For background: I live in a city and don’t plan to work a job that requires an active WFR certificate. However I love the outdoors, do remote wilderness activities, sometimes work in remote settings abroad, and also think the course sounds fun. I see WFR (via WUMP for me) expires after 2 years, and not sure if I’ll be able to re-certify in-person that often.

For anyone who did the course for similar reasons - would you say it’s worthwhile even if I don’t keep it active?

Just renewed my BLS. Of course when talking about opening an airway on someone with suspected head or spinal injury the preferred method is the modified jaw thrust. (Sidenote: is there an “unmodified jaw thrust”?). Anyways, if you open an airway with a jaw thrust doesn’t the jaw just fall back down obstructing the airway when you let go? Can you use a pocket mask to deliver breaths with a jaw thrust? I’m thinking in terms of single rescuer CPR.

I’m currently a 2nd year SHO (junior doctor/intern depending on local nomenclature, not yet in training), planning on pursuing anaesthetics.

Very keen on a career in outdoor medicine and hoping to be able to get some side gigs going, be it with mountain expeditions, tropical medicine, or what have you.

My partner (non-medical), who wants to become an IFMGA guide has been looking at this 5-day PHEC course that got me intrigued. Only prerequisite seems a basic first aid course but teaches advanced trauma management, wilderness survival skills, advanced airway, etc.

I’m happy to spend time and money for courses that will be useful to build skills and get me closer to opportunities in my desired career, but I wondered if anyone has done a similar course and feels there’s a benefit to do one as a doctor or if it’s designed for people with limited background medical knowledge and I won’t get as much out of it.

Happy to provide more detail but wasn’t sure I’m allowed to post links.

Hi everyone 👋🏻 the Canadian Association of Wilderness Medicine (CAWM) is currently accepting applications for speakers and workshop leaders for the 2024 conference taking place November 1-3, 2024 in Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada! Anyone is welcome to apply (students, physicians, academics, paramedics, nurses, SAR, etc)! Applications are due by 11:59pm on March 1st and speakers receive FREE conference registration 😊😊

Apply on the website here: https://cawm.ca/cawm2024/

What level of training do you need to perform this treatment? In civilian settings, it makes sense that standard first aid doesn’t include this, because EMS/paramedics are 10 mins away. But for austere settings, can a WFR legally perform decompression for a tension pneumothorax?

Hey all,

If I am going to get my WFR recertified, which school would you recommend?

I'm a qualified EMT and WFR, are there any specific instructor certs I'd need beyond that to teach a WFR or WFA course?

Hey all,

I'm in the midst of (W)EMT recerts. I have completed the refresher class and a few other classroom CEU's but am left with 6 hours of additional CE. I know I can phone it in with some ridiculous online CE's but am hoping to find something more substantial. My background is not EMS, I work in the field with fire and trail, am a chainsaw/crosscut evaluator.

Have you all found any useful CEU options with substance and lean toward Wilderness medicine?

https://www.yahoo.com/news/venomous-snake-bites-kill-thousands-110019394.html

Still in development and testing so it will be awhile before it would be available if it even proves viable and gets FDA approval. Not necessarily a cure for a venomous snake bit, but if the article is to be believed definitely a game changer. Hopefully if it does work it will be affordable for us average Joes (not like Epipen expensive). This could be one of the most significant developments in wilderness medicine in a while. Fingers crossed this pans out.

I'm working through the online section of my WFR course and I'm feeling pretty rusty on patient assessments. Are there any resources for practicing patient assessments out there? Thanks in advance.

What are some of the most interesting wilderness med jobs out there for registered nurses? Any and all answers appreciated. Open to anywhere in the world :)

Currently USA based Acute coronary ICU and Emergency medicine extensive experience

Has anyone gotten their DiMM? Registered acute coronary ICU nurse in Ohio with some emergency med experience looking to pursue this diploma. Wondering if anyone has any suggestions for additional certifications to get. New to the wilderness medicine scene but backpacking, hiking and backwoods activities are my passion.

Paramedics: has anyone taken the WP-C exam since it was established earlier this year? Are you willing to share any anecdotes or study tips that you found useful? Not useful?

Is anyone aware of Wilderness Emergency Fellowships open to canadian family doctors? If so, do they have additional prerequisites or proof of ER work?

This is especially for the mountain rescue or otherwise specialized rescue units in these directions.

My university (in EU) offers hikes as part of the compulsory sports lessons, this consists of up to 45 participants (+1 tour leader), one of the tour leaders approached a fellow student and me whether we can accompany them "medically".

We are quasi qualified a walking (german) IFT-Vanbulance (EMT-B with rudimentary training in Wilderness/Remote Medicine and an MFR) :)

Terrain is very rocky and uneven (official but unsecured and narrow trails).

Expected are falls (e.g. fractures/torsion) exhaustion, hypoglycemia, and the like.

Available rescue resources in a SHTF situation would be only mountain rescue and FD, HEMS does not exist in this country.

My question:

What would you classify as indispensable and take with you (besides the usual suspects: splint(s), small diagnostics, bandages incl. blister plaster, dextrose ...).

Approx remaining packing volume is 8 liters

Hi everyone,

I'm thinking about doing the FAWM through Wilderness Medical Society. I've done WFR in the past and am mostly interested in FAWM to eventually participate/lead wilderness medicine education.

I’m in my final year of medical school have some money to spend on the candidacy fee right now, but money is still tight. Partly, I'm wondering how much they nickel and dime you after the candidacy fee.

Could I get some perspective on this, as well as your experiences with the course in general?

Thank you!

Can you guys help me clarify here.

Do you try to clean a wound before stopping the bleeding, or do you stop the bleed first, then go back in and try to clean it?

Obviously with life threatening bleeding, infection isn't as much of a concern as stopping the bleed, so you apply pressure till it stops, then do what you can to remove contaminants and disinfect, knowing you need to get to higher care ASAP (ideally before infection sets in).

But for more minor injuries like road rash, or small cuts where bleeding out isn't a concern, I have tended to try to irrigate and remove grit first, then bandage and try to stop the bleeding. Once things scab over, it is way harder to clean out the imbedded grit and such.

Realistically with these smaller cuts, the trip is going to continue, and the patient probably will never see a higher level of care - unless I don't clean it properly, and it gets infected.

​

Am I doing this all wrong?

I bought a bottle of topical cooling gel ("Cool Jel") and a gel-soaked 4"x4" dressing, both by Water·Jel, for a car and camping first aid kit. But the bottle says to store at room temperature and not to allow the contents to freeze. This means I can't store the items in a car in cold weather, and possibly also hot weather.

Can you suggest quick-use alternatives for cooling and dressing first and second-degree burns that might occur around campfires and accidents involving fuels? What about scenarios in which clean water is not immediately available?

I’m a shiny new NOLS WFR with plenty of personal wilderness experience, but no tangible FA or FR experience. I got certified for personal development and because i want to start guiding in the future.

Given that all skills - perhaps wilderness medicine especially - are perishable, I’d like to stay engaged.

I’ve been reading through old posts here, but are there other active communities, journals, case study sources, books, field journals (?), daily practices, etc., where I can keep my skills active? Who know when my first patient will appear in front of me.

Edit: I realized I can partially answer my own question. This has been a great, bite sized podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/advanced-wilderness-life-support-awls/id1545837929

Hi everyone, first time posting here I think. I have my WFR & WFA and live on a dude ranch. We have a ton of folks come in for rock climbing as well as the horses so we see plenty of injuries of all types. We also have a shooting range, though no accidents have happened there. We have a couple of staff that are WFAs and two of us with WFRs. This is my bag that I keep on hand for responding to emergencies… It is small, about a foot long. It isn’t my everyday carry first aid kit, but more of an “oh shit” bag. Pockets are labeled so others can find things too. Let me know what you think! Anything you would add or take out?

Middle pocket: bp cuff stethoscope pulse oximeter 2x triangular bandages space blanket tweezers thermometer & plastic covers

front pocket: certification cards WFR & WFA 2x ace bandages 5x gauze rolls 10x large alcohol prep pads 4x trauma pads 2x vented chest seals

right side pocket: 1 million gloves

left side pocket: glucose gel glucose tablets 4x glowsticks & flagging tape acetaminophen aspirin ibuprofen benadryl naproxen

outside of bag for easy access: CPR mask, adult and infant tourniquet sharpie trauma shears on retractable leash penlight watch with seconds hand 1 sam splint but trying to figure out how to fit 2 KTD traction splint

We also have a litter that has a “spine bag” with it for packing the litter. But that’s obviously not in my teeny kit.

A friend of mine mentioned that he once saw a blood pressure cuff that sat on the arm without any hoses or attached meters that had a digital readout then also showed O2 saturation. Have you ever seen that? Because I can't find it.

Hi! I'm a medical student in Europe. I am interested if there are any associations / courses / companies in Europe (mainly continental Europe) dealing with this area of medicine. I'm also interested, what speacialty training is the best choice for someone with this interest. Unfortunately, in many European countries ER is not an independent specialty.

I am a physician (psych) who wants to do immersive retreats in the wilderness. How can I add to my repertoire. I was thinking of doing a wilderness EMT course.. any suggestions???

Now I heard that oakmoss can be used for infection prevention. I am curious how you would use it. So say you are in the wilderness, and fell down a hill. You're hurt and scraped up. But otherwise ok. Several cuts that could easily get infected, but oh no! Your kit and first aid are sailing down the creek you almost fell into. But lucky you, you found some oakmoss nearby. You have a fast moving creek as well. How would you use oakmoss to help prevent infection of your several cuts? I can't find any videos showing that and whenever I look I end up videos on Oakmoss oil so I am curious how that stuff works if anyone knows