Have you ever wondered what you would do if you found yourself or a loved one hurt in an urban disaster zone, a rural area far from a hospital, during travel, or in a remote natural area? What skills do you possess to problem solve through the critical minutes or hours before ambulance arrival? What might you still need to learn?
On September 2-4, 2017 Walkabout Outfitters and MEDIC Solo Disaster+Wilderness Medicine School will be sponsoring a life-saving education class entitled Disaster+Travel+Wilderness First Aid at the Mountain Lake Biological Station in Pembroke, VA. A blend of classroom instruction and hands-on rescue practice, the course allows students to dive into the basic first aid curriculum, as well as acquire essential do-it-yourself care-giving skills that can be used in all situations.
Mired in areas miles from an access point, accidents, destructive weather and terrorism happen, and all too often individuals are not fully capable of dealing with the emergency. Absence of competent leadership may result in improper care of patients and endanger the group. Many recreational accidents are preventable and inadequate care of trauma can compound even simple injuries. Few first aid programs address the issues of providing emergency care in settings where 911 is overwhelmed or not immediately reachable.
The Disaster+Travel+ Wilderness course involves a classroom instruction format interwoven with practical work and problem-solving exercises. To feel and actually be prepared for an emergency scenario, hands-on experience is essential. Students are challenged to use their judgement and learn how to lead a group in crisis. A student leaves the course with a new-found confidence, a Wilderness First Aid certification, and access to a network and community of wilderness medicine enthusiasts. There are no prerequisites. Medical professionals can use this course for continuing education credits.
This rare, unique long weekend event blends the same Disaster+Travel+Wilderness First aid course into a mountain-top retreat holiday weekend for the same price. Participants will be able to make friends while exploring the sandy beaches, on-site hiking trails, evening cookouts, campfires and have the option of lodging at the site. An optional CPR/AED/Choking course will be held on Friday, September 1st in the evening.
The instructor, Matt Rosefsky, is a Charlottesville, VA resident and a Geo Medic, Wilderness EMT and a SOLO instructor trainer. He has had over a decade of experience practicing and teaching wilderness medicine. As a Geo Medic, he has been trained to improvise with extremely limited equipment, to set up a field medical clinic, organize triage, and deliver treatment in areas where hospital care is limited or unavailable. Always eager to answer questions from current or former students, Rosefsky helps those he teaches feel capable and prepared of becoming the good Samaritan in an emergency. To help support the communities which host his courses, he and Walkabout Outfitters will donate ten percent of the proceeds from his classes to local non-profits.
For more information on this or other courses, go to: solowfa.com
