NAU RESCUE MEDICINE
Current Wilderness Medicine and Rescue Courses
- Advanced Wilderness Life Support
- Wilderness First Responder
- Wilderness Forst Responder on the San Juan River
- Wilderness First Aid
- WFR Refresher
- AHA Health Care Provider CPR and BLS
- Intro to Orienteering
- Basic Climbing Safety Systems
- Self Rescue for Climbers
- Swift Water Rescue
- Open Water Rescue
- Search & Rescue Technician II & III
- Avalanche I
- Tracking
- Technical Rescue
(Scroll down for complete description of classes)
Calender of all trips and classes offered by NAU Outdoors this semester
To sign up for a class, come by the NAU Outdoor window in the Rec Center, or call (928) 523-3229
Advanced Wilderness Life Support, 17.5-21.5 CME’s (1 per Year) (Available to NAU students as PRM 216 for 1 credit)
Advanced Wilderness Life Support is a practical hands-on certification course that teaches licensed medical professionals how to manage medical emergencies when traditional medical facilities are not readily accessible. AWLS was developed at the University of Utah School of Medicine and is approved for 17.5 hours AMA PRA Category 1 credit through the Wilderness Medical Society. This course is generally offered over a weekend; Friday afternoon, all day saturday, sunday morning and early afternoon. Optional mountain biking and hiking workshops during the weekend may be eligible for up to 4 more hours of CME's.
* The Wilderness Medical Society designates this educational activity for a maximum of 17.5 hours AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Wilderness First Responder, 80 Hours (4 Courses per Year) (Available to NAU students as PRM 216 for 3 credits)
The Wilderness First Responder class is for students looking to expand their medical knowledge as it pertains to the backcountry. The Wilderness First Responder certificate is considered the standard of medical training for outdoor professionals including guides, trip leaders, outdoor educators, as well as being a great asset for park rangers and the average wilderness enthusiast. This 80 hour course will provide the student with a level of knowledge and skill that will allow them to treat medical and traumatic emergencies while in the backcountry. The class will be a mix of classroom lecture and hands on scenarios outdoors that will culminate in a night senario in the field. This class is offered as a 9 day intensive class in January and May, and as a 7 week long class meeting twice each week for 4 hours each class. Both options include a mandatory 2 day field weekend. Curriculum for this WFR meets or exceeds guidelines set by the Wilderness Medical Institute.
Wilderness First Responder on the San Juan River (1 per Year) (Available to NAU students as PRM 216 for 3 credits)
This new offering combines the standard in medical training for outdoor professionals with an 8 day San Juan river rafting trip. 80 hours of instruction in wilderness medicine will provide the student with a level of knowledge and skill that will allow them to treat medical and traumatic emergencies while in the backcountry. Instruction is heavily scenario based and will emphasize the unique environmental challenges to patient care in the western deserts, canyons, and rivers. While rafting the upper San Juan River, we will also be exploring ancestral Puebloan dwellings and viewing pictographs and petro glyphs. This is an excellent opportunity for those wishing to become river guides, as they can earn their WFR certification while completing a familiarization run to count toward their Utah Guide License. Curriculum for this WFR meets or exceeds guidelines set by the Wilderness Medical Institute.
Wilderness First Aid, 20 Hours (1 per Semester) (Available to NAU students as PRM 216 for 1 credit)
This 20 hour course is a great introduction to wilderness medicine and basic life support skills. It is perfect for the outdoor enthusiast who wants more than what an urban first aid course can provide. The emphasis of the class is on recognizing and treating life-threatening traumatic and medical emergencies, common wilderness injuries, bandaging and splinting, and environmental injuries in the back country setting. American Heart Association Health Care Provider CPR is included in the curriculum. All materials provided.
The refresher is designed to update the student on new techniques and practices that have been introduced since their last WFR class as well as review and refresh critical aspects of backcountry care and emergency response.
American Heart Association CPR and BLS for the Healthcare Provider
This class teaches American Heart Association Healthcare Provider CPR and BLS (Basic Life Support), including adult, child, and infant CPR and foreign body airway obstruction, bleeding control, and healthy heart living. Instruction in use of the Automated External Defibrillator is optional.
Intro to Orienteering (available to NAU students as PRM 399 for 1 credit)
Introduction to orienteering is designed to teach basic orienteering skills. Students will gain knowledge about how to navigate in a wilderness setting using a map, compass and combining the two. Knowing how to navigate with a map and compass is one of the most important skill any outdoor professional can have.
This introductory course is focused on technical rope and safety skills. The purpose of this course is to enable students in outdoor education/leadership to understand institutional standards in setting ascending and descending systems in canyon and other vertical rock environments. This course will provide students with instruction on rope skills, knots, and equipment and will enable students to safely, and with minimum impact, enter and exit canyon and vertical rock environments.
This 2 day course will focus on rescue techniques needed for the traditional climber. Topics include belay and rappel escapes, mechanical advantage systems, medical stabilization and evacuation, equipment improvisation and much more.
Swift Water Rescue (Spring Only) (available to NAU students as PRM 399 for 1 credit)
This 3 day course is designed to introduce and refresh whitewater safety and rescue skills for the professional river guide or recreational river runner. It features a full day of classroom instruction followed by 2 days of hands on scenarios and skill stations. Topics include: river dynamics and hydrology, knots and basic ropework, self-rescue, victim rescue, entrapments and strainers, pins and broaches, mechanical advantage systems and other practical river rescue techniques.
Open Water Rescue (Spring Only) (available to NAU students as PRM 273 for 1 credit)
This course will focus on rescue techniques needed for sea kayaking or canoeing on open water. Topics include advanced paddling techniques, open water rescue techniques, medical stabilization and evacuation, equipment improvisation, open water navigation, environmental emergencies, and much more.
This class combines the Introduction to Search and Rescue and the Fundamentals of Search and Rescue Course to provide the student with the knowledge to challenge the SARTECH II Certification, according the knowledge objectives defined in the NASAR Standards for SARTECH II and receive a national certification. Information covered includes: general responsibilities, skills, abilities, and the equipment needed by persons who would be participating in a search or rescue mission.
This course presents basic information about weather, snow pack, and terrain factors which contribute to avalanche hazard. Students dig snow pits, identify weak and strong layers, and practice route finding. Students will leave this course with an Avalanche I certification.
Tracking (available to NAU students as PRM 399 for 1 credit)
This course teaches the lay person basic tracking skills. Understand what constitutes a "Sign" and the importance of being "Track Aware" as well as becoming familiar with tracking terminology and techniques make up some of the curriculum of the course. Students will experience human tracking first hand to learn to see physical "signs" that others would look at and not see. Students will leave this course understanding the patience and concentration necessary to identify a potential human track in the field to be a more effective line searcher and SAR volunteer.
Technical Rescue (available to NAU students as PRM 299 for 1 credit)
The Technical Rescue course will provide the student with basic introduction to technical rope rescue in a low to high angle environment. Students will be instructed in rescue operations, incident management, safety factors & forces, rescue grammar & physics, systems analysis, and the use of rescue equipment, i.e. static ropes, webbing, carabineers, pulleys, rappel racks, ascenders, helmets and harnesses.
