Wilderness First Responder Recertification / WFR Recert Course Tips

WFR and WEMT Recertification Tips

Taking the MEDIC SOLO WFA class or Advanced WFA Part II class to recertify your Wilderness First Responder or Wilderness EMT? Here are some special notes and tips for you.

1) Here's a nifty online quiz, helping to refresh your knowledge.

Notes:

Many of the questions are WFResponder level, some are higher level.
A few of the questions don't jive with SOLO protocols. The treatment protocols taught at the major wilderness medical schools are mostly the same, but there are some differences.
Terminology: there are a few differences as compared to what SOLO teaches. For some things, there are multiple commonly-understood terms out there which mean the same thing.
With all of the above in mind, this is a great tool and fun to take / test yourself and refresh your memory (or inspire in you some new-learning research). Enjoy!

2) As noted in the course final details .pdf you found / will find near the bottom of the registration form, you *must* bring in to class any rigid element that's at least as tall as your shoulder (NOT a trekking pole), which you will use in improvising a fractured femur traction splint. An instructor will teach / assist you as needed.

3) At the end of the WFA class, you'll receive a 2-year WFA certification card, as a temporary hold-over. The SOLO home office controls the issuance of WFR and WEMT recert cards.

4) After WFA class, go here to request a WFR/WEMT certification card, and to take the written test.

The instructions note that:

if you don't have current CPR certification, you'll have two months from the end of this class to get it, via an AHA, Red Cross, or equivalent course which has a hands-on component (not just online; and ignore "Heartsaver Plus" requirement in the instructions); and
you need to "sign a WFR review roster"... all you'll need to do on this point is put your name on the course grade sheet that we'll pass around at the beginning of class.

5) Compared to your original 72- to 80-hour WFR class, the 2-day class can't cover all WFR topics. The topics covered in the 2-day course are the ones SOLO feels are most likely to be encountered in-field. Here are the additional WFR topics NOT covered in this 2-day class; consider focusing your own review time on these topics in preparation for the written test after class, and feel free to ask your instructor any WFR-specific questions in class (either during breaks, or after class).

[in order of the topics presented in the WFR recert packet you will receive in class, or by mail if you spent the extra $5]:

MedicoLegal Issues
History of Present Illness (e.g. OPQRST)
Improvised Traction Splinting
Dislocations
Cardiothoracic Trauma
Head Injuries
Abdominal and Genitourinary Trauma
Drowning and Near-drowning
Altitude-related Illnesses
Changes in Level of Consciousness - Central Nervous System
Pneumonia
Spontaneous Pneumothorax
Angina Pectoris

6) In autumn 2014, the SOLO doc published a first-rate, world-class, brand new "WILDCARE" textbook, now used in new WFR and WEMT courses (however, SOLO only includes the new textbook in new, full-on WFR and WEMT classes). With 329 color pages (see "Sample Pages" file in the link above) chock full of photographs, diagrams, and interesting factoids. It's pretty fantastic, with tons of additional learning including extra topics not covered in WFR. It serves as an awesome reference manual, and MEDIC highly recommends it. Check it out.