Wilderness First Responder Recertification (WFR-Recert)

Learning outcomes

• Get updated on new ideas and techniques in the field of wilderness medicine.
• Refresh and expand on your abilities to provide advanced medical treatments and prolonged care in wilderness settings
• Gain skills and knowledge to manage environmental problems and evacuations
• Practice team-rescues, decision making and leadership
• Learn through hands-on training sessions, as well as classroom lecture and discussion
• Prepare for backcountry emergencies through realistic scenarios with stage blood and simulated wounds

Topics covered

• General concepts of wilderness medicine and the Patient Assessment System
• CPR (adult, child, and infant), AED, and basic life support skills
• Anatomy and major problems of the respiratory, circulatory, and nervous systems
• Musculoskeletal injury assessment and splinting
• Spine injury assessment and management
• Allergies and anaphylaxis
• Medical emergencies such as stroke and diabetes
• Severe asthma wilderness protocol
• Wound and burn management
• Wilderness protocol for reducing shoulder dislocations
• Environmental problems such as hypothermia, heat illnesses, lightning, and drowning
• Backcountry medicine and toxins, bites, and stings
• Litters, improvised litters and patient carries
• Evacuations, decision making, and leadership
• Medical legal issues
• And more…

Certification

• Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification
• CPR BLS certification (CPR for adults, children, and infants. Includes AED training)
• Included materials: Textbook, SOAP note booklet, waterproof WMA field guide, notebook (with WMA lecture notes)
• E-learning: You’ll have access to the online learning platform for 3 years after your course

Your certification is valid for 3 years from the date of issue.

Requirements and eligibility

To be eligible for a recertification course, you need to have current certification (not expired or within a grace period) from:

• A WFR course with a minimum of 70 hours of overall instruction, including a minimum of 45 hours of in-person instruction.
• WFR Recertification courses with a minimum of 16-hours of in-person instruction.
• An Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) course (upon successful completion, you will receive a WFR certification).

WMA International-trained WEMS cardholders may recertify their WEMS in a WMA WFR Recertification course.

Note: We do not allow students with a certification from an exclusively online WFR (or WFR recertification) course to attend a WMA recertification course.

Please contact us if you have any questions about your eligibility.

Pre-course prep

4-day WFR-Recert: You’ll need to complete a 10+ hour pre-course prep assignment that will be due on the morning of day 1 of the WFR-Recert course. This is a Study Guide that you can complete mostly offline, using the text book from your previous WMA course for reference.

Hybrid WFR-Recert (3 days in person & 12+ hours online): You need to be willing and able to complete the 12+ hours of pre-course online work. See the ‘Hybrid course format’ and ‘Hybrid technology requirements’ sections below.

Daily schedule

After registering, you’ll receive a Student Information Package by email with specific meeting times for their course.

On the 4-day WFR-Recert, course hours are typically from 8:30am to 5:30pm, with an evening session going to 8:30pm on the second day.

On the Hybrid WFR-Recert (3-day), course hours are typically 8:30am to 5:30pm on the first/last day and 8:30 am to 8:30pm on the second day.

Assessment and evaluation for certification

Practical assessment is ongoing. There is a written test on the last day of the course;  you must receive a grade of 80% or higher.

Instructors will do everything they can to accommodate students with different learning styles and needs. Let us know what we can do to help you succeed.

Attendance is mandatory

Attendance for 100% of class time is mandatory. If you cannot make a session you must get permission from the instructor in advance. Students who miss a section of the course without pre-approval may be asked to leave the course.

Course Format

On the Hybrid WFR-Recert, you’ll complete 12+ hours of online e-learning followed by 2-days of in-person learning.

The e-learning includes interactive modules with videos, readings, self-practice assignments, quizzes, and case studies. *See the technology requirements below*.

Please note before enrolling that the e-learning is mandatory. It takes at minimum 12+ hours but many students take significantly more time than that.

The online learning isn’t meant to be crammed into a couple of days. You’ll get the most out of this course and have the highest likelihood of achieving the certification if you break it up into 1 to 3-hour learning blocks, spaced over multiple days.

As soon as you register, you’ll automatically receive a Student InfoPack with course outlines, packing lists, and logistical info. Then, 7-weeks before the onsite portion, we’ll send you access to the e-learning platform.

On the in-person portion, we can then focus on practical skills, drills, and rescue simulations, because you’ll arrive having already reviewed the theoretical knowledge.

All of our medical courses are intensive; the onsite portion of the Hybrid courses is even more so: expect full, fast-paced (and fun!) days.

Tech Requirements

For the *Hybrid WFR Recert (12+ hours online plus 3-days in-person) you will need:

- Access to high speed internet throughout the 30+ e-learning hours

- A laptop or desktop computer with:

• A PDF reader
• Anti-virus software
• An internet browser  (latest version of Chrome, Firefox or Edge) Note: the system is not compatible with Safari

*The 4-day WFR Recertification does have mandatory pre-learning in the form of reviewing your WMA books and completing a Study Guide assignment — it can be done mostly offline.

Please bring appropriate clothing and equipment to be comfortable outdoors for the entire day…

…this means (for late fall, winter, and early spring courses) lots of thick, warm layers and extra toques, mitts, socks, and footwear—and lots of snack food.

If you eat well, layer-up, and have extra dry items to change into, you’ll stay functional, get the most out of your training, and have the best chance of achieving certification.

Checklist

EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES

• A large backpack so you can carry extra food, water, clothing, and equipment for yourself
• Day pack for storing your clothing and belongings during class
• Drybag or waterproof stuff sack to keep your textbooks and learning materials in throughout the course (to leave in the outdoor ‘classroom’ area)
• A set of clothing that can be stained and cut during simulations (expect to throw these away)
• Eye protection. Please bring any of the following: safety glasses, sun glasses, prescription glasses, or face shield
• Hand sanitizer with 70% alcohol
• Notebook and pens
• Waterproof digital watch (for taking vital signs). This is mandatory, you can’t use a smart phone.
• Water bottle(s) or hydration pack x 2 litres
• Snack foods (lots!)
• Lunch — please bring your lunch for each day: you won’t necessarily have time to go to a store or restaurant.
• Snacks — this isn’t a typo, bring more snacks 🙂
• Sunscreen and lip protection
• Bug repellent and headnet (season dependent)
• Headlamp with extra batteries
• A camping pad to lie on outside such as an Ensolate pad or Ridgerest. A lightweight inflatable mattress can work as well but this will be directly on the ground and it may get damaged and dirty — so make it an old one that you aren’t worried about puncturing.
• A ~10′ x 12′ windproof and waterproof tarp. This can be inexpensive and/or old and/or a big plastic sheet or construction membrane.
• A ~5′ x 8′ tarp or emergency blanket. Preferably something lightweight — a retired tent fly or tent footprint can work well.
• A fleece or wool blanket. For splinting and patient packaging. Retired fleece sweaters can work as well.
• Five (5) x ~2m to 2.5m long pieces of rope, webbing, or straps (these can be anything, no strength rating required)
• Personal medications
• Personal hygiene products
• Optional: Sunglasses
• Optional: Coffee or tea thermos
• Optional: Waterproof paper and pen
• Optional: Skis, snowshoes (for winter courses), bicycle, or hiking gear (for spring, summer, fall)
• Optional: Any gear or medical equipment that you normally have with you in the outdoors that you’d like to try out using for splinting, patient packaging, patient care etc. (example: telescoping hiking / ski poles, straps, p-cord, etc.)

CLOTHING

• Synthetic or wool base layers top and bottom Synthetic or wool insulation layers
• Waterproof jacket and pants
• Warm socks (pack extras)
• *Shoes or boots appropriate for weather and rough terrain – an extra pair in case one get’s wet is a good idea.
• 2 x Toque (warm hat), scarf or neck warmer (winter courses), or sun hat
• 2 or 3 x Liner gloves / mitts and *over mittens (winter courses)

*Note: in cold conditions, roominess in your boots and mitts makes all the difference for warmth. If they’re too tight fitting—your feet and hands will be cold.