Wilderness Medicine & Wilderness Survival Courses

To develop skills for the backcountry, it is essential that you spend time in the forest, out on the ground, practicing and developing your fieldcraft. I encourage you to join the Mountaineers (https://www.mountaineers.org/) or the Mazamas (https://mazamas.org/) and to get out into the field and participate in their activities. Attend courses such as Mountaineering Oriented First Aid (MOFA), NOLS Wilderness First Aid / Wilderness First Responder, and in-person Wilderness Skills / Wilderness Survival courses such as those offered by the Alderleaf Wilderness College (https://www.wildernesscollege.com/).  

Before you can go practice your skills in the field you must gain some basic knowledge, which can be accomplished through reading, taking online courses, and watching videos that are designed to demonstrate basic outdoor skills. This online training serves as an introduction or supplement to in-person training and practice in the field, allows you to study at your own pace, and review material in the future.  

Some online training that I have completed and recommend for anyone looking to enhance their wilderness skills include the following:


The Mountain Rescue Association offers a free, online General Backcountry Safety course. This program is designed to provide an introduction for beginners and intermediate backcountry enthusiasts to help develop safe habits in the backcountry. The course is designed to cover the fundamental ideas that will help equip you to travel safely and be able to deal with emergency situations that can occur in the backcountry. (https://training.mra.org/)


Survival Basics Playlist -by Dave Canterbury (11 Video Playlist) This DVD was given away at the Outdoor Retailers Show in Utah during and after the Pathfinder School seminars. Good information for anyone who might find themself lost in the wilderness. (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZLagqylZ3j4YRWkpZIE4qsFDi5Otk4Jb)

Emergency Trauma Response - In 2020 Mountain Man Medical teamed up with Concealed Carry to build out a video training course entitled "Emergency Trauma Response." This 100% Free video-based course is a comprehensive training program for any civilian who wishes to be prepared for trauma-based medical emergencies. (https://www.mountainmanmedical.com/trauma-medicine-training/)

Center for Wilderness Safety - Stop the Bleed During this hour-long program, you'll learn all about not only how to deal with severe bleeding, but also how to handle an active shooter situation and more! (https://courses.wildsafe.org/courses/stop-the-bleed)

>>> The Stop the Bleed Interactive Course guides individuals through the three methods of bleeding control using video demonstrations, interactive learning, and spontaneous quizzes. This Stop the Bleed Interactive Course is free to all students and can be taken multiple times to learn and refresh knowledge of the Stop the Bleed. Estimated completion time: 25-minutes. (https://www.stopthebleed.org/training/online-course/)

Patient Assessment - AdventureMed offers a free 30-minute Patient Assessment System course that teaches you how to perform a thorough and accurate patient assessment in any environment. By completing this course, you will gain valuable knowledge and skills that can benefit both you and your community. (https://adventuremed.com/try-a-free-online-course/)

Base Medical offers a free online course: "SAR Subject First Encounter" that provides an introduction or review of STERI and how to deal with the initial contact with a Subject during Search & Rescue. In this course you will learn how to handle the initial moments of making first contact with a Subject. Including basic first aid. (https://www.base-medical.com/)

American Outdoor School – Wilderness First Aid - "Dealing with an emergency in the wilderness doesn’t need a doctorate degree or experience in the medical field. It just takes training." The American Outdoor School offers a free, online wilderness first aid course. All training material is free, but there is a fee ($99) is you want to receive a wilderness first aid certificate. (https://americanoutdoorschool.thinkific.com/) American Outdoor School – Wilderness First Aid Lectures on YouTube(https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxC7HxreMikpuukZDMUloIicSwlYPxhF7)

Wilderness First Aid Specialization - University of Colorado via Coursera. By the end of this course, you should be able to understand common medical problems encountered in a wilderness setting and how to treat them with little resources and identify ways to keep yourself and your group safer in a wilderness or low medical resource environment. You can audit these courses for free, but there is a fee if you want a Coursera certificate. (https://www.coursera.org/specializations/wilderness-first-aid)

 >>> You can also take Basic Wilderness First Aid Course (Online) directly from the University of Colorado for $95. This course, open to everyone (not just students at the University of Colorado!) is an online course where you will learn backcountry first aid and earn a Basic Wilderness First Aid certificate. (https://www.coloradowm.org/basic-wilderness-first-aid-course-online/) 

Wilderness Medicine -by Joshua Enyart (The Gray Bearded Green Beret) (20 Video Play List) - Joshua Enyart is a former Army Ranger and Green Beret turned Wilderness Skills Instructor. He teaches Wilderness Skills, Bushcraft, Preparedness, Wilderness Medical, and Tactical Skills across the United States to civilians, military, and law enforcement. Josh's Wilderness Medicine lectures are available on DVD for ~$100, or on YouTube for free: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghs_h6wNng8&list=PLyG69iYe4FHPEwkmLF5bOypTgUNwg7SOy)

 

Keep training. Stay Safe. See you in the wilderness.

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