I want to Sponsor
a SOLO course
Sponsorship means hosting a course at your facility for your students or the public. We can also customize a course to meet the specific needs of your group.
The steps to sponsor a course are simple (if you need help, e-mail Jill MacMillan at jill@soloschools.com.
1. Decide which course you want to run for your group.
2. Pick your venue.
3. Pick your dates.
4. Get a contract for your course and pay the deposit (call or e-mail Jill).
5. Determine how you will handle registration.
6. Determine course logistics (daily schedule, food, lodging, instructor housing etc.)
7. Advertise the course.
8. Check with SOLO to see if you need to provide any special equipment.
9. Run your course.
10. Pay remaining SOLO fee.
11. Provide SOLO feedback.
12. Schedule your next course.
For help setting up your course, you can download the sponsor support documents by clicking the button at the upper right corner of this page.
Sponsor Support Documents
(download a PDF file)
SOLO Links
To sponsors and others
College Credit is available through articulation agreements with Granite State College (part of the University System of New Hampshire) and Sterling College in Vermont.
We strive to provide a physically and psychologically comfortable atmosphere in our classes. We design our curricula to take into account a wide range of learning styles by combining lectures with demonstrations and hands-on practice sessions. Our open learning environment encourages group discussion, participatory learning, and exploration. SOLO is committed to educational currency—we teach the latest principles and practice of pre-hospital care and wilderness medicine. Fundamental to all SOLO’s programs is our belief that students learn to problem-solve and reason, rather than just memorize.
We teach medicine by building a foundation of principles and systems, and we emphasize anatomy and physiology. Unlike memorizing facts and learning by rote, building a solid base of information gives students the tools to interpret emergencies, apply good judgment, and make good decisions. We believe that medicine is as an art as much as it is a science and that learning to interact professionally and compassionately with patients, bystanders, and other emergency medical providers is as important as providing the correct treatment. We teach prevention first, treatment second, and emphasize a wilderness ethic of respect and stewardship.
Although base prices exist for each program, there are many variables that may alter the cost (e.g. instructor travel, housing, & meals). SOLO works with each sponsor to assist them in building a budget for their course.
SOLO instructors are active, professional health care providers whose medical training ranges from prehospital certifications all the way to physician. They serve on mountain rescue squads, fire departments, ambulance squads, and ski patrols. They are experienced, creative teachers, who provide a relaxed, team-oriented, and inspiring learning environment. With wide-ranging life-skills, many are outdoor experts with years of experience in wilderness settings. In addition to their training and experience, all instructors are trained by SOLO for the specific courses that they teach.
Although it is sometimes possible to hold your course here, the SOLO campus is usually booked with our month-long WEMT programs. You are welcome to call and inquire about possible dates.
SOLO has been the leader in the development of wilderness medicine education since 1976. We have worked toward the standardization of wilderness medicine curricula and protocols, served on all national wilderness medicine committees, and are frequent presenters at conferences across the country. Since 1988, we have published the Wilderness Medicine Newsletter, a bi-monthly journal on the principles and practices of wilderness medicine (available online since 2002). SOLO training is recognized by many organizations such as various state EMS licensing boards, professional guiding organizations, the US Coast Guard, the American Camping Association, the Continuing Education Coordinating Board for Emergency Medical Services (CECBEMS), and others. SOLO certification fulfills the medical requirements for hiring staff at Outward Bound, the Appalachian Mountain Club, as well as camps, ski patrols, and other similar organizations. SOLO has been featured in the 1998 Encyclopedia Britannica’s Health and Medicine Supplement, quoted in the August 2002 and January 2005 issues of Outside Magazine, and has been the subject of many other magazine and newspaper articles (including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, and Rescue Tech Magazine) as well as TV shows. SOLO’s staff is recognized as one of the best trained and most progressive in the industry. You will not find better wilderness medicine education.
A list will accompany your contract. Typically, the needs are quite simple and include things like sleeping pads, paddles, ski poles/long sticks, lengths of rope/string/cord, a black or white board or large pad, and pens and pencils for class notes. For longer programs, we may need long-boards or a litter. Although we are happy to bring any equipment that you are unable to provide, we ask that you supply as much of the equipment as possible. Traveling with a large amount of equipment is difficult and can be expensive, especially when instructors are flying (they and their luggage do not always arrive together, or even in the same city).
SOLO’s core courses are the Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness First Responder, and Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician programs. We also offer specialty programs such as International Courses (travel, ecotourism, disaster relief, adventure, and missionary medicine) and Search and Rescue. We can customize a program to meet your specific needs.
Please contact Jill MacMillan at 603-447-6711 or Jill@soloschools.com.
Sponsor FAQs
Answers to
your questions