Wilderness Emergency
Medical Technician (WEMT)
WEMT COURSE TOPICS
The WEMT course consists of the standard DOT EMT curriculum and the principles of Wilderness Medicine integrated into the four-week training. The course includes all the information in the Wilderness First Responder and expands each topic in anatomy, physiology, recognition and treatment, and the extended care principles and protocols.
SPECIFIC WEMT SKILLS include:
Trauma Assessment System: Rapid and Detailed Assessments
Heathcare Provider CPR: Adult, Child, Infant CPR and Obstructed Airway, AED
Advanced Airway Mgt. Skills
Barotauma & Dive-Related Injuries
Marine Bites and Stings
Avalanche Skills
Behavior & Psychiatric
Emergencies
Emergency Childbirth
Geriatric Medicine
Pediatric Trauma
Mass Casualty Incidents
Incident Command System
Hazardous Materials
Mock Rescues
Case Histories
WILDERNESS EMT MODULE
SOLO’s WEMT Module is a 5-day program that upgrades current street First Responders to the WFR level, and current EMTs to the Wilderness EMT level. It focuses on emergency care when separated from definitive care by distance, time, or circumstance. The Module covers subjects such as: Principles of Long-Term Patient Care, Wilderness Patient Assessment System, Principles of Long-Term Soft Tissue Injuries, Principles of Long-Term Musculoskeletal Injuries, Environmental Emergencies (Hypothermia, Frostbite, Non-Freezing Cold-Related Injuries), Heat Stroke, Heat Exhaustion, Dehydration, North American Bites and Stings, Severe Weather, Lightning & Avalanche, Barotrauma and Marine Bites & Stings, Case Histories and Mock Rescues, and is designed to give current First Responders/EMTs the skills they need when the ambulance is a long way off. Participants will take a written and practical wilderness exam. This course typically counts as 40 hours of continuing education for National Registry EMTs.
EMT REFRESHER TRAINING
PROGRAM (RTP)
This is a 3-day, NH/National Registry approved course, that recertifies EMTs. There is no wilderness component. It is the participant’s responsibility to sign up for their practical EMT exams if required by their state.
EMT WILD DAY
A SOLO Wild Day recertifies the wilderness component for current WEMTs. It is often scheduled at the end of an EMT RTP course. A Wild Day does not certify street EMTs to the wilderness level (see EMT Module, above).
ADVANCED WEMT (AWEMT)
This new program is for current WEMTs who want to develop new skills, particularly in the areas of search and rescue, basic low- and high-angle rescue, bivouac/shelter & litter building, tropical and travel medicine, and Advanced Life Support in the backcountry. The course usually counts as 40 hours of continuing education for National Registry EMTs.
The Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (WEMT) course is SOLO’s flagship medical program. It is an intense, in-depth, month-long program designed for people who need a higher level of training.
WHO IS THE WEMT FOR?
The WEMT is designed for people who work, or plan to work, as professional medical personnel on fire departments, rescue squads, and ambulance crews, especially those working far from definitive care (e.g. on rural or wilderness rescue teams).
WHAT IS TAUGHT?
The WEMT is 170+ hours long (typically taught in 20 days, spread out over four weeks, with weekends off), and combines the standard Department of Transportation Emergency (DOT) Medical Technician curriculum with wilderness-specific medical training that focuses on long-term care (our WFR curriculum).
WHERE AND WHEN IS IT HELD?
The WEMT course is held only at SOLO. Six to eight WEMT courses are scheduled each year. Click the schedule link at the top of the page to go to our course calendar.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
The course price is $2795 (tuition, lodging, weekday meals, practical exam, CPR, student malpractice insurance, clinical observations, lab kit, texts, testing fees).
WHAT ABOUT DAY STUDENTS?
Day student price of $2295 includes everything except lodging.
IS THERE AN EXAM?
Yes, there is ongoing evaluation of wilderness practical skills, and there is a written wilderness exam. At the end of the course, participants will take a National Registry/New Hampshire five-station, practical exam and the National Registry computerized exam.
DO I GET CERTIFIED?
Upon successful completion of both exams, participants receive a two-year SOLO WEMT certification, a two-year AHA CPR certification, and a National Registry of Emergency Medical Technician (NREMT) certification. It is the responsibility of each student to find out how certification and licensure work in their state.
HOW DO I RECERTIFY?
The SOLO 3-day Refresher Training Program (RTP) recertifies WEMTs (it does not include a wilderness component or the EMT practical exam—see sidebar.) A Wild Day recertifies the wilderness component for current WEMTs (see sidebar.) Recertifying your national or state EMT is a complex issue—click Recertification.
DOES MY SOLO RTP COUNT TOWARD CONTINUING ED REQUIREMENTS?
Typically no. National Registry recertification requires an additional 48 hours of related training. Many states have different requirements; contact your state EMS office.
HOW DO I UPGRADE MY EMT CERTIFICATION TO WEMT?
Current EMTs may upgrade by taking the 5-day SOLO WEMT Module (see sidebar).
As you look at other wilderness EMT programs, ask yourself the following questions. Do they include CPR? Do the prices include all clinical and testing fees? Do the programs include insurance? Are clinical sites close by? Are three, delicious, all-you-can-eat meals provided each day? Is there lodging in a dormitory available at no extra charge? Do the sites have wireless internet access? Is there rock climbing, ice climbing, paddling, hiking, mountain biking, fishing, and skiing within a 20-minute drive? Is the program’s creator a wilderness medicine icon and a regular contributor to the course instruction? Is there a fully-staffed office on site? Is there an established campus specifically designed for WEMT training? When all the questions have been asked, the best choice for your WEMT training is SOLO.
Things to look for when
choosing a WEMT course.
Take a tour of our campus