It matters who teaches your course! All of our courses are instructed by Jon Tierney and certified through Wilderness Medical Associates - the world leader in wilderness medical training. Jon is one of the nation's most experienced wilderness medicine instructors with over 900 teaching days and tons of real-life mountain rescue experience. He is a flight paramedic and an internationally licensed IFMGA Mountain Guide. Visit Jon's bio for more info. If you can't take one of our courses there are several other highly experienced WMA instructors to choose from. Among the many wilderness medicine providers, we believe that WMA has the highest instructor standards and is the company we feel most comfortable recommending to clients.

Wilderness First Aid
See Schedule for dates and fees

This program is designed for the person who frequently travels in the backcountry with friends or in small groups and who is seeking a basic level of competency in first aid. It is a short introduction to the broad concept of rendering care in a remote setting. You can expect the course to be fairly intensive and to cover the most important aspects of wilderness medicine such as leadership; patient assessment; basic care; body systems; environmental injuries and conditions; anaphylaxis; lifting, moving and extrication; patient carries; backcountry medicine; and CPR.

The course will be very experiential with lots of opportunity to practice in real-life simulations.

Class Format
The WFA is available in two different 16-hour options. Talk with the course sponsor to find out which option is being offered.

Option 1 (Standard Course) represents what Wilderness Medical Associates believes to be a solid standard curriculum. It includes specific training and certification in adult CPR and anaphylaxis management. There is no flexibility in topics covered in this course.

Option 2 (Custom Course) is for those sponsors who desire flexibility in the curriculum. This option includes eight hours of core curriculum and eight hours of elective topics that can be tailored to the audience. CPR and anaphylaxis are not included in this second option.

Prerequisites
Students must be at least sixteen years old to participate in this course. Those under eighteen years of age will require the written consent of a parent or guardian.

Course Sponsors
Acadia Mountain Guides sponsors Wilderness Medical Associates® wilderness medicine courses. All our courses are instructed by WMA Lead Instructor Jon Tierney. Jon is also available to provide WMA instructor sponsored courses on location to third party sponsors around the world; Hong Kong to Iceland, military bases to summer camps. Like other WMA courses the sponsor sets the tuition and provides the classroom and any housing or meals that may be included.

Textbooks
Handouts, the Wilderness Medical Associates' WFA Foldout Field Guide and SOAP notes are included in the cost of the course. Our textbook, Wilderness and Rescue Medicine, is optional and can be purchased separately.

Completion and grades
Successful completion of the WFA course is based on 100% attendance and satisfactory performance on both written and practical quizzes. Students must have a cumulative average of 80% or better. Not everyone passes this course!

Certifications Available
All students who successfully complete the Wilderness First Aid course will receive a WFA certification card, and, if applicable, Anaphylaxis and Adult CPR certification cards from Wilderness Medical Associates. This certification is valid for three years. The WFA meets or exceeds all requirements of similarly houred courses.

Upgrade
Graduates of a Wilderness Medical Associates’ WFA course are eligible for a $30.00 (thirty) rebate when they attend a full-length Wilderness First Responder or Wilderness EMT course within one year of their original course date.

Recertification
Students retake the WFA course. There is no recertification course for a WFA.