Courses
All courses involve a combination of classroom lectures and hands-on skills practice including scenarios / drills to be held both indoors and outdoors regardless of weather. Review the course descriptions below for more details.
Many organizations prefer to host a course of their choosing, at their preferred location. Peninsula Wild Med is able to travel to you in most circumstances. If you would like to sponsor a course for your group, please contact PWM to discuss. You can choose to limit enrollment to those within your organization or open enrollment to others in the community. Closed courses are not posted on this website.
WFA
16 hours (2 days)
Course dates: February 19-20, 2027
Location: Peninsula College, Port Angeles WA
Course Fee: TBD
Wilderness First Aid (WFA) is a great option for those seeking a short but thorough introduction to recognizing emergencies and practicing lifesaving skills for someone sick or injured, and who tend to have short visits to resource limited environments where definitive care (i.e., an ambulance, clinic or hospital) is less than a day away.
Specific topics include:
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Critical body systems
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System for assessing a patient
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Recognizing emergencies and calling for help
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Stopping a bleed, CPR
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Moving a patient
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Musculoskeletal and spine injuries and splinting
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Wound management
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Recognizing and treating anaphylaxis
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Environmental topics such as lightening, cold and heat related injuries, water immersion and toxins
Certification is valid for 3 years and includes Adult CPR following AHA/ILCOR standards. To re-certify consider upgrading to a Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA) or Wilderness First Responder (WFR), or take another WFA course before your cert expires.
WAFA
36 hours (4 days)
No course currently scheduled
Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA) builds on everything found in the WFA course with increased emphasis on stabilizing and monitoring someone sick or injured over a longer duration of time, when definitive care (i.e., an ambulance, clinic or hospital) could be more than a few hours or even more than a day away. The WAFA allows time for more intensive patient assessment drills, practice scenarios and case studies.
Specific topics include:
-
Critical body systems
-
System for assessing a patient
-
Recognizing emergencies and calling for help
-
Stopping a bleed, CPR
-
Moving a patient
-
Musculoskeletal and spine injuries and splinting
-
Wound management
-
Recognizing and treating anaphylaxis
-
Environmental topics such as lightening, cold and heat related injuries, water immersion and toxins
-
Addressing common medical conditions in the backcountry setting
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Documentation
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Medical legal considerations
Certification is valid for 3 years and includes Adult, child and infant CPR following AHA/ILCOR standards. To re-certify take another WAFA course before your cert expires, or consider upgrading to a Wilderness First Responder (WFR).
WFR Hybrid 5-day
30+ hours online pre-class study & testing + 45 hours on-site (5 days)
Upcoming courses:
April 21-25, 2027
Seward, AK
June 9-13, 2027
Port Angeles, WA
Course registration links will be posted in 2027
Wilderness First Responder (WFR) is the worldwide standard in wilderness medical education and is a great choice for those regularly adventuring or working in remote environments. The WFR certification is a common requirement for outdoor professionals including those working in adventure guiding, ecotourism, search & rescue and more. This 5-day hybrid option (as opposed to the traditional 7-10 day WFR) is best for those who can commit to intensive pre-course study which introduces all the general concepts needed before the 5-days of on-site review and hands-on practice in class. The 5 days in class involve intensive patient assessment drills, practice scenarios, simulated events with extensive debriefs and case studies. There is increased emphasis on prolonged patient care/monitoring, critical thinking and evacuation decisions.
Specific topics include:
-
Critical body systems
-
System for assessing a patient
-
Recognizing emergencies and calling for help
-
Stopping a bleed, CPR
-
Moving a patient
-
Musculoskeletal and spine injuries and splinting
-
Wound management
-
Recognizing and treating anaphylaxis
-
Environmental topics such as lightening, cold and heat related injuries, water immersion and toxins
-
Addressing common medical conditions in the backcountry setting
-
Documentation
-
Medical legal considerations
Pre-course Work Technology Requirements
High speed Internet Access
A computer with:
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PDF Reader
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Anti-Virus Software
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Internet Browser (latest version of Chrome, Firefox, or Edge). Note- the system is NOT compatible with Safari.
Certification is valid for 3 years and includes Adult, child and infant CPR following AHA/ILCOR standards. To re-certify take the WFR Recert course or a repeat WFR course before your cert expires.
WFR Recertification
24 hours (3 days)
Course dates: May 20-22, 2027
Location: Peninsula College, Port Angeles WA
Course Fee: TBD
Course registration link will be posted in 2027
Open to adults 18 years and older.
Certification is through Wilderness Medical Associates International.
For curriculum info please see WFR course details.
Requirements & Eligibility:
Eligible WFR Recertification students are current graduates (not expired or still within a grace period) from:
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A WFR course with a minimum of 70 hours of overall instruction, including a minimum of 45 hours of in-person instruction.
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WFR Recertification courses with a minimum of 16-hours of in-person instruction.
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Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) certification holders are eligible to recertify in WMA recertification courses. Upon successful completion, students will receive a WFR certification.
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Additional pre-course work will be required.
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Some work may require high speed internet.