Just Finished class with NOLS

[CFal]

any chance your company may pick up the tab for it

no, the mountain company is cheap no way they pay for it.

If you're OEC as well as EMT, I would think you've already had a lot of the WEMT training. Granted, I loved my WEMT course and I found it to be very comprehensive regarding wilderness care as well as some expedition medicine.

I'm not OEC, just EMT.

 

[Tigger]

I want to do the WEMT upgrade but it is a little to pricey on a Ski Patrol paycheck.

I'm with you. I want it, but most list at $6-700.

There's other things more pressing for that amount of money.

 

[CFal]

I'm with you. I want it, but most list at $6-700.

There's other things more pressing for that amount of money.

like new skis

 

[Tigger]

like new skis

Yup, gonna have to happen soon.

 

[EpiEMS]

I'm not OEC, just EMT.

How relevant do you think the "urban" EMT course is to your practice? And along those lines, what's your C-spine protocol?

 

[CFal]

How relevant do you think the "urban" EMT course is to your practice? And along those lines, what's your C-spine protocol?

pretty much if you'd backboard them in an urban setting you'd backcoard them on the hill

 

[EpiEMS]

pretty much if you'd backboard them in an urban setting you'd backcoard them on the hill

Gotcha, though I'd imagine you're boarding many more people than an urban service, given what I'd assume is your call mix (>50% trauma?).

 

[CFal]

Gotcha, though I'd imagine you're boarding many more people than an urban service, given what I'd assume is your call mix (>50% trauma?).

We get a lot of knee injuries, lot of wrist injuries. It is mostly trauma, but we get a lot of calls that an ambulance typically won't get because of the location, stuff that would be too minor for an ambulance.

 

[Luno]

like new skis

Have you checked out the deal from Surface for the "save life?" I just bought a pair, and waiting on some F12s so I can get them mounted, they seem like a pretty stiff ski, little softer in the tail though, and about 100 underfoot, pretty cheap too.

 

[Luno]

pretty much if you'd backboard them in an urban setting you'd backcoard them on the hill

Really? I know this is a little out of the box, but have you considered how the force is loading on the spine, and how the force is distributed on the falls? I'd look a little deeper into your injury trending and the hows/whys of impact and rotational injuries. Maybe that is something that is better left to your medical director though...

 

[Luno]

Gotcha, though I'd imagine you're boarding many more people than an urban service, given what I'd assume is your call mix (>50% trauma?).

Interestingly enough, our call mix at a resort on the left coast is >95% trauma, but that might be regional.

 

[EpiEMS]

Interestingly enough, our call mix at a resort on the left coast is >95% trauma, but that might be regional.

I was just picking a number out of thin air -- I wouldn't imagine healthy young skiers have many medical complaints that they'd call EMS for, after all.

 

[Luno]

I was just picking a number out of thin air -- I wouldn't imagine healthy young skiers have many medical complaints that they'd call EMS for, after all.

Hahaha, you'd be surprised... Much more old and not so healthy...

 

[CFal]

Interestingly enough, our call mix at a resort on the left coast is >95% trauma, but that might be regional.

That seems about right for us too, I haven't been on a medical call yet this year.

 

[Luno]

What do you guys run for incidents? We usually run 1000-1500 paperwork generating incidents per ski year, not including the bloody nose, band-aid stuff.

 

[CFal]

What do you guys run for incidents? We usually run 1000-1500 paperwork generating incidents per ski year, not including the bloody nose, band-aid stuff.

I saw the number in one of our training but I don't remember.

 

[wildrivermedic]

I want to do the WEMT upgrade but it is a little to pricey on a Ski Patrol paycheck.

They don't really advertise this, but if you already have your EMT cert you can take the cheaper and shorter Wilderness First Responder course through WMI and get an WEMT card.

The full course is a great way to go if you can afford it (look into their scholarship program) and need to get the EMT cert.

But if you just want the wilderness stuff the WFR should cover it. Check with them about the certification, of course.

 

[zmedic]

Some of them, like SOLO, had a wilderness upgrade from EMT to WEMT. prob more fun than doing WFR because they can assume you know most of the physiology and you aren't repeating stuff.

 

[CFal]

The WEMT upgrade for already EMTs is still more than a week of pay for me

 

[MrJones]

Keep in mind that, for the Veterans among us, VA will pay for WEMT at SOLO's Conway campus and WFA, WFR or WEMT at WMI's Lander, WY campus. I don't know about WMA or any others.