Wilderness medicine course

Over the Easter Weekend, staff were given the opportunity to immerse themselves in an in-depth Wilderness First Aid class. This class was carried out at the Hanifl Centre by the two members of the Wilderness Medicine Institute (WMI), a division of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). WMI is a leader in education for people who might be required to provide aid for the sick or injured in remote geographical areas.

Woodstock staff participated in the 3 day curriculum which included training in assessment of the medical needs of patients and the appropriate treatment for conditions such as shock, head and chest injuries, spine injuries, fractures and dislocations, wounds and burns, illnesses caused by extremes of heat and cold and high altitude, emergencies caused by lightning and drowning, and medical conditions such as cardiac, respiratory and neurological emergencies. Going far beyond standard first aid, wilderness medicine prepares care providers to deal with patients over a long period of time and to improvise treatment when medical equipment is not readily available. Emphasis is placed on using sound judgment and one's own critical faculties based on general principles instead of the memorization of various treatment. See the NOLS website for more details

With all the hikes and trips Wodostock students go on, it is especially important for staff to be trained in appropriate first aid and emergency procedures. Staff who attended the three day course were pleased with the applicability of the information, their increased confidence and the principle-based approach to first aid.

Residence staff, Stephanie Workman, wrote about the experience, because we live in a remote context, many of the skills we were taught are useful on a daily basis. In fact, I have already done a much more simplified and condensed course for high school dorm staff to educate them on proper protocols for many different scenarios such as fainting, asthma, cleaning & wrapping bandages, etc. The staff all found this information extremely helpful and thought we could do a more general training for the kids, as well. Understanding the reasons behind certain practices was enlightening and having hands-on practice with various scenarios cemented the information.

Jeanne Yu, who heads the high school documentary team attended the wilderness first aid class and summarized her thoughts. I thought the Wilderness First Aid program was great!!! They taught us so many practical things about assessing a situation, taking care of people, and what to do with your resources. The CPR part of the course was especially helpful. I'll definitely try to keep my knowledge of this updated in the future!

Woodstock's connection with WMI and NOLS will be further enhanced when the previous head of the NOLS India program, Mr. Krishan Kutti, takes on the position of Head of Outdoor Education. This coming month Kutti will join Woodstock and focus his attention to the outdoor education of Woodstock students, and inherently, Woodstock staff. Kutti has mentioned that outdoor safety training and protocols will be further developed. This wilderness first aid class was a great step in this direction of Outdoor Education.