Neha Patil (Editor)

Wilderness first aid certification in the US

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Wilderness first aid is a relatively new field compared to regular or 'urban' first aid. For this reason, there are a number of boards and societies which have been formed in recent years to attempt to establish normalized standards for wilderness first aid certification and wilderness medicine in general. Currently, there is no "National Standards" for wilderness medicine, however one of the most popularly followed curricula is the "National Practice Guidelines for Wilderness Emergency Care" published by the Wilderness Medical Society.

Contents

Certification

The American Red Cross Wilderness & Remote First Aid (2010) certification is valid for 2 years.Ds

In Canada, the first wilderness first aid course were first taught in the mid 1980's and the first organization (defunct 1986 to 1998) to adopt standards was the Wilderness First Aid and Safety Association of BC.

The Boy Scouts of America require there to be at least two Wilderness First Aid certified participants for High-Adventure treks.

In Scouting

http://www.scouting.org/Home/HealthandSafety/Training/wilderness_fa.aspx Wilderness First Aid (WFA) is the assessment of and treatment given to an ill or injured person in a remote environment where definitive care by a physician and/or rapid transport is not readily available. A BSA-led task force has developed WFA doctrine and curriculum. You must be certified through any of the providers listed below. Participants will learn how to assess, treat, and (when possible) contain emergencies within the scope of their training. Youth and adult Scout leaders over age 14 are invited to participate and earn their certification.

References

Wilderness first aid certification in the US Wikipedia