Advanced Wilderness First Aid Level (AWFA) Course

Full Course Length	Upgrade Course Length	Pre-requisites	Certification Period
28 Hours	16 horus	WFA (for upgrade course)	3 Years

Target Audience:

• Trip Leaders, Youth Leaders
• White Water Guides
• Orienteering Teams
• Ski/Snowboard Instructor
• Youth Leader/Teacher engaged in higher level adventure sports activity
• Mountain Rescue Team Member

The Advanced Wilderness First Aid course increases the knowledge base of WFA. Students will learn more about the Wilderness EMS System, patient assessment, anatomy, and physiology. In addition, students will receive a great deal of hands-on practical time designed to increase the skill level of the students.

At course completion, students are awarded a certificate of completion by CDS Outdoor. In order to receive a completion certificate, students must hold a current WFA Certificate, attend all class sessions, meet the course skill objectives, and pass the written test with a score of 80% or better. The certificate will be recognized for three years.

Curriculum

Introduction to Wilderness First Aid

Students will expand upon the knowledge of legal issues associated with providing wilderness care such as scope of practice, delegated practice, and negligence.

Patient Assessment

In AWFA, students take a much more in depth approach to assessment in this section.In addition to learning to vital signs, students will perform both a detailed secondary (head to toe) and also a focused exam for medical problems. Documentation and long term patient tracking are discussed in this section as well.

Cold Injuries

This section introduces students to the physiology of cold injuries.Students will learn how the body reacts to the cold and the effect this has on medications and other treatments.
Students will also learn the difference between active and passive rewarming along with different rewarming methods and techniques.

Heat Illnesses

Students will learn more about the physiology of heat and fluid balance.This section expands upon the heat illness information presented in WFA to also discuss dehydration, Hyponatremia, Heat Edema, Miliara Rubra, and Heat Cramps.

Diseases of Altitude

This section discusses both the prevention, recognition, and treatment of a variety of illnesses encountered at altitude.

Orthopedic Injuries

The section expands upon the simple “splint in place’ techniques taught in WFA.Students will discover the underlying anatomy of the musculoskeletal system. They will also learn to differentiate between different orthopedic injuries.
Field reduction methods of easily reducible dislocations will also be practiced.

Basic Search and Rescue Skills (OPTIONAL)

Students will start to learn some of the basics of basic Search and Rescue skills. Clue protection, clue awareness, and hasty searches will be discussed.
Students will learn proper patient packaging, basic belay/lowering systems and practice semi-technically evacuations