For those who play or work outdoors, or who simply want to be better prepared for the unexpected, when access to EMS and a hospital may be delayed.
WFA is an introductory course in wilderness medicine which teaches the fundamentals of prevention, assessment, and treatment of those injuries and illnesses commonly found in the outdoors. It is geared towards those on day or overnight outings with reliable communications where assistance is typically available within a few hours. Your training will include a mix of lectures, skill sessions, case study discussions, and training scenarios.
Nicole K., Jamestown, NY
Our WFA stands apart because you’ll learn from seasoned professional emergency medical providers with years of backcountry training and experience. Our clients represent diverse backgrounds and skill levels, like hikers, bikers, paddlers, camp staff, guides, First Responders, nurses, and medical school students. Our class sizes are small so that you can receive personalized instruction to better learn and meet your specific needs.
Our WFA is accredited by the Pennsylvania Department of Health for pre-hospital providers.
Course Overview
- Timeframe: 16 hours of instruction.
- Dates & Locations:
- 17-18 May 2025 (8:00 am until 5:00 pm both days): Settlers Ridge County Park, Robinson Township, Pennsylvania (8 miles West of Downtown Pittsburgh / Just off of I-376 and minutes from I-79).
- 15-16 November 2025 (8:00 am until 5:00 pm both days): Crooked Creek Lake Recreation Area, Ford City, Pennsylvania (30 miles Northeast of Downtown Pittsburgh / Easy access from the Pennsylvania Turnpike & State Route 28).
- Fee: $270 per person
- Minimum Age: 15 years old when accompanied by a parent or guardian.
- Certification Length: Two years
- Some of Topics Covered: patient assessment; shock; splinting; wound management; temperature related illness; anaphylaxis; first-aid kits; scene management; evacuation decisions.
- Description of the Level of Physical Difficulty – Easy to Moderate: This program will involve physical effort on terrain that is relatively flat and includes some hills, over short distances at a slow pace on generally defined and established trails. Activities will involve indoor and outdoor portions in a mix of weather conditions. Activities will require some lifting and squatting. No prior experience in the program is required.
- Continuing-Education Hours: For pre-hospital providers, the Pennsylvania Department of Health has approved this course for 15 credits for EMR, EMT, Paramedic, and PHRN.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What happens when I register? We will personally follow up with you with three quick and easy forms for you to complete and return. We will send you a detailed course information sheet which will contain all of the applicable details that you’ll need to prepare and arrive for your training, like suggested gear, specific location, and overnight recommendations.
Does True North run WFA as a private course? Yes! While we offer many open enrollment WFA courses, most are run for private groups. So we regularly work with scout leaders, camps, and trail groups to train their staff, and outdoor related retailers who sponsor a class for their customers. The many benefits include personalized training which can be tailored to your specific needs. We can do this by structuring the program in a variety of time formats, or running it in various locations, either your location or ours. To learn more, just contact us.
Does this course include CPR/AED training? This course does not generally include CPR/AED certification, but as an authorized American Heart Association training center, True North can certainly work with you or your group to include it or provide it separately. To learn more, just contact us.
Where can I stay overnight? Many of our clients travel a distance to attend this course so we want to make your stay as easy and as comfortable as possible. Certainly you can stay in a local hotel or home-share, but our Ford City site allows overnight stays where you can either camp or bunk with a small additional fee, with access to toilets, showers, full kitchen, and a comfortable lounge.
What kind of gear do I need to bring? True North will provide all of the needed training supplies. There is no required text for this course.
Why should a medical professional, like a Paramedic, Nurse, or Physician, still consider taking a WFA course? In some ways, you will find the training and issues very similar to what you see in a front-country setting, but in most other respects you will find it to be very different. First, you will be learning to deal with issues that you rarely find in an urban environment, like venomous bites, acute hypothermia, and lightning strikes. Also, wilderness medical care requires a greater emphasis on improvisation as you won’t have access to the equipment in your ambulance or office. In turn, the standard of care in wilderness environments may differ substantially from your state protocols. Lastly, most front-country medical providers only deal with patients for brief periods (maybe just the ambulance ride to the hospital) and in teams, but, as a WFA provider, you may need to care for your patient for hours or longer … all by yourself.
To learn more, please contact us.