Be Prepared; Train with the best

Mired in an urban disaster zone, rural living or car crash far from hospital, remote travel, or natural area miles from an access point … accidents and terrorism happen, and all-too-often members of a group are not capable of dealing with the emergency. Not only does this lead to improper care of the patient, but it also endangers the entire group. Studies have shown that many recreational accidents are preventable, and that improper care of trauma can compound even the simplest of injuries. Through our involvement in emergency medicine and rescue efforts, we at MEDIC SOLO feel there is a need for training for all people - training which stresses preparedness and prevention; training which encompasses all phases of off-road emergencies; training which focuses on extended care issues in prolonged transport situations. Very few first aid programs actually address the issues of providing emergency care in an urban disaster when 911 is overwhelmed or not reachable, or in a rural, wilderness, or extended care setting. In this course, classroom instruction and Q&A are interwoven with practical work and problem-solving exercises. Hands-on experience -- a most powerful learning tool -- during scenarios comprise ~50% of the class. You come away with actual do-it-yourself care-giving confidence.

Your actual hands-on capability and confidence to render emergency medical care depend on:

1. Curriculum quality

Top-Quality, Evidence-Based (where evidence exists) and World-Expert-Based, State-of-the-Art Curriculum: having a staff of nearly 20 full-time employees (in addition to hundreds of instructors) enables SOLO to develop, define, and update its instructors with state-of-the-art course content, as it has continuously done since 1976

Legitimacy and Experience: school run by a physician. Few other schools can claim that. Some consult a physician; it's not the same as having an experienced clinic and E.R. physician who has performed over 1,000 back-country rescues own and run the school.

MEDIC SOLO's Unique Course Recipe for Maximum Learning and Care-giving Confidence: MEDIC's Instructor-Trainer Matt Rosefsky (Geo Medic, Wilderness EMT, TECC, Street Medic, MRC, CERT), in continuously learning and researching, and in teaching 4,000+ students in 300+ courses since 2007, has developed a unique 2-day recipe to present a Disaster + Travel + Wilderness First Aid course in 20 hours instead of the typical 16. With shorter breaks, it equates to 5 hours of deeper learning and more hands-on practice compared to a standard 16-hour course recipe. Please see our reviews and testimonials. What is more important to you: checking a requirement checkbox, or more thoroughly learning how to save your friend's or your own life?

Other Schools' Curriculums

• Some other schools are outstanding at advertising and hence have great name recognition, have a much higher course fee (you're paying for their advertising), in reality were borne out of SOLO years ago before separating off, and provide a good education in 16 hours but not nearly what you can get in MEDIC SOLO's 20 hours. Graduates of those other schools are convinced their other school is tops until they give MEDIC SOLO a try, and come away having hands-on deeply learned more than they realized possible. For example see Ryan Burger's course feedback form.

2. Instructor quality

Highly-Acclaimed , Select-Few, Top-Notch Instructors : MEDIC's Instructor-Trainer Matt Rosefsky (qualifications noted above) selected MEDIC's five cream-of-the-crop other instructors, and personally trained them during an intense process sometimes for over a year, to provide the most advanced, interactive, hands-on, confidence-building, friendly, nourishing, enjoyable, and highly educational learning experience possible in two days, An extremely common student feedback survey comment is that they had high expectations going in, and yet their expectations still were exceeded. Huge schools which have dozens or hundreds of instructors are bound to have strong and weak ones. Being small and specialized, MEDIC SOLO does not, and guarantees your satisfaction. We invite you to experience the difference and join our family.

MEDIC often hears sad reports of some other schools' instructors.

• Some massive organizations which have have a big name for doing many great things *other* than wilderness medicine, recognized an opportunity to make some money by tacking on wilderness medical courses despite lack of expertise in that specific area of medicine. Banking on their big name for other things, they set an extremely low bar for their instructor qualification, made a short and simple online instructor training process, and now deliver courses sometimes for less money. In these cases unless you're really lucky, you get what you pay for. And actually, sometimes you don't get what you pay for, for the reason below.

3. Class Not Cancelled

MEDIC Almost Never Cancels an Open-Enrollment Class: MEDIC deeply cares about the people we educate, respects the significant amount time they have set aside to take the class, and wants to have as many people out there as possible get this training -- making wilderness, rural and disaster areas safer for all. MEDIC has taught classes with as few as 2 students! If there are at least six people signed up (the minimum to have a functional class of rotating caregivers and patients), we will run the class at a financial loss. The only exception is when we notify students right up front upon registering, that a particular rare class has a different minimum. We respect and honor your commitment to attend, with our commitment not to cancel if just six people sign up. In the super-rare case that we do cancel, in addition to offering a refund we'll do everything we can for you including offering a heavily discounted rate to travel to another class of ours.

Casual Hiker, Actual Story

Beautiful October day at very popular Old Rag Mountain. Just ~3 miles in, you are expecting to finish hike mid/late afternoon while the sun is still up. Another day hiker injures knee, can't walk out. Rescue request is called in at 2:30pm. Patient reaches ambulance at trail head at 12:30 AM, 10 hours after rescue is called. Temperature dropped to 34 degrees, hiker and her group are thirsty, hungry, cold, in the dark with out light; the injured patient can't exercise to warm up ... If you came across this hiker and group needing help ... would you know how to treat her injury to speed recovery and minimize the potential for long term permanent damage, giving care for 10+ hours while also caring for yourself and the rest of the group which had prepared for only a day hike, without food, sufficient water, warm clothing, sources of light, and shelter? Accidents Happen. " Be Prepared." Register here.

Urban Disaster Preparedness

Earthquake / hurricane / tornado / derecho / tsunami / terrorist / etc. strikes: suddenly you and your loved ones are lost in a wilderness of brick, wood and concrete rubble, and you hear cries for help. It will be hours or longer before an ambulance gets to you because cellphone towers are jammed so you can't call for help; EMS is overwhelmed with countless calls; and/or you're buried and inaccessible ... What can you do to treat injuries and preserve human life during the hours or days it may be before rescuers get to you? Disasters Happen. "Be Prepared." Register here.

Medical Professionals

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) / Credits: Please use this file for your National Registry continuing education hours.

EMT Testimonial:

"I came into this, already having gotten my EMT cert, thinking I wasn't going to learn much but I was wrong. I learned so much. I like how serious the scenarios were taken (i.e. actual body paint used). ... [Instructor] Matt was great. He was entertaining to listen to and was very knowledgeable. He was so organized. I like how he would review the patient assessment system before every scenario. Was very open and accommodating to all questions." - anonymous feedback survey, 10/2014.

RN Testimonials:

"I have a 45-year RN career and this course is in the top 3 of the countless I've taken." - anonymous feedback survey, 9/2017

"Experienced professionals could greatly benefit from how to perform outside of facilities / ambulances etc." - anonymous feedback survey, 2/2019

Nurse making a case for wilderness medicine education:

[Prior to taking a wilderness medical course]: "Driving up a short incline toward a mountain pass, we watched helplessly as the man lost control of his motorcycle on a gravel-filled turn and collided with the guardrail at the edge of a cliff. We immediately pulled over and attempted to help him, but it was no use. He died on a lonely stretch of road far from the nearest hospital. Despite my extensive nursing knowledge and years of education, the care I could provide was limited. I'd read about wilderness medicine, but until that day I hadn't considered my need for it. My feeling of helplessness led me to correct that deficiency and ultimately made me a better nurse. ... The motorcyclist who died is never far from my mind when teaching or learning about wilderness medicine. If I encounter a similar situation, I'd now know exactly what to do: I'd apply the basic tenets of wilderness medicine. ... I've used my knowledge in many different situations and have been thankful for it. I've stabilized and arranged for air evacuation of a trekker in the Annapurna region of Nepal, been the first responder to a climber who fell in West Virginia, ... I've also used my knowledge of wilderness medicine in less-exotic locales to stabilize the cervical spine of a car crash victim outside of my home, remove a tick from my nephew's arm, ..." R. Bryan Simon, RN, CNOR, FAWM in his article "Making a case for wilderness medicine education," 7/2012

Physician Video Testimonial:

Excerpt from Phillip Ricks, M.D.'s 3/2013 video testimonial below : "I did this course principally to get continuing medical education credits … As a physician, I thought I would know it all, really, at least the principles and most of the care, but I was surprised by how much I learned, actually. I especially think that Matt's approach to explaining the pathophysiology behind the injuries and illnesses and therefore the rationale for how you treat, that was the best I've ever been around, period. I would strongly, strongly recommend … single best first aid course I have ever had, bar none."

College Credit Hour; AmeriCorps Education Award

Sterling College in Vermont offers course participants one credit hour for successfully completing (scoring a "C" or better) MEDIC SOLO's Disaster + Travel + Wilderness First Aid certification course, more simply called and known at Sterling as "Wilderness First Aid," in the course category of "Applied Sciences -- Technical Skills." This option is particularly popular among AmeriCorps Education Award recipients.

The process is simple:

1. Fully register for the course you want to take (including payment which is what secures your spot)
2. Contact SOLO Headquarters and tell them you're paid up to attend MEDIC SOLO's Wilderness First Aid course in [location] on [dates] and wish to receive a college credit hour.
3. If you are *not* an AmeriCorps Service Member, you will need to pay Sterling College its one-credit course fee and transcript submission fee ($145 as of January 2020). If you *are* an AmeriCorps Service Member, AmeriCorps should pay the Sterling College fees directly, and should reimburse you for your Wilderness First Aid course fee.
4. Score at least a "C" in the course, and you're all set -- Sterling College will mail a transcript to your college / university.