Northland College Outdoor Education Home Course Descriptions

Outer Island, East Shore Waves, Apostle Islands, Lake Superior

From a Ryan Brady Photo

WILDERNESS EMERGENCY CARE

OED 240-01, Winter Term

Read: Lightning Safety in the Field

Schedule: T- 2:30-4:20, R- 2:30-5:20

Location: Wh. 210

Instructor: J. Grant White

Office: Wh 312

Phone: Ext. 1350

E-Mail: gwhite@northland.edu

Final Exam: Tuesday, April 18, 2006; 2:00—4:00 p.m.

Course texts: The Outward Bound Wilderness First-Aid Handbook, Updated Edition, by: Jeffrey Isaac, P.A.-C.

Wilderness Medical Associates Field Guide for Wilderness Travelers, Outdoor Professionals, and Rescue
Specialists,

by: Jim Morrissey, EMT-P, WEMT

On-Line Syllabus: www.northland.edu/oe --> Course Descriptions --> Wilderness Emergency Care --> Syllabus

Please note: Students in need of academic or medical accommodation should contact Judi Holevatz, R.N., @ ext. 1340, Rm.
206 of the Ponzio Center.

Course Overview

In order to better explain this course, I will begin by stating what it is not.

1. This is not a course leading to certification. Over the years, the Outdoor Ed. Dept. has tried repeatedly to find a way to change this. The bottom line is that neither my teaching style, nor the structure of this course, are compatible with a certification program. That this course continues to be offered underscores our belief that it has intrinsic value sufficient to outweigh this negative aspect. Those students who desire or need an emergency care certification are advised to register for the Wilderness First Responder courses offered on this campus, during each spring break, by Wilderness Medical Associates.

We believe that this course is a valuable adjunct to any wilderness emergency care certification course and expect students to find that it complements such courses nicely.

2. This is not a first aid course! By definition, “first aid” refers to a stabilize and transport solution. In other words, a situation in which the patient will be turned over to trained professionals within a short period of time (technically, in less than two hours). It is the aim of the first aid provider to keep the patient alive and exercise damage control in the interim.

By nature, a wilderness setting imposes isolation. When accidents occur there, response and transport times increase dramatically. For this reason, a “first aid” approach is neither sufficient nor appropriate. That special “wilderness protocols” have been developed and endorsed by members of the medical community for use by wilderness emergency care providers in the extended transport context serves to validate this assertion.

Course Purpose

As already stated, this course is designed to complement rather than replace existing first aid or wilderness emergency care certification courses. The course will focus on those environmental and traumatic disorders common to a wilderness environment. Examples include heat and cold disorders, altitude disorders, management of spinal injuries, and traumatic disorders of the musculoskeletal system.

The dominant issues throughout the course will be appropriate emergency response and patient assessment. This is based on the assumption that treating the problem begins with identifying the problem. For the most part, the treatment options available to the wilderness emergency care provider are fairly basic. Generally, the crux issue is determining what is wrong.

Course Goals

1. To provide a conceptual foundation of pertinent anatomy and physiology of the healthy human body and an understanding of the changes and adaptations that occur in response to injury and disease.

2. To help students to develop an approach to emergency care based on problem solving and improvisation.

3. To encourage students to develop an organized, safe, and easily remembered method of responding to a wilderness emergency.

4. To demonstrate that emergency situations are leadership situations that require a holistic response. The leader must take primary responsibility for the assessment, care, and transport of the patient, make effective use of limited equipment, personnel, and time, communicate with outside agencies if necessary, and take steps to ensure the safety of the rescuers/care providers and see that no further harm comes to the patient. To encourage students to think like leaders.

5. To help students develop a system of documentation and record keeping for emergency cares situations.

Lecture Exams

Lecture exams will take the form of a series of guided investigations (take-home exams) the nature of which will be explained in class. The pervasive theme will be application of the information in question to solve problems that are practical and relevant to the future work and play of the students in the class.

Grading

Grades in this class will be calculated on a straight percentage basis. This is accomplished by dividing the number of points earned by the total number of points possible. I do not grade on improvement except to the extent that improved scores will bolster the student’s overall point total. Full and enthusiastic class participation is expected of all students and should not be viewed as something extra that can be counted on to compensate for poor performance on written assignments.

The grading scale is as follows: 93-100 A; 90-92 A-; 87-89 B+; 83-86 B; 80-82 B-; 77-79 C+; 73-76 C; 70-72 C-; 67-69 D+; 60-66 D; 0-59 F.

Attendance

Due to increasing problems with inattendance, it has become necessary to restate and reassert the attendance policy for this class. Understand that a grade in a class, in effect, certifies that the student has been exposed to the curriculum as described in the syllabus, has participated in all activities associated with the class, and has completed all assignments to a degree reflected in the final grade. In other words, you must attend the class, in order to pass the class!

That being said, the policy for attendance and late assignments with respect to grading is as follows:

Attendance in this class does count with 1 point being deducted from your final point total for each hour of unexcused absence. Excused absences include such things as illness, certain family obligations, and certain school sponsored activities and trips. Studying for an exam for another class is not an excused absence on the basis of it being a school sponsored activity. Misses can be made up by writing and submitting a paper which covers the material covered in class on the day in question. Under no circumstances should a student assume that by merely submitting a paper, they have made up for 100% of the class missed. In order to be considered equivalent, the paper must be of adequate length, substance, and quality based on the judgment of the course professor. For purposes of calculating a final grade for the class, the one point deduction for the absence will be thrown out if a paper is submitted. The paper will be graded, and the grade averaged with the scores on all other written work. Therefore, the degree to which the paper actually substitutes for the class experiences on the day missed will be directly reflected in the final grade.

Because this professor has had students run a doctor’s appointment scam as a means to generate excused absences, he will expect students to schedule medical appointments outside of class time. Exceptions will be made for emergencies and extenuating circumstances.

In this class, attendance is taken with an attendance sheet. Any forgeries of signatures (another scam) will result in the hour being counted as an unexcused absence for both the forger and the person for whom the forgery was attempted.

Late Work

It is the instructor’s policy to allow the class to negotiate due dates for out of class assignments. That being said, assignments must be turned in on time. There will be a penalty of –5% per day late. Any exceptions must be negotiated in advance.

Course Progression

What follows should be understood to represent a general progression of the class. Content and timing will vary according to the needs and interests of the class.

Week 1 Week 8

Diagnostic signs Spine management, cont.

Read Chaps. 1 & 2 Read Chaps. 11, 12, 13

Week 2 Week 9

Primary survey Joint injuries & treatment

Secondary survey Read Chaps. 14, 15, 16

Read Chaps. 3 & 4

Week 3 Week 10

Secondary survey Heat metabolism

Shock Hypothermia

Read Chaps. 5 & 6 Read Chaps. 17, 18, 19

Week 4 Week 11

Shock cont. Frostbite

Bleeding wounds Read Chaps. 20, 21, 22

Read Chaps. 10, 8, & 9,

Week 5 Week 12

Infection Heat disorders

Bone structures Read Chaps. 23,24, 25

Read Chaps. 7 & 32

Week 6 Week 13

Fracture Altitude Disorders

Splinting Snow blindness

Read Chaps. 31, 33, 34 Read Chaps. 26, 27, 28

Week 7 Week 14

Spine injury management Burns

Read Chaps. 35, 36 Read Chaps. 29 & 30

Internet Resources

(You may achieve easy access to these web sites by visiting the Northland Outdoor Education web site @ http://www.northland.edu/oe. Find “Course Descriptions” near the bottom of the left side of the site map, go to “Wilderness Emergency Care” on that page, and follow the link to view the course syllabus and click on the active links listed below.)

High Altitude Medicine Guide (Altitude Illness Clinical Guide For Physicians) circa 2000

http://www.wildmed.com/index2.html

http://www.soloschools.com/solohome.html

http://wmi.nols.edu/

http://www.webmd.com/

http://www.mayohealth.org/index.htm

http://www.physsportsmed.com/

Nice Allergy/Anaphylaxis site

Airway, Breathing, and Chest Management site: http://www.monkees.org.uk/divers/Manual2.doc

Diver Medics Course Manual (nice): http://www.monkees.org.uk/divers/manindex.shtml

http://www.helioshealth.com/index.cgi

http://www.medmedia.com/med.htm