Posted: 12/7/2016 2:00:08 PM EDT
|
As I get older, I realize more and more that firearms and firearms training are great, but much less likely to be used or needed than first aid/trauma supplies and training.
I have very little first aid or trauma training, and I would like to rectify that. Where do I start? I don't have time to take an EMT class, so I am looking for something that is short term. Similar to firearms classes that are 2-3 days. Any thoughts? Are there any books that are worth reading as an alternative to actual training? I would assume this is the sort of thing you really need to get hands on training with, not just look at pictures in a book. Thanks |
| You might look into one of the Wilderness First Aid courses offered by the Wilderness Medical Institute of the National Outdoor Leadership Schools (NOLS). It's a 2-day 16-hour course with several outdoor scenarios that provides a good bit of practical knowledge that can be very useful. It's geared for wilderness situations, so it also promotes thinking in terms of whether the situation is tolerable, requires evac when convenient, or when it requires immediate evacuation. Again, since it's geared for the wilderness, it also focuses on treatment using limited resources available and improvisation when needed. The courses are done nationwide and often sponsored by REI or other organizations. |
|
Join your local VFD and take your EMT. It's worth it. Plus youll be able to actually do what you learn
and they pay for it Ive been in my VFD for 4 years now(got in after college)....and it has given me a new perspective and i have actually been able to practice what i learned. on real pt's |
|
In addition to the classes mentioned above, there's also Western Rifle Shooters WRSA Grid Down Medical
Midwest Disaster Medical has their Austere Medic course here in WI. Very good class, by all accounts. Chuck Fenwick's Medical Response in Hostile Environments. A bit on the parochial side , but Equip Inc. has Missionary Medical Intensive. Excellent 2 week class, from my personal experience. JRH Enterprises (Georgia) has their Tactical Lifesaver Course. The focus of these classes is slightly different. Some are sort of "combat lifesaving" where you are essentially doing trauma stabilization until a higher level of care can be reached. Others presume that you are the highest level of care, and focus on the treatment of more common but less "sexy" illnesses/injuries. Don't discount the importance of stress inoculation with medical stuff. Not sure what your AO is like, urban, suburban or rural, but here in rural WI, one of the awesome benefits of doing a First Responder or EMT course and volunteering for a bit is actually "getting your hands dirty" by getting some experience. The other benefit is getting known by local police and Sheriff's Dept. as a "good guy." Might be worth something. Good luck, and congratulations on deciding to spend some money and time on getting some training! I have found that many preppers have lots of ammo but not much for medical skills/equipment. |
|
Here's a few I've done-
Base Operations School (closed now, back in the 80's)- Survival Medicine 7 day class in the desert with SF docs. Great stuff Armageddon Medicine- Dr. Kathy from Ohio, used to travel to GA every so often. More "home health" and longer term nursing care stuff than tactical medicine/trauma medicine type stuff, but very good nevertheless. Casting, lots of suturing, physical and history, etc. TCCC- several gun places do an offshoot of this. Suarez isn't bad, kind of related to CCW use and trauma medicine. Max Velocity used to offer this as well, and does it now (or recently) under the Rifleman's Challenge course. Care under fire, very good stuff. Dental- guy in TN used to host dental classes related to survival dentistry. Tom is an excellent instructor and was a creative thinker (something important for survival and sometimes lacking in medical types) We used to host Survival Medicine classes back in the 90's and then a few Tactical lifesaver classes in the early 2000's but our guy got deployed for multiple tours and it kind of fizzled out after that. |
|
Quoted:
Dental- guy in TN used to host dental classes related to survival dentistry. Tom is an excellent instructor and was a creative thinker (something important for survival and sometimes lacking in medical types) That's right, Dr. Tom Loomis. That guy was (is?) an underrated asset to the preparedness community. There's no pain like dental pain (except maybe a burn) and dang few classes on what a layman can do. Dr. Loomis had a DVD out covering a lot of austere dental care stuff. IIRC he provided free dental care to a guy in exchange for permission to film tooth extractions, etc. I don't know if Dr. Loomis is still is "in the business" or not. The only other dental-for-laymen I know of is as a part of the Missionary Medical Intensive course I posted above. Geez, sorry for the thread derail. 
|
|
I did attend. It was really a fantastic, in-depth course. It is weighted toward the tropical disease side if things, but it had plenty of content for those not in the hot parts of the world, too. It was designed for smart -but not medical- folks to be able to diagnose and treat illnesses and injuries.
The course is intended for missionaries going into the mission field, usually in 3rd world countries. Medication selection, administration, assessment, diagnosis and treatment were all covered pretty well. There were some things they did not cover, such as IVs (where are you going to get sterile Normal Saline in the middle of freakin' Burundi? ) but on the whole, I felt it was well worth the two weeks, and I already had a pretty solid medical background before I went. Remember I said the class was for missionaries? There is obviously a very substantial Christian aspect to the time there. You live on site, have communal meals, there are devotions and worship and other types of faith-based activities. I confess that I am somewhat of a casual Christian, and this level of living out faith was pretty different for me. The textbook for the class is Dr. Mary Vanderkooi's "Village Medical Manual" and you get to know it pretty well. She's come up with a pretty cool way of organizing the findings of a patient assessment to come up with an actual diagnosis. Anyway, as I said, I thought it was worth the time, money and effort to go. |
|
Quoted:
Dark angel ^^^ This! Been there and done it and it was outstanding!!! |