Transcript title

Wilderness First Aid

Credits

1

Grading mode

Standard letter grades

Total contact hours

20

Other hours

20

Course Description

Designed to provide the student with the necessary knowledge and skills to care for an injured or suddenly ill person in a remote location. The methods and protocols presented follow the Wilderness Medical Society guidelines for a 16 hour certification and are specific to a wilderness setting. The Wilderness Medical Society defines wilderness as a remote geographical location more than one hour from definitive care. Open to all and counts as an elective for Outdoor Leadership students.

Course learning outcomes

1. Assess patient conditions in a wilderness emergency.
2. Demonstrate treatment and care for immediate life-threatening injuries or sudden illness,
excluding cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), in a wilderness setting.
3. Arrange and implement evacuation plans, in a wilderness setting, for immediate life threatening
injuries or sudden illness, excluding cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
4. Demonstrate treatment and care for non-life-threatening injuries or illness, in a wilderness
setting.
5. Arrange and implement long-term care plans, in a wilderness setting, for a patient with non-life-
threatening injuries or illness.

Content outline

1. Introduction; Action at an emergency
2. Patient assessment and urgent care; Spine management
3. Bleeding and wounds
4. Dressing and bandages
5. Head and facial injuries; Spine
6. Specific bone and joint injuries; Splinting; Spine exam
7. Respiratory and abdominal emergencies
8. Diabetic emergencies, allergies
9. Sudden illness, genitourinary (GI/GU)
10. Environmental hazards, poisons, plants, burns, submersion incidents, marine animal stings
11. Bites and stings, first aid supplies, improving the odds, improvisation

Required materials

Wilderness first aid textbook.