What to Expect in Your Course

A "typical" day in a standard course alternates between lectures, case study reviews, skill labs, and simulations. Because the Online Module of a hybrid course addresses didactic material, the In-person Session is significantly more hands-on and filled with skill labs and simulations. Sessions in both formats build smoothly on one another as the course progresses. 

We encourage students to ask questions. Questions and their answers are important, and most, if not all, students have many questions en route to mastering the course material. At the same time, we need them to understand that questions are a double-edged sword. Straightforward, well-timed questions usually benefit everyone. Poorly thought out or poorly timed questions often confuse the issue further while taking valuable class time. If an instructor doesn't know the answer to a student's question, they will say, "I don't know," and may venture an educated guess based on their knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology; ultimately, they will research the topic and return with an answer.

We know that students can't remember or apply the information presented the first time they hear it. That's why key points are reinforced throughout the course in case studies, worksheets, skill labs, and simulations. While students don't have to remember all the details of a topic as an instructor is speaking, they must understand the underlying concepts. Finally, our field manual is not "just" a book, and our patient notes are not paperwork — they are well-crafted tools designed to guide students step-by-step through the assessment process. At some point, it all clicks - usually during a simulation. 

​Simulations begin on the first day as the Basic Life Support (BLS) Skills Lab leads into BLS Simulations and, from there, into longer, more complex simulations that require students to complete and document their patient's signs and symptoms together with their assessment and treatment. Students use our field manual and patient notes to keep them on track. As the course progresses and instructors introduce new topics and skills, the simulations get progressively more difficult. WFR and WEMT courses often end with a mass casualty simulation. Simulations ALWAYS occur outside in a realistic environment where each student— or student group — has access to a well-stocked first aid kit and expedition equipment (sleeping bags, pads, packs, tarps, ski poles, oars, sticks, etc.) appropriate to the scenario. 
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There are four phases to each simulation:

1. Patient Briefing (10-20 min). Instructors review the entire scene with the patients before applying fake blood, bruises, etc. to all patients. They will demonstrate how to act, answer any questions, and position each patient. (Rescuers use this time to clean up if they were patients in a prior simulation, prepare their first aid kits and equipment, and review general assessment & treatment guidelines.)
2. Rescuer Briefing (5-10 min). Once the patients are ready, instructors share relevant scene information with their rescuers: the general story and all visible MOI, the size of the evacuation window, the resources available, and when the simulation ends.
3. Action (~1 hr). Everyone — rescuers, patients, and instructors — is responsible for safety during a simulation. Anyone can call a time-out for a safety reason. During a time-out, all activity STOPS until the safety issue is resolved. Upon conclusion of the simulation, patients have a few minutes to clean up as the rescuers restock their first aid kits and turn in their patient notes for instructor review.
4. Debrief (20-30 min). Most simulations are debriefed en mass using a whiteboard and the large patient posters identical to the students' patient notes. In addition to poster debriefs, simulations in WFR & WEMS courses are videoed and reviewed in front of a television or projector and screen. Video debriefs are designed to show examples of what to do, adding to students' mastery of skills and allowing for learning from mistakes without suffering real-world consequences.

While students may find simulations overwhelming initially, they gradually gain familiarity and mastery as the course progresses. In general, their assessment and treatment skills increase with the number of simulations; this is the primary reason WMTC course hours exceed the Wilderness Medicine Education Collaborative's certification standards.​​​

Simulation Guidelines 

• Students divide into patient and rescuer groups every other simulation; roles rotate each simulation. 
• Rescuers must have a watch or smartphone, their handbook, patient notes, a pencil (pens don't write well on the patient notes), a snack, water, a first aid kit, and if directed by their instructor, a sleeping bag, pad, tarp, or other type of expedition equipment.
• To protect their personal space, patients must wear underwear, shorts, or a bathing suit underneath their cuttable simulation clothes.
• Students are responsible for their own emotional and physical safety at all times. If anyone feels threatened, immediately call a time-out, STOP the exercise, and consult the instructor.
• Rescuers are responsible for basic life support treatment, documenting the patient's information, signs, symptoms, assessment, and treatment, and occasionally, applying a splint or helping to load a patient into a litter. 
• Cut only pants and shirts during a simulation. Do not cut a patient's underwear, bathing suit, or socks. Limit cutting where possible.
• All rescuers should wear gloves when treating a "bleeding" patient.
• Instructors may STOP a scene to offer feedback; and, may "rewind" part of a scene to facilitate student learning.
• Do not remove splints or bandages until an instructor has checked them.
• Rescuers must print their name on their patient's SOAP note and turn it in before the debrief.