Results 1 to 15 of 15
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09-03-2019, 10:15 AM #1
Anyone taken Wilderness First Aid with NOLS and REI?
Being in Chicago, I believe this course was previously only offered up behind the cheddar curtain in Milwaukee (which is pronounced mill-e-wah-que and is Algonquin for "out of the wildcard").
Curious if any have taken it and if they found it to be worth the $245? I might be able to use professional development funds to cover it. Of course around here, it'll probably be heavy on patching holes in people.
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09-03-2019, 10:21 AM #2
Not through them, but I have taken a Wilderness First Aid class and found it to be extremely worthwhile.
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09-03-2019, 10:42 AM #3
ditto
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09-03-2019, 11:01 AM #4
I'd say the opposite really.
The course is so short that everything covered is mostly common sense. It is nice to formalize a bit of intuition and common sense into their standard format, however, it didn't seem super applicable to scenarios I might find myself in with skiing/mtb.
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09-03-2019, 11:07 AM #5
Took my WFR and one of my re-certs through NOLS/WMI. I would highly recommend them. Solid first aid skills are always good to have.
It sucks to suck.
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09-03-2019, 11:56 AM #6
More than anything it is worthwhile to be able to learn the protocols and language of first responders/ski patrol/search and rescue personnel to be able to quickly and concisely communicate information regarding patient status in an emergency. A “SOAP note” greatly aids more highly trained persons expedite help.
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09-03-2019, 12:31 PM #7Registered User
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- Jan 2014
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- Gaperville, CO
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09-03-2019, 01:09 PM #8
I found the WFA to be great first class. Great content for the time spent. I've take it from both NOLS and Jackson hole outdoor leadership. Jake with Jackson hole knows his stuff.
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09-03-2019, 01:53 PM #9
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09-03-2019, 05:37 PM #10
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09-03-2019, 06:26 PM #11
I highly recommend Colorado Mountain College, Desert Mountain Medicine and WMA as providers for backcountry medical training. They are at least as good as NOLS, if not better, and typically cheaper, sometimes way cheaper.
Originally Posted by blurred
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09-03-2019, 06:33 PM #12
Our local guy is affiliated with WMA, and also provides our WorkSafe level 1 with endorsements. Highly recommend WMA. Also great fun to do both series seeing difference between 15min to a hospital vs several hours or more in the woods. The tricky part is always the extra protocols needing medical sign-off under the employer or other association for legal application in formal settings. I need to recert my 80hr WFR this fall.
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09-03-2019, 06:41 PM #13
Have taken WFA, WFR and WEMT courses through NOLS, WFA and SOLO. Honestly don't have a bad thing to say about any of them.
I would agree that if you have basic 1st aid knowledge, were a boy scout, etc.. the WFA is probably nice but not a ton of new useful info.
WFR on the other hand, is something that I wish all backcountry travelers had. Huge step up in terms of stabilizing and minimizing evacuation level injuries.
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09-03-2019, 07:31 PM #14
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09-03-2019, 09:16 PM #15Registered User
- Join Date
- Oct 2010
- Posts
- 1,961
Echo the above: WFA not worth it unless you need the specific cert for a job or you have no experience at all with first aid. WFR however is a great course and I left that 10 day experience with skills that could actually make the difference in someone’s life.
Later I did the whole Wilderness-EMT and worked in wilderness SAR and EMS and most of what I used I learned in the WFR training (except for the rare EMT-specific tools which honestly don’t come out that much.)
NOLS was a great organization. As a side benefit, NOLS alumni are eligible for some discounts on ExpertVoice (previously Promotive).
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