learn wilderness first aid

i took a wilderness first aid course last spring and i really enjoyed it. we covered a lot of topics that would be taught in a regular first aid course, but we learned how to deal with them in the wilderness- shock, the procedure for properly assessing a patient, long-term patient care, soft tissue injuries, fractures and dislocations, what should be brought on any trip into the backcountry, how to use an epipen, etc. it was a 2 day class in vermont, and our time was divided between learning in a classroom and simulating real situations- our instructors split us in half and some of us would secretly be given scenarios to act out so that the rest of us would later find them covered in fake blood and screaming, or lying on the ground unresponsive, or sitting dazed holding their heads. we’d then have to assess the situation and try to deal with it. we were given backpacks with some typical items in it and we learned how to be resourceful with what we had with us, like using sticks and clothing and pack straps to form a splint. i was the youngest one there by about 15 years so it was interesting to meet the other people in the course from all different ages. the guy who sat next to me had a month-old daughter who he loved to talk about all the time and show me pictures of, and there was this older man who was always a lot of fun- the instructor left the room once to go to the bathroom and when he came back the man was lying on the floor in a twisted position with his eyes closed, giving the instructor his own surprise fake accident to assess. we all played along- “we have no idea what happened! we found this hiker and we think maybe he fell from that ledge over there (pointing at wall), we just got here so we didn’t see it happen…” anyways, the course was extremely interesting and informative and a lot of fun. it also showed us how important it is to be safe and careful in the wilderness, since any accident can become so complicated. i might like to join a volunteer rescue squad at some point; our instructor did that and he seemed to love it.