What is wilderness medicine?

Wilderness medicine is a discipline of pre-hospital emergency medical care that is related to assessing, treating and managing patients in an environment where definitive care is significantly delayed. This type of training goes well beyond traditional, urban-oriented first aid training offered by organizations such as Red Cross. It is widely used by many for their own personal adventures, or in professions such as adventure education & guiding, biologic field research, search and rescue, law enforcement, military, and many other diverse uses.

What are ‘Wilderness Protocols’?

Urban-oriented first aid training is focused on the rapid-transport context, where injured or ill persons can be transported to a medical facility typically within a matter of minutes. ‘Wilderness Protocols’ expand upon traditional, urban-oriented training with a unique skill set, in the context where definitive medical care is significantly delayed. There are six Wilderness Protocols that are potentially instructed on the various levels of trainings provided by Wilderness Medical Associates, depending on specific course type. These Protocols include:

• Wound Management
• Spine injury assessment and clearing
• Reduction of simple dislocations
• Injectable epinephrine for anaphylaxis
• CPR cessation
• Injectable epinephrine for severe asthma

What are the different levels of wilderness medicine training?

Wilderness First Aid (WFA): This is the entry level of wilderness medicine training, and is intended as an introduction to the concepts of wilderness medicine, and includes training in the specialized ‘Wilderness Protocols’ of wound management, and epinephrine for anaphylaxis, and includes a Lay Rescuer level of CPR training. This level of training is intended primarily for use on personal adventures.

Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA): This course expands upon WFA training by including the Wilderness Protocols of spine assessment and CPR cessation, as well as additional environmental topics, and increased opportunities to develop patient assessment skills. WAFA training is intended for personal use, or for those who work in moderately remote environments.

Wilderness First Responder (WFR): This is the premier level of training for full-time outdoor professionals, or recreationalists seeking the highest quality training for their personal adventures. In addition to core curriculum of critical systems and musculoskeletal problems, this course includes all six ‘Wilderness Protocols’, a full range of environmental topics, professional level CPR training, and significant time to develop patient assessment skills.

Wilderness Emergency Medical Services (WEMS. Formerly WEMT.): This module is an additional level of training for those who currently hold EMT training (or higher). This level of training is intended for those who perform patient care in remote environment as a primary function of their jobs, including Search and Rescue, National Park Service, Ski Patrol, etc.

These are the most commonly available levels of wilderness medicine training- other levels exist below and above these course types, depending on the background and interest of individual users.

What is a WFR?

Wilderness First Responder (WFR) is the most common level of medical training for those who work or recreate in remote environments where medical care is delayed by hours or days. Over the last 40 years, it has become the industry standard for many outdoor professions.

What is the origin of WFR?

In the 80’s, Outward Bound (one of the largest and oldest outdoor education institutions), found that there were significant limitations to the traditional first aid training that was available to their staff. Several individuals sought to address this need for specialized training by amending existing pre-hospital training (First Responder, Emergency Medical Technician) with a ‘Wilderness’ module that was oriented towards remote environments. Thus, the levels of training became as Wilderness First Responder (WFR), or Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (WEMT). These levels of training have become commonplace over the years, with many other variations on these certification names and course contents.

Who certifies WFR training?

There are many training programs that provide wilderness medicine training (WFR, and others)- over the years, a few have become recognized as leaders in training providers. Wilderness Medical Associates (WMA) is one of the most recognized providers, well known for their high quality, science-based curriculum, instructor standards, and training methods. Adventure Risk Management is proud to be one of the longest standing sponsors of WMA courses in the US.

How much time does it take to get a WFR?

Each level of certification has a general guideline for the number of hours involved at that level of training. These timeframes have become fairly consistent amongst various training providers. The actual amount of time on any given course can vary somewhat for many reasons, including course format, student progress, logistical reasons, or instructor prerogative. Common course timeframes (instructional time, not including breaks):

Wilderness First Aid (WFA): 18 hours

Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA): 36 hours

Wilderness First Responder (WFR): 72-80 hours

Wilderness EMT or EMS module: 45 hours

Recertification courses: 27 hours

What are the different course formats for a WFR course?

WMA offers several course formats of the Wilderness First Responder course to help make this training as accessible as possible. Upon successful completion of any of these courses, WFR certification is awarded. These formats include:

The ‘Traditional’ WFR course is conducted over a 7-9 day period, depending on constraints from the sponsoring group or facility, and the possibility of a day off inserted into the course. When WFR courses first evolved, they were all taught in this format.

It is possible to obtain WFR certification by completing a 4 day Wilderness Advanced First Aid course (WAFA), then upgrade it via the 4 day WAFA – WFR ‘Bridge’ course (the ‘Bridge’ course may be taken at any time while the WAFA certification remains valid). Upon successful completion of both of these courses, WFR certification is awarded.

The 5 Day Format of the WFR involves an extensive Pre-Course Study Process designed to replace ~30 hours of onsite class time. This format involves reading assignments, viewing of multiple instructional videos, completion of an extensive Study Guide, several written Case Studies, and a Pre-Course assessment exam prior to the classroom portion of the course. The classroom portion involves 5 very full days of instruction, reinforcing key concepts of the curriculum, and developing the related skill sets. This format requires discipline on the part of the learner to complete the Pre-Course Study Process, as well as regular access to a computer (not a smart phone!) and internet connection.

The Hybrid WFR format is WMA’s most recent offering of the WFR curriculum, involving an extensive, interactive Pre-Course Study Process. Like the 5 Day Format, it requires significant discipline and time to complete this process, and regular access to a computer and strong internet connection.

See our Course Schedule for a listing of our upcoming WFR course offerings.

Can I get Continuing Education Hours for WFR training?

Wilderness Medical Associates is a CAPCE-approved training provider- CEH’s can be provided for First Responders, Emergency Medical Technicians, Paramedics, and other levels of training.

What can you do with a WFR certification?

WFR certification is the primary professional certification required by a wide range of outdoor, adventure education and guiding industries, including backpacking, climbing, rafting and kayaking, summer camp programs, and many more related jobs. WFR certification is also commonly required of search and rescue, land managers (National Park Service, USFS, BLM, etc), ski patrol, and other patient care related professions. Besides oftentimes being required by various employers, holding WFR certification significantly enhances one’s resume as an indicator of professional commitment.

How long does WFR certification last?

Wilderness Medical Associates courses are three-year certifications, with no grace period. You must recertify within this three-year period, or WMA will require re-taking the entire course.

How can I recertify my Wilderness First Responder?

The following information is from the Wilderness Medical Associates website– visit this site for more information, or contact WMA regarding questions about eligibility for recertification.

You may recertify through a Wilderness First Responder Recertification course, a Bridge course, or by taking another Wilderness First Responder course. 

Eligible WFR Recertification students are current graduates (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.
• Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) certification holders are eligible to recertify in WMA recertification courses. Upon successful completion, students will receive a WFR certification.
• Additional pre-course work will be required.
• Some work may require high speed internet.

Note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WMA International currently accepts one-year on-line extensions of WFR courses that meet the above requirements. We do not accept online extensions that are greater than one year. We do not allow students with a certification from an exclusively online WFR (or WFR recertification) course to attend a WMA recertification course.

How can I recertify my Wilderness EMT Upgrade?

WEMT’s or WMA WEMS Upgrade graduates may recertify their certification through a Wilderness First Responder Recertification course.  Learn more here.

Eligible WEMS/WEMT cardholders may recertify their current (non-expired or within a grace period) WEMS in a WMA WFR Recertification course. Their current certification must be from a WEMT/WEMS Upgrade course with a minimum of 45 hours in-person instruction. Mandatory pre-course work is required.

Can I get an online WFR recertification?

Due to the poor training quality of entirely online wilderness medicine training, Wilderness Medical Associates does not offer a fully online WFR Recertification course, and will not recertify WFR’s from a training programs that provide entirely online certification. (The larger, best recognized wilderness medicine training programs tend to be consistent with this practice, and many employers do not recognize online training programs, so choose your training provider carefully.)

Recertification courses provided by Adventure Risk Management are only 3 days in length and completely in-person, providing a far better training experience that will be recognized by any major wilderness medicine training program, and all employers requiring WFR certification. Plus, they are offered in the town of Idyllwild, with great hiking, climbing, mountain biking immediately outside the class, and a great town (with a brewpub!) to hang out and explore.

What are the Recertification course options offered by Adventure Risk Management?

WFR Recertification (formerly Open Recertification)

The WFR Recertification course is open to graduates of all wilderness medical training courses of 64 hours or longer with a current Wilderness First Responder certification. Successful graduates of this course will receive Wilderness Medical Associates’ Wilderness First Responder, Anaphylaxis, and BLS/Healthcare Provider-level CPR certifications. WMA WEMS graduates with a current EMT-B or Paramedic certificate may also recertify the wilderness portion of their WEMS with this course.

Bridge (WAFA to WFR)

The WAFA to WFR Bridge course upgrades the Wilderness Advanced First Aid to a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) in 4 days. This course must be taken within 3 years of receiving the WMA International WAFA certification or an equivalent from another provider. The WFR is the definitive medical training course for all outdoor professionals and enthusiasts. This course may be used as a recertification for those holding a current WFR certification or equivalent from another provider whose original WFR training was at least 64 hours in length. Current WMA International Wilderness EMS’s may also use this course to recertify the wilderness portion of their certification.