| “What
did you do during the summer?” is a common question as students return
to school. For those who were one of the nearly 60 students who enrolled
in a Wilderness EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) class, the answer
would be easy.
“I learned to provide emergency care to patients both in the front
country and the backcountry,” said Abigail Brown from Tennessee. “When
I enrolled in the course I was a bit concerned that I would be able
to learn all the material in just one month. Now that I am at the
end of the course I am amazed at all that I have learned.”
The course is taught through Yosemite Community Education Center,
part of the Yosemite High School District, and the Wilderness Medicine
Institute of National Outdoor Leadership School.
Daniel De Kay, the lead instructor for the course has been teaching
WEMT courses for over 10 years in Wyoming and Colorado as well as
the four classes each year in Oakhurst.
He is pleased with the caliber of student in the course. “These students
have worked very hard for the month. Before entering the course some
had never taken any first aid courses. Now these same students are
trained at the EMT level plus they have the skills and knowledge required
for long term care in remote locations.”
When asked about the students who enroll in this type of course, Iris
Saxer, one of the instructors, said, “we literally have students from
around the world including Antarctica. Students come from all types
of backgrounds, college students, military special forces, medical
students and scientists who work in remote locations.”
Saxer has worked for three years in Antarctica doing research on penguin
biology and ecology. She also guides and teaches around the world.
“I came to the WEMT course first as a student and then was asked to
apply for the instructor course. WMI leads the way in wilderness medicine
and sets the standards of quality instruction. The students leave
the course with an incredible level of knowledge. This business is
funny, we train students and then hope they never have to use their
knowledge.”
Dan Walker, the third WMI instructor, comes from Oregon State. He
says his year is divided into three seasons. During ski season Walker
works in risk and safety at Mount Bachelor as a professional ski patroller.
This is followed by kayak season where he leads and teaches throughout
Alaska and the Northwest. Then comes WMI season, where Walker, as
the rest of the WMI staff, travels teaching wilderness medicine. “After
this course I head to Pitkin, Colorado, a small gold mining town,
where I will be teaching another WEMT class.”
According to Anthony Misner the course director of the Emergency Programs
at Yosemite Community Education Center / Yosemite Adult School, “A
wilderness EMT differs from a street EMT in a number of ways. The
WEMT is a full EMT course like the one taught each semester through
the Adult Education program plus an additional 80 hours of wilderness
and extended care skills. These skill include the relocation of dislocated
joints, improvised splints, treatment of athletic injuries and the
decision making process involved with long term care. Our students
work in areas that are literally hours to days away from any 911 system
and/or hospital. They do not have the luxury of dialing 911 and have
an ambulance drive up or a helicopter land and take the patient away.
These students are the emergency medical system. They learn to treat
everything from splinters and blisters to life threatening emergencies.”
School
News Home
|