The definition of Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (WEMT) is an individual certified in an area of emergency medical training that specifically equips personnel to further improve their medical training and skills to operate in back country, remote, and wilderness areas.
WEMT training is not only used at the EMT level of licensing, it also encompasses paramedics, registered nurses, physician assistants, military medics, and medical doctors.
WEMT places an importance on stabilization because there is a possibility of the need for long-term patient care, due to the environment it usually encompasses; backcountry, remote, or hard to reach areas where the necessary hospital care can be many hours, even days, away to access. Often the first part of the care is reaching the patient who can be in any of a number of desperate situations; a fall from a cliff, trapped in flooded areas, or injured in a dense forest. Much of the training is similar to that of an Emergency Medical First Responder.
WEMT training begins with a requirement of the individual to possess a current EMT license, unless the course also integrates the urban Emergency Medical Technician curriculum. The training isn’t standardized and often varies by state and by school. The courses usually involve around 50 hours that focuses on wilderness medicine training within the traditional EMT training.
One of the first components of the training involves analyzing the situation of the patient. Not only determining the injuries and care needed, but using learned skills to conclude the course of action. Due to wilderness patient care involving the unusual environments it often does, the WEMT must determine what kind of care is needed to provide stabilization or medical care for a patient that may not have access to necessary care for a critical number of hours. It is a fact that a patient’s survival chances for critical injuries drastically drop off around 24 hours without hospital care. Therefore, a WEMT responding to, say, a climber who has fallen and has internal injuries should obviously remove the patient to an ICU as soon as possible. Yet, what happens when the weather or terrain doesn’t cooperate for a quick or paramedic life-flight rescue? The emergency medical responder must be trained to know what to do in order to give the patient as much medical care as possible in such a dire situation.
The courses provide instruction for transportation of victims of acute illness or injuries, to basic to advanced first aide – including CPR, central nervous system, and shock treatment, etc. The student will learn how to determine shock and trauma situations, as well as treating head injuries, soft tissue injuries, and musculoskeletal injuries. Wilderness Emergency Medical Technicians will also be trained to execute advanced interventions that include administering prescribed medications that include acetazolamide, cefalexin, fluconazole, hydrocodone, and oxycodone.
There is a strong focus during the course work on rendering aid using ropes, back boards, pullies, and improvised means (such as making a splint using a branch).
There are several providers of Wilderness Emergency Medical courses, including: Aerie Backcountry Medicine, Center for Wilderness Safety, NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership), Remote Medical International, SOLO, True North Wilderness Survival School, Wilderness Awareness School, and Wilderness Medical Associates (WMA). We do not endorse one program over another and we strongly suggest you check out each program to be certification is accredited and you have the prerequisites needed to enroll.
For additional information, read our article Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (WEMT) and articles concerning other levels of EMS, EMT, and Paramedic certification and licensing.