Definition of wilderness medicine
The pragmatic definition of wilderness medicine is the act through which practitioners provide vital emergency care to people located in remote settings. The discipline oft involves the use of scenario analysis and divergent works of erudition in understanding or navigating through potentially hazardous activities. The training process requires one to be able to control their body’s fight or flight response so that they can think both clearly and calmly in crazy situations. The learners engage in activities such as kayaking, climbing, or even hiking in the backcountry.
Wilderness medicine pays primal focus on the analysis, triage, and preliminary treatment of illnesses or injuries that are prevalent in harsh environments. It also teaches people how they can effectively evacuate victims. Au contraire, wilderness first aid, and rescue operations in the backcountry do not cover the whole scope of operations of wilderness medicine practitioners. They are also required to:
- Advertise public policies to wilderness planning agencies;
- Issue guidelines for the planning of disaster prevention schemes;
- Offer professional guidance through the backcountry terrain;
- Conduct epidemiological studies that can inform public policy;
- Prevent medical emergencies in the wilderness;
- Evaluate the experience and issue updated protocols for secondary care;
- Issue first response to injured people
- Conduct follow up on secondary care in remote settings.
Point 2: Importance of Wilderness Medicine
As opined prior, the discipline of wilderness medicine is vital in preparing individuals for the divergent challenges and issues that might occur when venturing into the wild or backcountry. The first reason as to why wilderness medicine is important is that things tend to go wrong during expeditions. A person might get hit by a tree or even take a fall, which will cause an injury. Statistics derived from the United States highlight that the number of such and rescue operations have been cyclical in the past seven years. The Yosemite National park has the most number of search and rescue operations, with up to 225 missions being undertaken in 2019, as shown in figure 1 below (Statistca, 2020). The main causal factor behind the high number of search and rescue operations is that most people venture into the park, not knowing the dangers that it holds.
Figure 1: Search and Rescue operations in Yosemite National Park
Source: (Statistca, 2020)
Dealing with the injury can be quite arduous considering the setting. In most instances, people tend to panic as they do not know what to do as their partner is struggling in pain. The discipline, however, handles this issue by preparing the learner on how to deal with the situation. The first aid offers the learner with the necessary foundation needed in assessing the patient, treating what they are able to treat as well as ensuring that the injured person is kept in a stable state until help arrives.
The second significance of wilderness medicine is that it buys more time for the injured person, especially when medical care could be hours away. Modern-day society has been programmed to think that help is just a phone call away. This is, however, not the case, especially when and if a group has gone into the backcountry with the location, weather issues, or even the complexity of the terrain delaying search and rescue. Wilderness medicine addresses this issue by providing the practitioner with the necessary tools and knowledge needed in assessing, monitoring, and stabilizing the patient in such types of environment.
The third importance of the discipline is that it makes one a better travel/expedition partner. Having knowledge on how to handle situations when venturing into the backcountry terrain is substantial as one gets to trust their partner in the case of anything. Furthermore, it allows the group members to tackle larger objectives such as climbing rocks or even going up a mountain that is well known for avalanches. The knowledge and perspective that help is right next to one are vital in such expeditions as it improves the confidence of the partners.
The fourth significance is that the discipline trains people on how they can pack better. A common traveler will just go for essentials like blankets, jackets, utensils, or even an extra pair of shoes. A wilderness medicine practitioner, on the other hand, will find a balance between the essentials and the non-essentials. They will carry additional supplies that can help them stabilize any injured patient until help arrives.
Point 3: How to gain and maintain certifications
Prior to being termed as a qualified wilderness medicine practitioner, one has to undergo rigorous training that is distinguished by five key certifications. The first certification is the Wilderness First Aid, which involves the provision of knowledge into CPR, epinephrine auto-injector, shock management as well as wound management in a duration of 16 hours.
The second certification is the NOLS Wilderness Advanced First Aid, which is taken three years after the learner gains the Wilderness First Aid Certification. The duration of learning is 32 hours, with the main topics including patient assessment systems, documentation, medical-legal, CPR, as well as the management of spinal cord injuries.
The third certification is the Wilderness First responder, which takes up to 80 hours with the top topics, including medical-legal, shock management, athletic injuries, long term patient care, and CPR. The fourth certification is the Wilderness EMT course, which involves learning for a duration of up to 200 hours. The main topic covered includes airway obstruction, 02 therapy, respiratory arrest management, lifting and moving, litter packaging, head injuries, as well as backcountry assessment of the spinal cord.
The final certification is the NOLS Wilderness Advanced Life Support, which is undertaken in a span of 36 hours. The key topics involve life support activities, lifting and moving, as well as injury management. All five certifications support a select number of financial aid options like Veteran benefits, 529 college savings plans, and the AmeriCorps.
References
Statistca. (, 2020). Number of search and rescue operations in Yosemite National Park in the United States from 2013 to 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2020, from statista.com: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1018769/search-rescue-operations-yosemite-national-park-us/