On Monday, July 26th at 7:45am, the Wilderness Medicine Institute of the National Outdoor Leadership School course for Wilderness EMT certification began. This day and time marked a really cool transition in my life.. from being able to recall only the very basics of CPR to really gaining knowledge in the area of trauma assessment and treatment in both an urban and wilderness environment!
The course runs Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm every day with additional class time 7pm to 9pm on Tuesday and Thursday. Time is spread across classroom instruction, hands-on skills practices, mock trauma scenarios and debriefing. While we have only 44hrs. required class time each week, after class each day my 29 classmates and I are actively studying for the course. You can hardly go anywhere at the hostel we are staying at / taking the course at, without tripping over teams who have set up their own mock scenarios, small groups studying quizzing one another on chest trauma and assessment, partners setting up traction splints one another or individuals pouring over any one of the number of reading materials we have for class.
We have 30 participants and 3 instructors and the class dynamic is incredible. Ages range from 20 to 60 and experience is even more diverse. However, we all seem to have a really heart for the outdoors and adventure. It makes our weekends quite an exciting time!
The course runs Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm every day with additional class time 7pm to 9pm on Tuesday and Thursday. Time is spread across classroom instruction, hands-on skills practices, mock trauma scenarios and debriefing. While we have only 44hrs. required class time each week, after class each day my 29 classmates and I are actively studying for the course. You can hardly go anywhere at the hostel we are staying at / taking the course at, without tripping over teams who have set up their own mock scenarios, small groups studying quizzing one another on chest trauma and assessment, partners setting up traction splints one another or individuals pouring over any one of the number of reading materials we have for class.
We have 30 participants and 3 instructors and the class dynamic is incredible. Ages range from 20 to 60 and experience is even more diverse. However, we all seem to have a really heart for the outdoors and adventure. It makes our weekends quite an exciting time!
The first weekend, one of my roommates, Annie, and I took a 26-mile hike in Yosemite which started out on the Ten Lakes trail in the middle of the park and led us to the Grand Tuolumne (pronounced 'two-all-o-mee') Canyon which borders the northern end of the park. It was spectacular and a welcome break from studying!
Around every turn we came across what seemed like an untouched, brilliant-colored lake, quietly waiting for wildlife and rouge hikers to ripple its glassy surface. Even in the forest and summiting mountain peaks we were able to consider the implications of our most recent class topics.
We met a park ranger that was the first responder to a trauma situation only a week earlier which involved the care of a woman that had tumbled approximately 100 feet from a mountain ridge. He has the same certification we are pursuing right now and was able to confidently say that he and his team provided the best medical care possible before search and rescue could pull her from the steep, rocky terrain.
I am so very thankful for the knowledge I am gaining and was encouraged by Ranger Cliff's story. We don't ever want someone to undergo trauma but if they do, I want to be prepared to respond in a way that gives them the best possible chance of survival.
Around every turn we came across what seemed like an untouched, brilliant-colored lake, quietly waiting for wildlife and rouge hikers to ripple its glassy surface. Even in the forest and summiting mountain peaks we were able to consider the implications of our most recent class topics.
We met a park ranger that was the first responder to a trauma situation only a week earlier which involved the care of a woman that had tumbled approximately 100 feet from a mountain ridge. He has the same certification we are pursuing right now and was able to confidently say that he and his team provided the best medical care possible before search and rescue could pull her from the steep, rocky terrain.I am so very thankful for the knowledge I am gaining and was encouraged by Ranger Cliff's story. We don't ever want someone to undergo trauma but if they do, I want to be prepared to respond in a way that gives them the best possible chance of survival.
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