Hybrid WAFA Course - Sample Syllabus

Our Wilderness Advanced First Aid course is designed for people taking half-, full, or short multi-day trips, those traveling with reliable cell or satellite coverage, and where outside assistance may be delayed for several hours. 

WAFA courses cover more topics and skills than our WFA course and dive slightly deeper into anatomy, physiology, and  pathophysiology.

This syllabus may change based on particular course needs, changes in certification standards, etc. We'll do our best to keep it updated here!

• Basic Life Support Lab: Addresses all elements of the Scene size-up and Initial Patient Exam.
• Adult & Child CPR Certification Skills Lab: Adult & Child CPR, and Obstructed Airway skills are refined using mannikins.
• Wound Cleaning Lab: Pig feet are used for training realistic wound cleaning.
• Basic Extremity Splinting Lab: Padded aluminum splints and expedition supplies are used to improvise effective extremity splints using the buddy, cast, and jelly roll concepts. Bring a cut T-shirt roll and a pair of heavy hiking socks; the socks will not be cut.
• Injection Lab: Students learn how to deliver intramuscular and subcutaneous injections using a pre-filled syringe [containing normal saline] and autoinjector trainers.
• Focused Spine Assessment Lab: How to assess and rule out possible spine injuries in a wilderness context.
• Spine Management Lab: Lifting, moving, and packaging potentially spine-injured patients lying on their back and side in a commercial or improvised litter and improvised stretcher.
• Improvised Carries Lab: Backpack and backpack-type carries are shown and practiced.
• Improvised Hypothermia Packaging Lab: Sleeping bags, pads, tarps or plastic sheeting, and water bags/bottles are used to improvise a hypothermia package.
• Simulations: Role plays incorporating patient assessment & documentation. Make-up is used to increase the reality of traumatic simulations and cuttable simulation clothing is required.