. I met some awesome people who helped me with that and made lifelong friends. I do have a bias and I am familiar with NOLS by name and they are also quite good.


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## MrJones (Apr 21, 2016)

TME Training said:


> TME Training in Dover, TN is doing the ASHI Wilderness EMT upgrade May 2-6, 2016.  Same guidelines as the others, same content, much cheaper rate.  Carries a 2 year certification.  3 1/2 days in the classroom and 24 hours in the wilderness.  Call 731-924-8478 for more info.


What does an "ASHI WIlderness EMT upgrade" include?


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## Summit (Apr 22, 2016)

MrJones said:


> What does an "ASHI WIlderness EMT upgrade" include?



It's 48-52 hours of WEMS training for already certified EMS providers, just like the other WEMT courses from WMI WMA SOLO DMM CMC.  Your card just says ASHI.


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## N0TOK (Jul 17, 2016)

Does anybody know if you need this to work as a EMT on a wildland firefighting crew? I want to try and become a wildland medic, and I'm starting paramedic school this September.


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## gotbeerz001 (Jul 17, 2016)

N0TOK said:


> Does anybody know if you need this to work as a EMT on a wildland firefighting crew? I want to try and become a wildland medic, and I'm starting paramedic school this September.


No. To become a wildland medic (FEMP), you are usually a paramedic employed with an agency and deployed as needed. If you work for a small agency, they often won't send you since they try to keep their medics in-district as much as possible. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## N0TOK (Jul 19, 2016)

gotshirtz001 said:


> No. To become a wildland medic (FEMP), you are usually a paramedic employed with an agency and deployed as needed. If you work for a small agency, they often won't send you since they try to keep their medics in-district as much as possible.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Thanks that's good to know
 I'm currently just a EMT-B, but start medic school this year. I'm on a call/vol department so they can't really stop me from going, because it's with a different agency.


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## amg1322 (Sep 12, 2016)

I hadn't even really considered doing WEMT. But I will be relocating to the Carolinas and I think it would be extremely helpful moving forward. After reading a post from a poster above about the WEMT program from SOLO at NOC, I will definitely be looking into it.


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## Kenneth Young (Oct 7, 2016)

I did mine through Remote Medical International. It was simply outstanding. Well worth the price tag in my opinion.


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