Wilderness First Aid (WFA)

Through this Wilderness First Aid Course taught by Backcountry Pulse over 2 days (16 hours total), you will gain the skills to anticipate risks and hazards, identify medical, traumatic, environmental problems, recognize life-threatening issues, initiate basic care, and deliver a cohesive report to emergency medical personnel. Take this class and become empowered to make a life or death difference when an emergency occurs. Please note, the course enrollment minimum for each class is 10. You will be contacted and refunded if the course enrollment minimum is not met for the course. 

Learn more about Backcountry Pulse here!

Our courses are engaging, hands-on and instructed to the latest evidence-based practices in wilderness medicine. Our curriculum forces students to think creatively, adapt to ever changing situations, and learn valuable leadership, decision making and commutation skills. Our instructors are wilderness medicine professionals who represent a wide range of intersectionalities. They are dually skilled outdoor experiential educators with years of experience working complex rescues and guiding groups in remote, dynamic environments and most of all, are passionate about creating all-encompassing, collaborative learning environments.

Wilderness First Aid (WFA) Focus:

• Planning, preparing, and risk management for outdoor activities. 
• Learning the complexities of delivering medical care in a wilderness setting.
• Performing a physical exam, identifying abnormalities and life-threatening problems, obtaining vital signs, patient history, and writing and verbalizing a report for an evacuation or hand-off.
• Treatment and stabilization of emergencies, improvising splints, bleeding and wound control, management of heat and cold illnesses, hydration problems, drownings, lighting injuries, and spinal cord protection.
• Basic Life Support with special considerations for the wilderness, Epinephrine administration, and first aid kit planning for specific activities and needs. (*Note this course goes over BLS skills but does not include an additional CPR certification).

Wilderness First Aid (WFA) Course Schedule:

Day 1:

• Defining Wilderness Medicine
• Medical Legal Concepts
• Rescuer Psychological Preparedness
• Mental Health
• Basic Life Support - Wilderness Considerations
• Patient Assessment System
• Spine Injury Management
• Traumatic Brain Injuries
• Wound Management & Bleeding Control
• Musculoskeletal Injuries/Improvised Splints/Slings

Day 2:

• Cold/Heat/Hydration 
• Altitude
• Lightning
• Drowning/Submersion
• Allergies/Anaphylaxis
• Heart Attack (MI) /Stroke (CVA)
• First Aid Kits

Exam

• The exam has 50 multiple choice questions. Passing score is 70% or greater. After the exam, a .pdf certification card will be emailed to the email address provided with registration. No stress, no trick questions, we know you will do great!

Packing List:

• Notebook and pen
• Snacks/Water/Lunch (or money to purchase lunch nearby)
• Clipboard or hard surface to write on (optional)
• Sleeping pad or yoga mat or similar item (so you don't have to lay directly on the ground for patient scenarios)
• Computer or tablet on the last day to take the exam
• OPTIONAL BUT HELPFUL: Any outdoor gear you primarily recreate with to practice improvising splints or backcountry litters (stretchers) with. (Examples are: tarps, trekking poles, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, tent stakes, etc.)

Certification awarded after course participation and examination:

• Wilderness First Aid

Re-certification information:

• All certifications listed above are valid for two-years with no grace period.
• Wilderness First Aid can be kept current by taking a minimum 16-hour Wilderness First Aid within the two-year period.
• All courses are globally recognized and have reciprocity among other wilderness medicine education companies.
• All Backcountry Pulse programs are taught to the current internationally accepted wilderness medicine guidelines and are continually updated to reflect the latest evidence-based practices.