The definitive wilderness course in medical training, leadership, and critical thinking for outdoor, low-resource, and remote professionals and leaders.
The Wilderness First Responder (WFR) is the ideal medical training for leaders in remote areas including outdoor educators, guides, military, professional search and rescue teams, researchers, and those involved in disaster relief. This comprehensive and practical curriculum includes the essential principles and skills required to assess and manage medical problems in isolated and extreme environments. Emphasis is placed on risk management, prolonged care, advanced treatment, evacuations, and leadership. This course is taught by professional instructors with significant patient care and back-country experience.
7 Day vs 5 day 25 hours Independent Study
You can join either our standard 7 day WFR or accelerated 5 day WFR including 25 hours of pre-course work before the onsite learning. The 5 day format is for individuals with less time available for on-site training. Students registering for the 5-day WFR must register at least 2 weeks before the course start date, and all independent study material must be submitted prior to arrival on course. Once registered, students will receive the WFR course textbook by mail, and a WFR study guide by email. Students must complete the reading, assignments, and online test. Online test results are sent to the course instructor and a WMA faculty member for review and feedback. The onsite portion of the 5 day can focus more intensely on practical skills, patient assessment drills, and rescue simulations as students arrive familiar with the theoretical knowledge.
Global Emergency Medics (GEM) and Wilderness Medical Associates (WMA)
For all medical courses, we partner with WMA. WMA has been the leader in wilderness medicine and rescue for over thirty years. The cutting-edge curriculum is constantly updated by our group of healthcare professionals, has been taught on all 7 continents, and is recognized internationally.
Prerequisites
Students must be 16 years of age to participate in this course. Those under 18 years of age must have written proof of parental consent.
Certification Received
- Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification
- CPR Certification (Adult/ Child/ Infant CPR and AED training)
Re-certification Interval
3 Years
Key Topics Covered
The WFR curriculum includes a broad range of medical skills and topics, including patient assessment, CPR, AED, and basic life support skills. Students also learn how to effectively manage respiratory and cardiac emergencies, shock, head injuries, altered mental states, wounds and burns, infection, musculoskeletal injuries, dislocations, spinal injuries, allergic reactions, toxins, stings, poisoning, environmental emergencies such as hypothermia, heat illness, lightning, drowning, submersion and medical emergencies such as severe asthma, abdominal pain, and diabetes. Significant emphasis is also placed on leadership, teamwork, communication, and long term patient care. And so much more…
