Wilderness first responder vs. wilderness EMT

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Apr 27, 2015

I have never heard of a wilderness nurse. Usually it's first responders, EMT & medics that rescue the victim/patient and transport to the closest appropriate facility. A nurse might be a flight crew for an air transport team but that's a specialized role that requires several years experience as a critical care nurse (ICU, CCU, TICU, SICU, etc) and does all matters of transport from inter facility transport of a stable patient that needs a service not available at the sending hospital to responding to accident scenes to air lift a patient to the trauma center.

toomuchbaloney · Apr 27, 2015

ARe you planning on relocating to the pioneer state which enjoys the last true wilderness?

MunoRN, RN · Apr 27, 2015

Wilderness first responder, or "Woo-fer" is a step below a wilderness EMT. WFR certification is what people need to be a volunteer ski patroller, river raft guide, mountain guide, etc. It's essentially BLS intended for those who are farther out from higher level care but doesn't go into EMT level care.

That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Apr 27, 2015

Is it worth it to get that if you want to be a RN. Sure why not. Any medical training can be worth it if it is part of your dream. I say this coming from a mountain search and rescue team. While what I do in the ER and what I do on the mountain are entirely different, there are some overlapping qualities. Plus it is 100x more fun than being in any hospital ever! If you have the means to do it, I say go for it.

Guest219794 · Apr 28, 2015

I am a pre-nursing student set to enter my clinical years next fall. The idea of working for a remote response team (expedition/wilderness nursing, flight nursing..) is appealing to me but I understand that these fields require a specialized skill set and are not ones you can just break into. I've been looking into Wilderness Medicine First Responder or Wilderness EMT courses through NOLS. One of the major differences that I can discern between the two courses is that the WEMT course includes clinical rotations but the WFR course is set entirely in the field.
My question is this: is becoming certified as an WEMT worth it if I plan to earn my RN license in the near future anyways? Or will certification as a WFR + RN licensure essentially mean the same thing?
Side note- I've been having a hard time finding information about these specialties, if anyone could direct me to a good place to look for more information it would be much appreciated!

The best resource for information is Wilderness Medical Society. Most of the reputable organizations providing training are members.

NOLS Does an excellent job. Personal favorite is WMA.

First Responder and EMT are both street certifications. WEMT and WFR are the wilderness equivalents.

WEMT means you will be able to test for EMT license. It can either be done as a start to finish course, or as an add on to certified EMTs. It is a good course, but much of the time will be spent learning ambulance based medicine.

WFR is completely concentrated on wilderness medicine. It is designed for outdoor leaders, as well as active outdoor participants.

If you have no interest in ever being on an ambulance, WFR is a better bet. If you have the time and money to invest in training beyond WFR, there are plenty of options to add to your skills base that may be more helpful than WEMT.

"My question is this: is becoming certified as an WEMT worth it if I plan to earn my RN license in the near future anyways? Or will certification as a WFR + RN licensure essentially mean the same thing?"

[COLOR=#333333]No. RN/WFR will not allow you to work on an ambulance. Skills/knowledge wise, it is a great combo. The theoretical and background knowledge of RN combined with the hand on practical skills of WFR is a strong combo.

[/COLOR]

FlyingScot, RN · Apr 28, 2015

Wilderness first responder, or "Woo-fer" is a step below a wilderness EMT. WFR certification is what people need to be a volunteer ski patroller, river raft guide, mountain guide, etc. It's essentially BLS intended for those who are farther out from higher level care but doesn't go into EMT level care.

Actually the NSP (National Ski Patrol) has their own course called Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) and it's slightly more advanced than the WFR course. It'd actually quite similar to the EMT course I took.

AdobeRN · Apr 28, 2015

I took the Wilderness First Aid class just for my own benefit - we do alot of back country hiking so I thought the info would be useful. Lots of great information that hopefully I will never need to use :)