Wildlife class to certify participants in first aid

Oftentimes, when students take outdoor trips, there are no first aid problems, said Kim Collins, assistant coordinator for Outdoor Adventures.

“But sometimes people have an allergic reaction, or they cut themselves,” she said.

Through an IU Outdoor Adventures class that will take place Saturday, students will become certified in wilderness first aid and learn all the techniques to take care of an injury or ailment, should one occur.

Students can call Outdoor Adventures to sign up for the class or register on OneStart, Collins said.

The two-day class involves a 20-hour first-aid component that enables individuals to deal with potential emergencies in the backcountry, Collins said.

“Instead of people using first aid in the front country, they would be using it in an area where they are one hour or more away from an EMS,” Collins said.

The course is broken into two 10-hour day segments and utilizes scenarios and hands-on teaching so participants can practice first-aid administration in a non-emergency environment, Collins said.

Lessons also include how to communicate with a victim before and after administering aid, said David Calvin, instructor of the Wilderness First Aid course and former director of Outdoor Adventures.

“We need to teach measures in how to communicate with participants to get them to be open and honest with you,” Calvin said. “People in general don’t want to tell someone they’re really hurt or injured and will try and take care of it themselves.”

Calvin has taught the course for Outdoor Adventures since 2000 and saw it as an opportunity to better prepare student leaders for hardships they could face in the backcountry.

In order to be eligible for a student leader position, students are required to be certified in wildlife first aid.

“In the woods, 911 is not that close,” Calvin said. “I thought that in the interest of the University, I should become an instructor and have our student leaders better trained than most.”

The course is broken into four training modules that include patient assessment, fractures and sprains, hot and cold issues and soft tissue injuries. Participants take quizzes after each module and then a final exam to become officially certified, Calvin said.

“I expect students in the class to do well,” Calvin said. “I am a big believer that it is my responsibility to teach them and their responsibility to be receptive to the lessons.”

Students can also sign up for the course and take it as a School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation credit, Collins said.

“The course exists in the schedule of classes for IU,” Collins said. “All people need to do is call our office, and if they want to take it for credit, they can sign up like it’s any other class.”

However, the classes often have more than just students in attendance, Collins said.

“You’ll see a lot of people come in from out of town,” Collins said. “There’s a mix of professionals from many different fields as well as students.”

The fusion of lectures with hands-on scenarios makes the class enjoyable for participants as well as the instructor, Calvin said.

“What I like about it is half the time we’re outside of the classroom,” Calvin said. “The scenarios take place outside, and that’s the beauty of the class.”

Wilderness First Aid opens doors for meeting new people, which is one of the things that make the course unique, Collins said.

“You spend 20 hours practicing skills that hopefully you will not have to use,” Collins said, “but you meet lots of great people and do lots of great things.”