Wilderness First Aid Course Evaluation: Insights and Feedback on NOLS Training Program
In the great outdoors, accidents can happen unexpectedly. That's why the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) offers a Wilderness First Aid (WFA) class designed to equip you with the essential skills to handle emergencies in remote locations.
The NOLS WFA course, available through REI and offering an REI member discount, is a two-day weekend programme that combines theoretical knowledge with immersive, realistic practice. The curriculum covers a wide range of topics, including managing common injuries, serious emergencies, patient assessment, prolonged care in the backcountry, musculoskeletal injuries, wound management, and evacuation decisions.
The course is designed for a diverse group of students, from first responders and seniors to Eagle Scouts and everyday hikers. It emphasises the differences between urban first aid and wilderness medicine, focusing on scenarios where evacuation and advanced medical help are delayed or unavailable.
The hands-on learning format is highly interactive, involving lectures, demonstrations, realistic outdoor scenarios, and practical skill stations. Students practice emergency skills such as splinting, patient movement, and critical decision-making during simulated wilderness emergencies. Daily feedback from experienced instructors is provided to help refine skills. The course culminates in both written and practical exams that students must pass to earn certification.
One of the key aspects of the NOLS WFA is its focus on handling emergency situations in the backcountry, where help may not be close at hand. The course covers common wilderness first aid situations, including spine injuries, head injuries, shock, wounds, broken bones, heat injuries, cold injuries, blisters, lightning, altitude sickness, and allergic reactions.
Students can learn how to use an EpiPen during the course, which can be helpful in case of allergic reactions. The course also provides guidance on what gear to have and what isn't useful in a standard first aid kit. In many situations, it's possible to improvise first aid gear, such as using a rolled-up shirt as a makeshift splint.
The NOLS WFA class is taught by instructors who are an EMT and an experienced NOLS instructor. The course covers the Patient Assessment System, a step-by-step methodology for dealing with wilderness first aid situations. Students practiced various first aid techniques in class, such as wrapping bandages and protecting a patient's spine.
Upon completion of the course, students will have the confidence to potentially save someone's life in an emergency situation. It's important to note that the Wilderness First Aid certification needs to be re-certified every two years, but the need for re-certification may not be necessary for the everyday hiker.
For those who don't have an REI/NOLS option near them, it's worth considering other organisations that teach wilderness first aid. Regardless of where you take the course, the skills you learn will be invaluable in the great outdoors.
- The National Outdoors Leadership School (NOLS) Wilderness First Aid (WFA) class, offered through REI and providing an REI member discount, is a two-day hands-on training program designed to equip you with essential wilderness emergency skills.
- The curriculum covers a wide array of topics, such as managing common injuries, serious emergencies, patient assessment, prolonged care in the backcountry, musculoskeletal injuries, wound management, and evacuation decisions.
- The course is designed for a diverse group of students, including first responders, seniors, Eagle Scouts, and everyday hikers, focusing on scenarios where evacuation and advanced medical help are delayed or unavailable.
- The course emphasizes the differences between urban first aid and wilderness medicine, teaching students skills like splinting, patient movement, and critical decision-making during simulated wilderness emergencies.
- The course covers common wilderness first aid situations, including spine injuries, head injuries, shock, wounds, broken bones, heat injuries, cold injuries, blisters, lightning, altitude sickness, and allergic reactions. It also provides guidance on what gear to have in a standard first aid kit and how to improvise in various situations.
- Upon completion of the NOLS WFA class, students will have the confidence to potentially save someone's life in an emergency situation, gaining invaluable skills for outdoor living.
