Course Curriculum Overview
Saturday/Day 1
• Principles of Wilderness Medicine
• Law and Ethics in Wilderness Medicine
• Survival Leadership and Decision-Making in the Wilderness
Sunday/Day 2
• Simulation: Gastroenteritis and Dehydration
• Heat Illness and Dehydration
• Overview of Infectious Disease in Adventure Travel
• General Field Sanitation and Hygiene Measures
• Children and Elderly in the Wilderness
• Wilderness Medical Kits
• Basic Field Dentistry
Monday/Day 3
• Simulation: Shoulder Dislocation and Laceration
• General Wound Management in The Wilderness
• Improvised Field Wound Management
• Burn Management in the Wilderness
• Overview of Field Management of General Orthopedics
• Improvised Splints, Litters and Carries
• Clinical Hypnosis in the Wilderness
Tuesday/Day 4
• Simulation: Near-Drowning and Hypothermia of a Rafter
• Simulation: Whitewater Rescue
• Whitewater Injuries and Rescue
• Near-Drowning and Immersion
• Recognition and Management of Hypothermia
• Overview of Cold Injury
• Wilderness Survival
• Overview of Survival Kits
• Medicinal Plants
Wednesday/Day 5
• Simulation: Anaphylaxis in a Hiker from a Bee Sting
• Allergic Reactions and Anaphylaxis
• Emergency Airways in the Wilderness
• Insect Bites/Stings and Plant Toxins
Thursday/ Day 6
• Simulation: Altered Mental Status at Altitude
• Injuries from Climbing
• High Altitude Physiology
• Altitude Sickness
• HAPE/HACE
Friday/Day 7
• Simulation: A Cayoneering Fall with Spine and Femur Fracture
• Management of the Head Injury in the Wilderness
• Management of the Spine Injury in the Wilderness
• Wilderness Trauma
• Wilderness Rescue for the Backcountry Traveler
Course Curriculum Details
Saturday/Day 1
Principles of Wilderness Medicine (0.5hrs)-Ken Iserson
• Recognize the unique characteristics of practicing medicine in the wilderness.
• Identify the environments where wilderness medicine is practiced.
• Apply the skills and equipment needed for practicing medicine in these environments.
Law and Ethics in the Wilderness (1.0hrs)-Ken Iserson
• Identify what is wilderness bioethics.
• Apply the principles in wilderness bioethics.
• Describe how to apply the principles of wilderness bioethics to a situation.
Survival Leadership and Decision Making in the Wilderness (1.0hrs)-Frank Reiser
• Describe the types of decision-making processes.
• Identify the strengths and weakness of each type of decision-making.
• Develop a method for evaluating your decision-making process.
Sunday/Day 2
Simulation: Gastroenteritis and Dehydration (1.0hrs)
Heat Illness and Dehydration (1.0hrs)-Frank Reiser
• Identify the different stages of heat illness.
• Understand the treatment of the different stages of heat illness
• Describe the different modes of hydration.
• Understand how to prevent these medical problems.
Overview of Infectious Disease in the Adventure Traveler (0.5hrs)-Kevin McGarvey
• Identify most common infectious processes in non-tropical settings and their treatments
• Identify most common acutely life-threatening infections indigenous to certain geographies and climates and their potential treatments
• Understand most important and effective preventative measures regarding each of these diseases
General Field Sanitation and Hygiene Measures (0.5hrs)-Kevin McGarvey
• Recognize the most common illnesses that are hygiene related as well as their epidemiology.
• Recognize the most serious complications of those illnesses.
• Demonstrate the basic skills and techniques necessary to prevent those illnesses.
Children and Elderly in the Wilderness (0.5hrs)-Drew Watters
• Understand the epidemiology of chronic disease in the wilderness
• Learn to minimize risk of exacerbation of chronic diseases in wilderness settings
Wilderness Medical Kits (0.5hrs)-Kevin McGarvey
• Identify the most valuable pieces of equipment and medications to bring in preparation for specific adventure activities including: trekking, alpine climbing, and whitewater rafting.
• Identify essential items that could be life saving in wilderness survival scenarios in general and for specific environments including: alpine, whitewater, desert and marine.
• Assess the level of preparation and medical resources necessary based on the wilderness activity, environment, remoteness and team.
Basic Field Dentistry (0.5hrs)-Ken Iserson
• Recognize the most common dental problems and demonstrate the basic treatment of those problems.
• Create appropriate medical gear for a given problem.
• Differentiate dental illnesses that are emergent from those that are not.
Monday/Day 3
Simulation: Shoulder Dislocation and Leg Laceration in a Kayaker (1.0hrs)
General Wound Management in the Wilderness (0.5hrs)-Kevin McGarvey
• Determine the level of interventions necessary for a wound, based on the anatomical location, time of injury, risk of injection, resources available and the wilderness environment. .
• Effectively anesthetize, irrigate, close and bandage a wound in the wilderness setting.
Improvised Field Wound Managemant (0.5hrs)-Kevin McGarvey
• Apply traditional means of wound closure as well as improvisational techniques
Burn Management in the Wilderness (0.5hrs)-Kevin McGarvey
• Determine the level of interventions necessary for a burn, based on the anatomical location, time of injury, risk of injection, resources available and the wilderness environment. .
• Effectively assess and treat a burn in the wilderness setting.
Overview of Field Management of General Orthopedic Injury (1.0hrs)-Ken Iserson
• Recognize the most common orthopedic injuries.
• Recognize the most serious complications of orthopedic injuries.
• Understand the basic treatment of injuries.
• Differentiate orthopedic injuries that are emergent from those that are not.
Improvised Splints, Litters and Carries (0.5hrs)-Ken Iserson
• Understand the creation of appropriate medical gear for a given injury.
Clinical Hypnosis in the Wilderness (0.5hrs)-Ken Iserson
• Apply means of hypnosis for procedural sedation and pain management in the wilderness
• Identify potential scenarios where hypnosis may be beneficial in the medical treatment process
Tuesday/Day 4
Whitewater Injuries and Rescue (0.5hrs)-Kevin McGarvey
• Identify the most common injuries associated with whitewater rafting and kayaking.
• Be aware of the common predisposing events associated with morbidity and mortality in whitewater activities and how to minimize their occurrence.
Near-Drowning and Immersion (0.5hrs)-Kevin Mcgarvey
• Effectively assess and treat a person rescued from a near-drowning event.
Recognition and Management of Hypothermia (0.5hrs)-Frank Reiser
• Identify the characteristics of hypothermia.
• Recognize the complications of each medical condition.
• Understand the treatment of these conditions in the field.
• Understand how to prevent these medical problems.
Overview of Cold Injuries (0.5hrs)-Frank Reiser
• Identify the pathophysiology of cold-related injuries
• Recognize the complications of each medical condition.
• Understand the treatment of these conditions in the field.
• Understand how to prevent these medical problems.
Wilderness Survival (0.5hrs)-Drew Watters
• Recognize potentially fatal wilderness situations.
• Understand basic necessities for wilderness survival.
• Create or sustain needed shelter.
• Provide resources, such as food, water, and warmth, for life support.
• Understand and carry out techniques to aid search and rescue teams.
Overview of Wilderness Survival Kits (0.5hrs)-Drew Watter
• Identify the most valuable pieces of equipment and medications for basic survival.
• Assess the level of preparation and medical resources necessary based on the wilderness activity, environment, remoteness and team for basic survival.
Medicinal Plants in the Wilderness (0.5hrs)-Drew Watters
• Recognize common medicinal plants.
• Understand the uses of those plants.
Wednesday/Day 5
Simulation: Anaphylaxis in a Hiker from a Bee Sting (1.0hrs)
Allergic Reactions and Anaphylaxis (0.5hrs)-Frank Reiser
• Identify the characteristics of allergic reaction, angiodedema and anaphylaxis.
• Recognize the complications of each medical condition.
• Understand the treatment of these conditions in the field.
Airway Management in the Wilderness (0.5hrs)-Ken Iserson,
• Identify an airway requiring emergent treatment.
• Recognize all the available treatments for rescuing an airway in the wilderness.
• Learn how to provide prolonged support of an airway in the wilderness.
• Recognize the immediate need for evacuation in these circumstances.
Envenomations, Insect Bites/Stings and Plant Toxins (1.0hrs)-Drew Watters
• Recognize commonly ingested toxic plants.
• Recognize the toxidrome of plant poisonings.
• Differentiate emergent versus non-emergent poisonings.
Thursday/ Day 6
Simulation: Altered Mental Status at Altitude (1.0hrs)
Injuries From Climbing (0.5hrs)-Kevin McGarvey
• Understand the common causes of climbing-related injuries and death.
• Identify the most important preventive strategies to avoid such injuries.
High Altitude Physiology (0.5hrs)-Kevin McGarvey
• Understand the changes which occur in cardiopulmonary and neurology perimeters at high altitude.
• Identify training measures, genetic traits and medical treatments that potentially enhance performance at altitude.
Altitude Sickness (0.5hrs)-Kevin McGarvey
• Understand the pathophysiology and clinical presentations of acute mountain sickness.
• Understand the current evidence for AMS preventative and acute treatment measures.
• Identify predisposing factors for developing AMS.
HAPE/HACE (0.5hrs)-Kevin McGarvey
• Understand the pathophysiology and clinical presentations of HACE.
• Understand the current evidence for HACE preventative and acute treatment measures.
• Identify predisposing factors for developing HACE.
• Understand the pathophysiology and clinical presentations of HAPE.
• Understand the current evidence for HAPE preventative and acute treatment measures.
• Identify predisposing factors for developing HAPE.
Friday/Day 7
Simulation: A Canyoneering Fall with Spine and Femur Fracture (1.0hrs)
Management of Head Injuries in the Wilderness (0.5hrs)-Drew Watters
• Learn to assess for potential head injuries in the wilderness and perform appropriate precautions.
• Apply appropriate decision-making in treating & transporting a person with findings of head injury.
• Understand the importance of the neurologic exam and apply the Glasgow Coma Scale in a person with a traumatic brain injury in the wilderness.
Management of Spine Injuries in the Wilderness (0.5hrs)-Drew Watters
• Learn to assess for potential spine injuries in the wilderness and perform appropriate spinal precautions.
• Apply appropriate decision-making in treating & transporting a person with findings of spinal cord injury.
• Understand the importance of the neurologic exam in a person with a traumatic spine injury in the wilderness.
Wilderness Trauma (0.5hrs)-Frank Reiser
• Recognize the importance of the primary survey in identifying life-threatening injury.
• Learn to address major problems identified in the primary survey.
• Demonstrate basic treatments for shock in the wilderness.
• Identify situations where immediate evacuation is necessary.
Wilderness Rescue for Backcountry Travelers (0.5hrs)-Frank Reiser
• Recognize the unique medical situations in rescue.
• Understand the importance of rescuer safety.
• Recognize the prolonged transport times in rescue.
• Understand treatment limitations in the field during a rescue.
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