Our
Medical Courses—Learning from the Real World
All our medical courses are
rigorous, fun and fast-paced, with lots of hands-on practice.
In general, you’ll
spend the mornings in lecture and labs, and in the afternoons
youÕll work on skills training and simulations;
occasionally there are scheduled evening sessions. We cultivate
an atmosphere that is intense and
supportive, challenging and inspiring. Many students make
lifelong friends during a course.
Our classes are designed to
maximize your real-world learning. Lectures teach how the
body works, so you
will understand why it doesn’t. We teach you how to
think; there are no “grocery” lists. Homework
and
quizzes are based on realistic case studies in order to
challenge and solidify your learning, and prepare you
for increasingly difficult simulations.
Hands-on labs teach you the
treatment skills required to perform under challenging field
situations. Starting
on the first day of the course, you’ll face realistic
simulations designed to build your field experience
and judgment. Each simulation is carefully constructed to
develop and challenge your skills. Your instructors
use the inevitable mistakes as a source of constructive
feedback that helps you and your classmates
learn from what went wrong, as well as what went right.
On longer courses, simulations are videotaped so
you can see what happened and talk about it in the present
tense.
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Certification
We offer three courses for
certification: a seven-day Wilderness EMT Module (WEMT),
a nine-day Wilderness
First Responder (WFR), and a five-day Wilderness Advanced
First Aid (WAFA). All our certification
courses include WMTC CPR certification. Although our certification
remains valid for three years, (CPR
certification is valid for two years), we highly recommend
that you take a review and recertification course
each year to maintain and polish your skills. Certification
is awarded when you successfully complete all
portions of the course.
In addition to our certification
courses, we offer workshops in Wilderness First Aid (WFA),
Risk and Site
Management, Technical Rescue, and Basic Survival. Participants
in these courses receive a course completion
card.
While a current EMT-B minimum
certification is required to attend our WEMT module, there
are no prerequisites
for our WFR, WAFA or WFA courses. If you wish to attend
our Review and Recertification
Course, you must be a WMTC graduate or a graduate of an
approved WEMT, WFR, or WAFA, and currently
certified. WMTC graduates may recertify with other qualified
wilderness medicine providers; click
here for details.
Please keep in mind that both
training and certification in the field of wilderness medicine
are unregulated.
While some states recognize certain standards and practices
within their emergency services legislation,
there is no national curriculum or certification. Because
of this lack of regulation, almost anyone can
offer training and certification in wilderness medicine.
When considering a wilderness medicine provider,
closely examine your needs and compare them to the experience,
standards, and training methods being
offered.
WMTC teaches according to
the practice guidelines established by the Wilderness Medical
Society and the
National Association of EMS Physicians. We also teach the
more stringent spine management guidelines
established by Peter Goth, M.D., and adopted by the state
of Maine. WMTC certifications are accepted by
Outward Bound, the National Outdoor Leadership School, the
American Camping Association, and all
state and federal guide licensing agencies.
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Our
Site Management® Courses
—Cutting-edge Training in Risk Management
We are the only school that
offers courses in Site Management®, a risk-management
system designed to
significantly reduce serious accidents and injury. Our proprietary
training process teaches outdoor instructors
and guides the judgment required to make safe decisions
in the field. It represents the forefront of risk management
theory and training, and incorporates activity-specific
technical skills—such as rock climbing,
mountaineering, paddling, sailing, backpacking and biking—with
appropriate educational progressions,
human psychology and risk assessment. Effective Site Management®
prevents injuries, reduces
programmatic risk, and increases overall course quality.
Courses in Site Management®
are designed for program directors, staff trainers and field
staff. Using a
combination of lecture and hands-on training, each course
addresses Site Management® theory and practice
in detail. Practical exercises and simulations teach you
how to apply didactic concepts in the field.
Accident/incident reports are analyzed to develop effective
operational language and thought processes.
Longer courses use video to thoroughly review field exercises.
The introductory course presents
the philosophy and components that form the foundation of
an effective
staff development system. Advanced courses are activity
specific and may have technical prerequisites.
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WMTC’s
Founder
 Paul
Nicolazzo founded the Wilderness Medicine Training Center
in 1997 and continues to serve as the center's
owner, director and head instructor.
Active in search and rescue
since 1977, Paul began teaching both technical rock and
whitewater rescue skills in 1979, and has taught wilderness
medicine around the United States, and the world, since
1986.
Paul has acted as an outdoor skills consultant and staff
trainer for each of
the U.S.-based Outward Bound Schools, as well as numerous
private and
state schools, colleges and outfitters.
A member of the Wilderness
Medical Society and the National Association of EMS Physicians,
Paul is an
active WEMT who responds with the Methow Valley SAR and
Nordic ski patrol when he is home in
Mazama, Wash.
Paul is the author of numerous
books on wilderness medicine
and risk management: The Wilderness Medicine Workbook (1994),
The Art and Technique of Wilderness Medicine (1998), Case
Studies in Wilderness Medicine (1998, 2003), The Wilderness
Medicine Handbook (2003), The Site Management Handbook (2002),
and A Trainer’s Guide to Site Management (2003). Paul
currently writes a medical column for Off-Piste Magazine
and occasional articles for WaveLength Magazine.
Paul has extensive guiding
and teaching experience in whitewater paddling, rafting,
rock climbing, mountaineering
and backcountry skiing. He continues to guide, teach, rescue,
and find time to enjoy his own expeditions.
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Our Home
—the Mountains, Rivers, and Coastline of Washington
State
 WMTC
offers courses throughout the United States and the world,
but our home is located in the heart of the North Cascades
near the small towns of Winthrop and Mazama, Wash. Both
our office and classroom are nestled in the woods near the
Methow River and the Methow Valley Community Trail system.
Lectures are held in the round wood-heated
classroom or on the deck in sunny weather. Multiple simulation
sites are within walking distance.
A small cliff band a few minutes
drive from our classroom has numerous sport routes from
5.7 to 5.11+, as well as a few trad climbs. Many of the
routes can be top-roped. It is an excellent training ground.
Goat Wall, a few minutes farther down Lost River Road, provides
access to a pleasant multi-pitch route up the center that
can be climbed in a long afternoon. Washington Pass (Route
20) and Harts Pass (Lost River Road) provide access to incredible
granite alpine routes and backcountry skiing. The Methow
River provides excellent simulation sites for water-based
training. In spring and early summer the Lost, Methow, Twisp
and Chewuck Rivers are boatable, depending on the section,
by kayak, canoe and raft. Awesome hiking and mountain biking
abound.
Camping is a short walk or
bike ride away from our classroom; lodging and meals are
available a few miles down the road.
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