| Our 16-hour Wilderness First Aid (WFA) program is designed to help students gain confidence and skills to support a patient in a delayed care situation. Significant focus is placed on the identification and treatment of traumatic injuries, severe bleeding, fractures, impaled objects, burns, punctures, wound management, fish hook removal, drowning, gunshots, cold water immersion, and much more. The second area of focus is placed on medical emergencies in which students need to know how to gather, document, and convey pertinent patient information. We also practice monitoring the patient, comforting them, and tracking patient vital signs. This intensive 2-day program includes a WFA certification, Adult and Pediatric CPR/AED certification, and our custom WFA Patient Assessment Form (printed on write-in-the-rain paper), as well as digital program books. In this program, you will discover the answers to some of these critical questions: What can I do while waiting for help? Can we hike out, or do I need to call for a medical evacuation? Can I wait for help? Why is there an altered mental status? Do I need to assist my patient with breathing? Do I improvise a tourniquet? Can I ever loosen the tourniquet? Can they sleep with that concussion? Should I put on a chest seal? Can I give the Epi-pen? Can I move that patient? How can I treat that burn? Should I carry bear-spray or a gun? What method of drinking water treatment is best for Alaskans? Should I close up that wound? What should I put in my first aid/survival kit? These are some of the questions we explore in the WFA curriculum. We hope you are excited to learn the many ways to manage safety as well as reacting to life-threatening injuries in the wilderness! Our expert instructors are experienced backcountry Alaskans who have years of experience in the field. Expect to both practice and apply wilderness protocols for stopping the bleed with commercial and improvised tourniquets, packing wounds, applying pressure dressings, wound management, removing fish hooks, moving the patient, maintain spinal immobilization, blood sweeps, CPR, rescue breathing, using a bag-valve mask, and much more! This program is designed for field guides, hunters, researchers, biologist, surveyors, Scout groups, Search and Rescue personnel, kayakers, fishermen, motor sports and ATV/snowmachine enthusiasts, and anyone else who goes far from civilization for work or play! We keep our class sizes small (12 students max) for optimal participation and learning. Micro-scenarios are designed to make students apply patient assessment skills, rule out life threats, work toward a diagnosis, treat injuries and make evacuation decisions. No prior medical training is required. We hope you are ready to learn and practice critical lifesaving skills! |