2014 SOLO Southeast Wilderness Medicine Calendar

The 2014 SOLO Southeast calendar is set, so check your certifications and see if you have anything that's up for renewal in 2014. There are a few minor changes from last season: 

• SOLO's popular Wilderness First Aid and Wilderness First Responder courses will be held every month in 2014. So SOLO students now have more options available when looking to schedule a course that works with their busy schedules.

• SOLO Southeast has also added more evening CPR courses to accommodate the large volume of students and guides looking for this course. Note that the the AHA certification requires renewal every two years.

• Also, the WFR Costa Rica trip has been removed. Let the SOLO office know if you're interested in renewing your certification on an international trip. We're always up for the idea, but we need a big enough group of students willing to commit to the trip. 

Finally, here's the full 2014 SOLO calendar. Click here to see it in full size or to print a copy.
  

Not sure what to look for on here? For students and prospects interested in pursuing a career in the outdoor industry, specific wilderness medicine courses provides a competitive advantage, and in many instances are a prerequisite for employment. The two major certifications are WFR and WEMT.

Wilderness First Responder: As Sara Hunter, SOLO Southeast Operations Manager points out, "This nine-day course is the standard certification required to lead trips in the wilderness. The course is designed to take someone with little to no medical experience and help them become confident in their own skills and leadership in the outdoors.”

Over the nine days students spend time inside and outside the classroom practicing the following skills:

·      Critical patient assessment

·      Splinting

·      Wound care

·      Medical evacuation decisions

·      Emergency Scenario Management

The total cost for the WFR course is $650 which includes CRP certification as well as a 20% discount on NOC lodging options and a 10% discount on NOC dining options for all students. For the full scoop on the WFR visit SOLOSoutheast.com.

Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician Intensive: the most comprehensive course offered is the Wilderness EMT Intensive (WEMT) course. Basic EMT training lasts three weeks and a special five-day wilderness module at the end prepares students for wilderness protocols and procedures that are significantly different than those standards used in emergency rooms. Students will work through the Department of Transportation EMT curriculum and will be qualified to take both the NREMT exam and the North Carolina EMT exam. During the course of the four-week class, students should expect the following:

·      Classroom learning sessions

·      Practical skill labs

·      Two six-hour clinicals at the local EMS or walk-in clinic

·      CPR certification

·      Wilderness medical skills (such as how to deal with environmental concerns, distance from transportation, improvisation of equipment, etc.)

The total cost for the WEMT intensive course is $2080, and the remaining 2014 courses will begin in late June and late September.  Food and lodging are available with the same discounts as the WFR course. Learn more about the WEMT course by clicking here.

Scenarios: Most SOLO students enjoy the realistic scenarios provided by SOLO staff. NOC employees and volunteers will play the role of car crash victims, bear attack victims, stricken campers, hypothermic hikers and many other typical and bizarre medical situations. These simulated situations allow SOLO staff to observe and coach students' responses to medical emergencies in controlled settings.

The WFR and WEMT courses are only two of the many courses that SOLO Southeast offers. Students may also start with a simple one or two day course. To find out more about the courses offered in 2014 check out the SOLO Southeast website or call 828.488.7243.

WEMT: Week Two Update

SOLO Southeast students awoke to a fresh layer of powdery snow at Nantahala Outdoor Center, and class began with a visit from orthopedic surgeon Dr. Pat Kessler from Angel Medical Center. Dr. Kessler came to speak about muscular and skeletal systems, and advice for EMS providers, from a post-emergency point of view. Do you know the difference between the axial skeleton and the appendicular skeleton? Our Wilderness EMT students do!

Now two weeks into the course, students are gaining confidence and skills. Paul Meyer from Ohio remarked, "I spend the evenings studying. It's an intense course." Meyer is a wilderness firefighter, splitting his time between Wayne National Forest in Southeastern Ohio and northern California. He's taking the WEMT course to help provide proper, immediate care in his fire unit, which often finds itself far from hospitals or convenient transport.

A second guest speaker, Jocelyn Beasley spoke to students on behalf of the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, GA. This is the largest burn center in the US, with local clinics spread across the Southeast. Her talk centered around current trends in burn care, as relevant to the EMS providers who are among the first to encounter burn victims. These special guest speakers make SOLO Southeast's wilderness medicine courses unique, providing interdisciplinary instruction from experts working in the field.

The WEMT students have diverse backgrounds, which is also contributing to the rich learning environment. Brooks Wolfe is a kayaking and survival instructor, who has worked at one of the top survival schools in the nation. JR is an outdoor expert who drove all the way to NOC from Alaska to participate in the class. Trevor from South Africa shared this photo of himself in EMS action outside Johannesburg. This photo appeared in a magazine article about the South African police forces back in 2006. That's Trevor on the right, in those cool blue pants.

If you're interested in attending a SOLO Wilderness Medicine course at NOC, click here. A nine-day Wilderness First Responder course is set to begin February 20, and it's not too late to reserve your spot.

WEMTs-in-Training Arrive at NOC

SOLO Southeast's first WEMT course got into full swing this week, with the arrival of 15 students on Monday. Students have come from across the country—as far away as Alaska—and even across the world, with one student traveling from another continent, all to receiving WEMT-certification at NOC's SOLO Southeast.

"I wanted to get EMT certified in another county other than my own," said Trevor, who already works for an EMS squad in his native South Africa. Below, Trevor checks on a patient in an in-class simulated scenario.

These students have signed up for an EMT-Basic intensive course, meaning a large amount of material will be covered in four short weeks. Class runs every day of the week from 8am to 5pm, with some night sessions included. Students are also required to complete four three-hour sessions volunteering and shadowing area EMS outfits and hospital emergency rooms. In addition to receiving EMT-B certification upon successful completion of the course, students also participate in a final week of Wilderness training, vital to providing the highest level of care in backcountry situations.

In the photos below, students are practicing their skills in a simulated scenario, assessing a non-traumatic patient by taking vital signs and obtaining some medical history from the patient. We'll check in with these students throughout their course and update on their progress.