Standard WAFA Course - Sample Syllabus
26 Total Hours
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!
Schedule & Topics
Day 1
- Course Introduction
- Medical/Legal Considerations
- General Concepts in Patient Care
- Body Defenses
- Basic Pharmacology
- Introduction to Trauma
- Concussion & Increased ICP
- Respiratory Distress
- Volume Shock
- Introduction to the Patient Assessment System
- Basic Life Support Lab & Simulations
- Wilderness Adult & Child CPR ± AED Skills Lab*
- Case Study Homework
- Demo & assign cut T-shirt rolls
Day 2
- Patient Assessment & Evaluation
- SOAP Documentation
- Traumatic Simulation
- Stable & Unstable Extremity Injuries
- Basic Extremities Splinting Lab
- Wounds Lab
- Focused Spine Assessment
- Traumatic Simulations
- Case Study Homework
Day 3
- Case Study Homework Review
- Dehydration
- Sun Exposure
- Heat Exhaustion
- Heat Stroke
- Hyponatremia
- Exertional Rhabdomyolysis
- Hypothermia
- Cold Injuries
- Drowning
- Lightning Injuries
- Traumatic Simulations
- Case Study Homework
Day 4
- Case Study Homework Review
- Venomous Bites & Stings
- Allergies & Toxins
- Anaphylaxis
- Injection Lab & Allergies & Toxins Worksheet
- Assessing Medical Problems
- Medical Simulations
- Mental Health Emergencies
Day 5
- Spine Management Lab
- Traumatic Simulations
- Final Written WFR & WCPR Exams & Review
- Medical Equipment & First Aid Kits
- Course Debrief & Closing
- Clean-up
* Wilderness AED and Infant WCPR & AED certification are optional modules for WAFA courses and add 1-2 hours to the evening skills lab on day 1. If these modules are a part of your course, you must attend.
Standard WAFA Course Lab Descriptions
- 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, AED, and Obstructed Airway skills are refined using mannikins. [Mandatory]
- Wound Cleaning Lab: Pig feet are used for training realistic wound cleaning.
- Basic Extremity & Advanced Splinting Labs: 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 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.
Educational Standards
This course exceeds the Wilderness Medicine Education Collaborative’s minimum standards for Wilderness Advanced First Aid certification. An additional eleven hours of instruction includes the topics and skills below and more simulation time.
Topics:
- Exertional Rhabdomyolysis
- Mental Health Emergencies
Skills:
- Wound cleaning
- The administration of epinephrine via a pre-filled syringe
- Packaging spine-injured patients in a commercial or improvised litter or stretcher
- ± May include Wilderness AED certification*
At WMTC, we believe these additional topics, skills, and simulations are essential for a WAFA graduate.
