Emergency preparedness - getting EMS certified?

[fwafwow]

Has anyone become certified as an EMT (or higher) for personal knowledge? A few years ago I took a 2 day trauma class (Dark Angel Medical), so I know it's time for at least a refresher on the things taught in that class, but I'm also thinking I could stand to know more (to be prepared when in the backwoods, or just too far away from medical providers). I expect that the coursework and time it would take is significantly more involved, but I also always need "something else" to be doing besides work. I know the requirements vary by state. (I'm in Georgia and the designations are EMT, AEMT and Paramedic. There is no EMR designation.) I have looked into the cost and how many course hours are required, both online and in person. I also am asking because I'm worried that this is much harder than I'm anticipating, and I don't want to bite off more than I can chew. (I also hope not to insult those who have gone through the course and training to be EMTs as a career!)

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

 

[Whiskey_Fish]

A wilderness first responder course might be more cost effective and they’re a ton of fun. Something to consider.


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[Rob5589]

^^^^ Agree. Would be more beneficial than becoming an EMT. ( Paramedic, 28 years )

 

[fwafwow]

Thanks @Whiskey_Fish and @Rob5589. Something like this https://southeastwildernessmedicine.com/course/wilderness-first-responder/#Course-Outline?

I need to dig around some more, but this SOLO class would be about half the cost of an EMT course, *but* 8+ days away from home (a good bit of my annual hunting “budget”). The EMT class I found is a combination of online and in-person courses, with the latter about a mile from my house.

 

[*zap*]

tagged

 

[HankNM]

Was EMT II for 15 yrs ,10 yrs ago. Argee that 1st responder,1st aid training does a lot.
Good survival skills & a lesser education go a long ways.
The technical & protocol stuff change constantly anyway. Just keep up to date on what is going on.

 

[SaltyUte]

Awesome guys at Dark Angel! I agree with everything said above about the WFR course and that it's very practical.

 

[Cactus kid]

unless you are wanting to do be a medic as a profession then i would not invest the time to become a medic. A lot of medic training centers around using equipment and drugs that will be unavailible to you in the backcountry.

 

[cmahoney]

A good way to get some training may be to volunteer as a role player for scenarios at your local FD or SAR team when they cover perishable skills.


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[fwafwow]

tagged

@Cactus kid - good point. This isn't just intended for backcountry knowledge, as I spend less than 2 weeks in the backcountry per year. (I hunt more frequently than that, but I'm usually not *too* far away from medical help.) My family and I probably face higher risk driving, and while I would not expect to have access to meds, I would be able to have at home or in my car a much more extensive first aid kit. I carry splints, much more bleeding control stuff, etc., but I'm not trained in some other things that could be pretty important.

Update - at least one provider does a "hybrid" approach for WFR (part 1 via online training, and part 2 being 5 days in-person) - https://www.wildmedcenter.com/course-schedule.html - with limited locations for the latter (NM and WY in 2021). Looking for more options and will post more as I find them.

 

[Jake208]

You can look into the NOLS training programs for wilderness survival. A lot of them even offer college credits and you can get different certifications depending on which course you choose. Really cool and really fun program.

 

[OXN939]

3rd from an EMT that WFR would be more beneficial than EMT.

 

[Brooks]

God bless the EMT’s that respond to the calls here !! Needed them a few years ago in the wilderness and they saved my wife’s life. Forever greatfull.

 

[Cactus kid]

@Cactus kid - good point. This isn't just intended for backcountry knowledge, as I spend less than 2 weeks in the backcountry per year. (I hunt more frequently than that, but I'm usually not *too* far away from medical help.) My family and I probably face higher risk driving, and while I would not expect to have access to meds, I would be able to have at home or in my car a much more extensive first aid kit. I carry splints, much more bleeding control stuff, etc., but I'm not trained in some other things that could be pretty important.

Update - at least one provider does a "hybrid" approach for WFR (part 1 via online training, and part 2 being 5 days in-person) - https://www.wildmedcenter.com/course-schedule.html - with limited locations for the latter (NM and WY in 2021). Looking for more options and will post more as I find them.

You seem pretty interested in this stuff, maybe you should think about being a medic?

Honestly knowing how to stop a bleed and do a make shift splint is really all you can do without actual medical equipment. Take a CPR course, know s/s of a stroke and heart attack. Knowing how to build a house doesn't matter much if you don't have access to a hammer.

I'm ER/Flight RN that is trained on how to use those tools, but I've had to call EMS three times in the past year for emergencies that happened when i was off shift.

 

[Antarctica]

I did the wilderness EMT course through NOLS for work (I was the eye's and ears of Docs on land while on a ship in the Antarctic) in 2002. It was a good course, and I learned some good stuff, and I'm glad I took it. It was three weeks and we were just outside of Yosemite. Most of the stuff you could gather from some youtube videos I'm sure, but the repetition did help to work it into my brain. I put some good effort into learning everything so I could pass (I had to - it was for work, and I wasn't about to fail for an employer), but others didn't, and they basically got hand-held through passing - when they clearly should not have. This was a full on, real EMT course and I got my EMT in california (where I was living at the time) afterwards.

The best experience of the course was by far doing a night in an emergency room (riding a day in an ambulance was OK, but not as fruitful). I learned a tremendous amount about both the resiliency and frailty of the human body in one night. For just a three week course, I felt pretty confident being in an emergency room and the folks there made us 100% a part of the effort.

That said, unless you are trying to get into the business, I think it is more cost that one needs to invest to learn basic medical care. You may want to look at EMT as a stepping stone to get into low level medical care, but most EMT's (not all) just end up driving fat people to the hospital in ambulances. Getting a paramedic is a whole different ball game, and should be your minimum goal for working in that world. Much better would be a nurse or a PA.

I know you didn't ask this with respect to working in that field, and this is probably more info that was needed for a response. In a nutshell WEMT was a good course but more cost and time commitment than is needed to be effective in treating your buddies in the woods.

 

[Antarctica]

This was the NOLS course...

Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (WEMT) - NOLS

Our Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician course covers both wilderness medicine and urban medical care practices in an intensive, month-long program.

www.nols.edu

 

[fwafwow]

All - thanks so much for the practical feedback. No interest in switching careers (long story, but I'm over 25 years in for my current one), and it would probably be a bad move for anyone to *pay* me to be responsible for someone's life. I just would like more knowledge - so focusing on a few items is pretty sound and practical advice - just what I was after in making this post.

 

[JFK]

Getting your EMT would not be the most useful route. It will be heavily weighted in favor of using equipment you don’t have access to, and will fall short in creative treatment and packaging to get your patient to definitive care (hospital).

EMT classes are pretty easy and not something I’d tell anyone to shy away from, except it’s probably not the best use of your time for the intended purpose you stated. If you have zero intention of ever working in the field then I’d put little weight into gaining certifications. So long as you are getting the info from reputable sources (NREMT textbooks, certified class handbooks) then the knowledge is out there for you to learn....almost for free, and at your own pace. Finding a way to gain some hands on exposure would be next on the list but probably much harder to do.

 

[Rob5589]

Thanks @Whiskey_Fish and @Rob5589. Something like this https://southeastwildernessmedicine.com/course/wilderness-first-responder/#Course-Outline?

I need to dig around some more, but this SOLO class would be about half the cost of an EMT course, *but* 8+ days away from home (a good bit of my annual hunting “budget”). The EMT class I found is a combination of online and in-person courses, with the latter about a mile from my house.

Personally, I see that course as geared toward team rescue, not while alone or hunting with a partner. I would look for a basic first aid course. Another option is an actual EMT course through a junior college. A JC is much cheaper than a private school.

 

[woods89]

I've enjoyed reading this thread. I've had the same thoughts at times, wondering what I can do to to be the person that helps rather than hinders in an emergency situation. It does seem like the answer is usually to get the professionals involved as soon as possible.

CPR/AED classes are a good idea for everyone, I think.

I have wondered what a person can do to be mentally prepared to make good decisions in these situations. I have been in on a few minor to intermediate scenarios, and was happy with the way I reacted in some ways and not so much in others. A lot of people have a real problem with staying calm.

When I was 15 a buddy and I drove up on a rollover that had just happened. We stopped, and turns out the guy was drunk. He intimidated us enough that we didn't call it in, even though he had a laceration on his forehead that you could see his skull through. A few minutes later an oilfield worker rolled up, and was on his phone immediately, well before the guy could even talk to him. That was a lesson to me that has served me well since. I have rolled up on several since then and I try to be on the phone before I climb out of my vehicle.

My hat is off to all of you that deal with this stuff as an occupation.......