Wilderness First Responder - Outdoor First Aid - Outdoor Rescue FAQ
- What is Wilderness Medicine?
- What certification materials do students receive?
- How do I recertify?
- Can non–WMA students recertify through WMA?
- How can a certified graduate replace a lost WMA certification card?
- College Students – Can college credits be earned on a WFR?
- What levels of CPR training are included in WMA® courses?
- What continuing education credits are available?
- What are CECBEMS CEHS and what do I need to do to receive them?
- How do I get my CEHS and how soon?
- The WALS® confers the following credits:
- How do I get my CME/Contact hour certificate?
- What is the best course for an outdoor leader - WFR or EMT/WEMT?
- Paramedic – Which course is best for me WALS or WEMT Upgrade?
- Does advanced training put emergency responders at greater risk of getting sued?
Q: What is Wilderness Medicine?
A: The provision of medical care complicated by the following factors:
- Time – Although sometimes translated into chronological time, in essence it is when access to definitive care is delayed by logistics, distance or hazard and as a result can increase risk to the patient and/or rescuers. Time delays may also compel properly trained practitioners to initiate hospital-level care in the field if doing so would reduce risk and improve outcome.
- Equipment – Remote locations can also have an impact on equipment and supplies needed and used. Weight, size, functionality and appropriateness for the particular environment are also important considerations. Utility in the emergency department or in an EMS vehicle does not make equipment appropriate for many environments or tasks. And, if you don’t have what you need, improvisation may be the only solution.
- Environment – Traditionally, this aspect of wilderness medicine is thought of in terms of meteorological or atmospheric extremes –hot, cold, wet, dry, altitude. Any of these can cause a problem, make a developing one worse or pre–existing one unstable. But environmental extremes are only part of the equation. Disasters, armed conflict and mass casualty incidents can also make assessments difficult, treatments complicated and evacuations problematic. These can be issues of place rather than location.
Q: What certification materials do students receive?
A: Graduates receive a certification card, patch, and pin. WMA® graduates or their employers may call us any time to obtain verification of certification by mail or email. You can also get a replacement certification card for a $7.95 fee (see below).
Q: How do I recertify?
A: Our certifications are valid for three years. WMA® WEMT, WFR and WAFA graduates may recertify by taking any of the following WMA courses: a 24-hour Open Recertification course, a 36–hour Wilderness Advanced First Aid course, or a 36-hour Bridge course.
Once a certification has expired, students must take the full course over again (unless granted an extension). We recommend a full course at least once every six years.
The Bridge course will advance a WMA WAFA graduate to a WFR. The 24-hour Open Recertification course is open to graduates of other wilderness based first responder programs that are at least 64 hours in length (see below).
Certifications are never extended beyond their expiration date. There is no grace period. Certifications must be recertified before they expire. You may email: office@wildmed.com to inquire about an extension of eligibility to take a course. These requests are handled on a case by case basis.
Graduates are expected to track their expiration dates and recertify in a timely manner. If you supply us with a current email address, we will notify you 9 months prior to your certificate expiration date.
Q: Can non–WMA students recertify through WMA?
A: Any person holding a valid certification from any wilderness based first responder course that was at least 64 hours in length may attend WMA’s Open Recertification course.
Successful graduates will receive WFR, healthcare provider level CPR, and anaphylaxis certifications from WMA.
If you wish to receive a certification from your original certifying organization, check first to make sure that it will accept a WMA certification in lieu of a letter.
Q: How can a certified graduate replace a lost WMA certification card?
A: WMA can replace lost certification cards for a $7.95 fee in any of the following ways:
- Online at our gear store.
- By phone: call WMA® with course information.
- By mail: Send WMA® course information with a check.
Q: College Students – Can college credits be earned on a WFR?
A: WMA courses have been accepted by many colleges and universities for college credit. Speak with an official at your college prior to taking a course and ask about their policy for earning credit from an off-campus program. Our syllabus is on the web site.
You can also earn college credit through either:
- Central Michigan University (3 credits: graduate or undergraduate) Download pdf
- Washington County Community College (4 credits: undergraduate only). Contact for more information.
Q: What levels of CPR training are included in WMA® courses?
A: WFR graduates earn a healthcare provider level CPR that includes adults and children, airway management, oxygen administration, and AED use. WFA and WAFA graduates earn the equivalent of adult CPR with AED training.
Although both levels receive a WMA certification good for 3 years, some jurisdictions and employers may require CPR certification on a yearly basis.
All WMA CPR courses are based on the 2005 American Heart Association/ILCOR guidelines and any published updates.
Q: What continuing education credits are available?
A: EMS practitioners can receive Continuing Education Hours (CEH) through Continuing Education Coordinating Board for EMS (CECBEMS) on the WAFA, WFR, WEMT Upgrade and WALS courses. Physicians, physician assistants, and nurses can earn Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Contact hours from the WALS® course (see below).
Q: What are CECBEMS CEHS and what do I need to do to receive them?
A: CECBEMS is a national organization that reviews and accredits the awarding of EMS CEHs. These credits can be earned by EMS professionals and used for maintenance and recertification in many but not all states.
Although CECBEMS hours are accepted by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT), they may not be recognized by all states who use the NREMT as their recertification option. Because it is nearly impossible to stay abreast with each state’s requirement, we urge all students to check with their state or local EMS office.
WMA has an EMS file containing recertification topic lists for a number of states that have their own specific requirements. For all others, we will make every effort to assist you.
Q: How do I get my CEHS and how soon?
A: Before the end of the course, each student wishing CEH credits must complete the CECBEMS roster. Among other things, make sure that you have your State License# with its expiration date and NREMT# with its expiration date. The WMA office will handle all the CECBEMS submissions.
It is important to check with your state to assure that you know what they accept and in what format. Ultimately this is your responsibility. Our office will do its best to assist you.
Q: The WALS® confers the following credits:
A: Physicians and PAs: 36 hours of Category I credit:
These American Medical Association-approved CMEs are awarded through Central Maine Medical Center upon successful completion of the Wilderness Advanced Life Support™(WALS®) course.
Nurses: 36 hours of Category I credit:
Registered nurses will receive 36 contact hours awarded through Central Maine Healthcare, an approved provider of continuing nursing education activity by ANA-Maine, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation, upon successful completion of the WALS course.
EMS practitioners: 36 hours of CEH from CECBEMS
See above. There is no charge for filing. We can also help for states and jurisdictions that do not use CECBEMS and/or NREMT.
Q: How do I get my CME/Contact hour certificate?
A: The instructor will have nurses, PAs and physicians fill out a sign-in sheet during the course and then complete a separate course evaluation at the end. You will receive a certificate verifying the CME/Contact hours at the end of the course.
Q: What is the best course for an outdoor leader - WFR or EMT/WEMT?
A: The WFR course is designed for outdoor leaders and travelers who will be taking part in trips or expeditions far from the beaten path. Most students have little or no prior medical training or experience as caregivers. The WFR course provides graduates with a comprehensive introduction to practical medicine and a solid foundation from which to make treatment decisions about routine and complicated medical problems when sophisticated medical care is far away.
The EMT/WEMT is an EMT–Basic course plus the WEMT Upgrade (see below). As a result it is a considerably longer and more comprehensive than the WFR. The EMT/WEMT is designed for outdoor professionals who require an EMS credential for a job or who are looking to have a leadership position as an outdoor professional (e.g., park service, exploration, disasters, relief work, ski patrol, aid stations). The wilderness portion covers the same ground as the WFR but goes further. It will focus more on the appropriate selection and use of EMS technology and medications as well as complex decision making.
Q: Paramedic – Which course is best for me WALS or WEMT Upgrade?
A: The WEMT Upgrade is more than a WFR for EMS practitioners. It is designed particularly for people who are already trained medical professionals, including EMS practitioners, nurses, PAs and even some physicians. Rather than teaching basic medical skills and knowledge, we focus on the enhancement of old skills and their use on non-traditional missions (e.g., SAR, expeditions, disasters, tactical, off-road). We emphasize leadership in medical management taking into account appropriate technologies, packaging and evacuation. Each student will have opportunities to decide the urgency of care and evacuation by weighing the risks versus the benefits in turn dictated by the underlying medical problem, environment, and both medical and technical capabilities. As with all of our courses, there will be case study assignments, practical skills labs and simulations, all spiced with lively discussions.
Practitioners signing up for the WALS course generally have the highest level of medical experience. Past students have come from a wide range of medical specialties and missions including SAR, USAR, FEEMA, DEMAT and all branches of the military. Many act as medical control or as the medical team leader involved in a variety of medical missions. By looking at the topics in more depth and from the perspectives of our participants, we try to understand the value and limitations of advanced level treatments and the importance of basic skills in the field. Like all of our courses we devote time for theory, case study based discussions, practical labs and field exercises. Although there is a set curriculum, the WALS has a seminar feel to it.
Q: Does advanced training put emergency responders at greater risk of getting sued?
A: Medical practitioners are at greatest risk of being sued when they fail to get permission or when they render care inappropriately or incompetently. We believe that medical professionals/EMS practitioners who actively seek the most relevant education available and then use the knowledge and skills properly are better protected against medical liability than those who avoid such training.