Wilderness First Aid, How long is the cert good for?

[HelpfulTracks]

Our council is a registered ECSI Education Center, and has trained and qualified instructor(s) in council as well.

 

My son and I took WFA last Spring from the council and cost $35/scout(er), which included WFA and CPR/AED. The cost was basically what the book cost to purchase at full retail (you can find it cheaper), so it was extremely good value. More so when you consider that organizations around us are charging $200 or more.

 

BSA is requiring WFA certified individuals for high adventure and some back county outings now, so if your troop is participating in those as a troop you will need it.

 

A unit may also become a certified education center as well, as long as you have volunteers with the proper training and credentials and meet ECSI requirements.

[Col. Flagg]

We have a local unit which does the training. It's $80 for the weekend. They do scenarios and real hands on work. Best training I've had. The classroom only offerings are okay, but the scenario based offerings are the best.

[cchoat]

I have two ASM's, one is a medical doctor, the other a nurse.  They attend all activities in the woods.   I believe that trumps WFA.

[Back Pack]

I have two ASM's, one is a medical doctor, the other a nurse.  They attend all activities in the woods.   I believe that trumps WFA.

Depends. We have a few doctors and a few nurses. One of our nurses is a ER trauma nurse. He's great! Better than all of the others. The best guy we have is a former Marine medic. He is the best my dad has ever seen. Even the doctors let him step in first.

[jwest09]

I have two ASM's, one is a medical doctor, the other a nurse.  They attend all activities in the woods.   I believe that trumps WFA.

 

 

Depends. We have a few doctors and a few nurses. One of our nurses is a ER trauma nurse. He's great! Better than all of the others. The best guy we have is a former Marine medic. He is the best my dad has ever seen. Even the doctors let him step in first.

 

 

Paramedic here.  Back Pack is correct.  There's a lot of different types of doctors and nurses.  Many doctors and nurses practice little, if any, emergency medicine in their day to day life.

[RememberSchiff]

Depends. We have a few doctors and a few nurses. One of our nurses is a ER trauma nurse. He's great! Better than all of the others. The best guy we have is a former Marine medic. He is the best my dad has ever seen. Even the doctors let him step in first.

 

My understanding is Marine medic is a misnomer, Navy Corpsmen serve Marine units.

[Back Pack]

My understanding is Marine medic is a misnomer, Navy Corpsmen serve Marine units.

Correct. We just call him "doc". Ask him and he will say he was a corpsman without saying which service he was in but he will tell you he was part of the recon marines. He's not to be toyed with. He looks like John Cena. He's 60. We just call him "sir".

[mashmaster]

Correct. We just call him "doc". Ask him and he will say he was a corpsman without saying which service he was in but he will tell you he was part of the recon marines. He's not to be toyed with. He looks like John Cena. He's 60. We just call him "sir".

Nice!

 

We have a scouter that taught EMS people.  It is funny when the adults try to tell him how to take care of something while he is quietly treating the issue and sending them on their way.  He just smiles, and listens.

[ItsBrian]

If you are going to take WFA or did, I would also suggest taking First Responder training. It’s more advanced than first aid / CPR. I’m getting certified this year through school.

[blw2]

Depends. We have a few doctors and a few nurses. One of our nurses is a ER trauma nurse. He's great! Better than all of the others. The best guy we have is a former Marine medic. He is the best my dad has ever seen. Even the doctors let him step in first.

 

I read a lot of memoirs and autobiographies...military stuff.

This reminds me of one of the Navy Seal guys I read...  He talked about his medic training.  I don't remember for sure, it might have been but I don't think corpsman was his MOS, but he was the platoon medic (don't remember if that's the title he used... but you get the general idea).  I don't know...it's been a while, maybe he was a corpsman.

Anyway, those guys were taught real hands-on stuff....not counting the real-world experience...just the training before they go out there.....

The goat lab is what really stuck in my memory. 

They would buy goats from local farmers.  The instructors would take a goat away from the students (around the corner or in the next room), and do all sorts of brutally bad stuff to it. 

Then bring in the student.  Take off teh blindfold.  Real world real timeline.  No goofing around....

They had to assess and treat, and keep the goat alive for a specified amount of time.

The goats would then go back to the locals for use as dinner

 

I don't imagine the average family medicine doc has ever been exposed to that sort of thing.  Sure they might be full MD, but different theaters of operation all together.  Not even close.  Except for perhaps an ER doc, I can imagine the doctors, the smart ones anyway, would let the military medic step in first almost every time.

[Eagle94-A1]

... Sure they might be full MD, but different theaters of operation all together.  Not even close.  Except for perhaps an ER doc, I can imagine the doctors, the smart ones anyway, would let the military medic step in first almost every time.

 

We had an accident where we had both an MD and a certified flight nurse (CFRN, think ER nurse in a chopper). MD let the CFRN handle it.

 

Now one MD I knew, had his act together in emergencies. He was a nephrologist, but he did some time in the Korean War. Don't remember if he was in a battalion aid station or a MASH, but he had some stories.