Switch States with a WEMT?

[gdaymate]

Hi,

I'm currently a WFR (Wilderness First Responder) considering obtaining my WEMT in September. My question is, I'm pretty nomadic, and if I obtain my WEMT certification through Landmark Learning/NOLS WMI in North Carolina, will I be able to bring that cert with me to, say, California or other states? Do I only need to worry about registries (state/national) if I want to work on an ambulance squad? I'm an outdoor leader hoping to break into the wilderness medical side of things: (camp health coordinator, expedition medic, WFR instructor, etc).

Does anyone have any thoughts about how getting my WEMT in one state will affect me if I move to another?

Thanks in advance!

 

[BossyCow]

Hi,

I'm currently a WFR (Wilderness First Responder) considering obtaining my WEMT in September. My question is, I'm pretty nomadic, and if I obtain my WEMT certification through Landmark Learning/NOLS WMI in North Carolina, will I be able to bring that cert with me to, say, California or other states? Do I only need to worry about registries (state/national) if I want to work on an ambulance squad? I'm an outdoor leader hoping to break into the wilderness medical side of things: (camp health coordinator, expedition medic, WFR instructor, etc).

Does anyone have any thoughts about how getting my WEMT in one state will affect me if I move to another?

Thanks in advance!

Some states don't recognize wilderness EMT. You will have to check with each state for their regulations.

 

[AbsoluteZzZero]

gdaymate,

I am currently enrolled in the Sep course for landmark learning. The way the program works is three weeks of a traditional "Urban EMT" course followed by a one week "Wilderness Upgrade". At the end of the EMT portion we will take the NREMT test and, if you are residing in NC, the NC EMT state test. You wont have just a WEMT, but an NREMT with a wilderness "upgrade".

Im not sure about CA, but FL is an NREMT state - all I'll need is my NREMT to apply for FL state certification.

So don't look at it as just WEMT. Its an EMT with a wilderness "upgrade".

Hope to see you in Sep!

 

[Oregon]

The State DHS folks here in Oregon are sick of being asked about Wilderness designations, I think. It's not recognized here, yet.
Anyone here have an idea on how to get it implemented?

 

[TransportJockey]

New Mexico only recognized NM licenses and certs (except NREMTP). NR and other states have to go through at least a 2 week refresher.

 

[SouthsideEMT]

CA is a NREMT state, so it should be cool. During my school, wilderness was an entirely separate module. A&P was one mod, EMT the 2nd, ect. Wilderness was like right after EMT i believe

 

[Jon]

I think most states DON'T recognize WEMT... but most, if not all, will recognize an NREMT-B cert... you might still need to take their tests, etc.

 

[cuvtixo]

No Recognition at all?

I don't think ANY state recognizes Wilderness training (beyond the standard EMT-B that may be offered with it). It was not part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) legislation, or any nat'l legislation at all. Maybe there will be a change in the future, but I believe as it is now, employers and even volunteer groups only recognize WEMT training at their own discretion.
If you're hoping for an opportunity with Wilderness EMT, you should specifically ask HR in the organizations that interest you. If you don't have the money or time to spare, there's probably not much point in getting WEMT. I think the biggest difference with wilderness training is that you're expecting long or indefinite transport times (carry to nearest road or heli pickup.) You're not going to learn to find magical healing plants or get extra surgical skills with wilderness training. On the other hand, if you plan on spending a lot of time in remote wilderness setting, being prepared is never a bad thing.

 

[PNWMedic]

Yeah, as far as I know, the WEMT certification itself is not recognized by state governments, other then military. If you want to work in the capacity of a WEMT, then the company that hires you may or may not recognize it, and then through your company's medical director, you have your protocols that you can use in the WEMT sense. So pretty much, overall, you just have to worry about your State, and national if you choose to take and maintain your national. Good Luck!

 

[Trailpatrol]

I teach WFA and WFR, and have been a WEMT since the program piloted back in CO in the late '70s. (They called it "EMT-Wilderness" back then.) Right now only Maine and one western state (Don't recall which, maybe Alaska.) "offically" recognize WEMT, mostly because WFR/WEMT goes "outside the envelope" in areas of CPR, fracture and dislocation care, focused spinal assessment, etc.. Maine, New York and Alaska (Others?) recognize WFR as long as the First Responder portion meets national CFR standards, but the reasoning is different; Those states license wilderness guides, usually through their state conservation agency, and having WFR certification is a requirement for having a guide's license. So, 'fer instance, in NYS, where I used to live, I don't know if the state Health Department recognizes WFR, but the Department of Environmental Conservation does...and is even putting the state's Forest Rangers, who coordinate SAR operations in the state, through WFR training.

Interestingly, many federal agencies, including the National Park Service, US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and the FBI-Hostage Rescue Teams accept WFR/WEMT training, and are even sending their rangers and agents through the training. I suppose since the federal DOT doesn't have a lot to do with "wilderness", acceptance at the federal level is going to have to be pushed by the Interior Department or some such agency.

At the more advanced level, many of the major Wilderness Medical providers (The "big three"; Wilderness Medical Associates (WMA) in ME, NOLS-WMI on WY and SOLO in NH, plus some others.) are offering Wilderness Advanced Life Support (WALS) to practicioners with paramedic, RN, RN-P, PA or doctor certification which is good for something like 36 CEU hours. According to the WMA website (www.wildmed.com) the WEMT module is accepted for 45 continuing ed hours by NREMT. We give CEU letters to any nurse, medic etc. who takes our WFA/AWFA or WFR training courses, and they have never reported any problems having them accepted.

Finding a Medical Director to let you use the skills may actually be more appropriate than trying to convert a whole state system. We have been fortunate here in MN in that we have had one medical advisor who is an active "silent sports" competitor/enthusiast and has been 100% behind us, but he is moving to Lake Tahoe. We do have a number of docs we work with, including a 4th-year resident who is a WALS graduate. The other biggie is that the EMS medical director for the eastern Twin Cities metro area is a National Ski Patroller and Outdoor Emergency Care Instructor (NSP's in-house medical training/certification program). He has been working with a Ranger/Paramedic on a nearby National Park unit, and that has had a positive "trickle-down" effect for us.

Long answer, but I hope it helps.

Stay safe,
Hans

 

[Brooks416]

In Maine WEMT has a set of protocols that are for certified wilderness EMT's. As said above there are no magic plants but the course in Maine is 65 hrs. plus 4 hrs of praticals. We do a lot of trending on the pt's and a lot of wound cleaning. In Maine the protocols kick in if transport time to the hospital is more or less 2 hrs. Long extracations come into this time frame. Plus we are extremely rural