Looking Back...
Teamwork and Leadership
Over the course of the project, I grew as a teammate and leader. As the week went on and I gained more and more knowledge, I found that my confidence was increasing as well. I believe this was because of the practical application of the knowledge I was being taught. The simulations were nerve wracking and scary but I cannot say that I would be nearly as confident in my abilities without having participated in them. I think the stress of the simulations actually helped me learn more quickly because I was forced to trust myself. There isn’t time for doubt when it comes to saving someone’s life and I think once I realized that I was able to push past my fear and just take action. This confidence made it easier to help my classmates when we would collaborate on assignments because I could contribute my own knowledge and understanding.
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Hard Skills
The goal of the course was to gain a Wilderness First Responder certification. Though there were many times of doubt, I am so proud to be able to say that I accomplished that goal. The skills that I gained are unlike any others I have ever learned. I have no medical background whatsoever and that really scared me but the way that the course was taught made it straightforward and easy to follow. The first half of the day was usually spent in the classroom learning medical causes, symptoms, treatments, and procedures. The second half was spent outside actually practicing the skills on each other usually in the form of an elaborate simulation. Half the class were the victims while the other half were the responders. These simulations really helped solidify every part of what I was learning in the course. I got to practice assessing a situation, determining the type of trauma and care needed, administering CPR, rescue breathing, deciding on an evacuation level, conducting spine assessments, and preparing patients for transport. It was quite the process. There were so many things running through my head as I would approach a patient in a simulation. Figuring out where to start based off of all the new information I had just learned was rough.
One of the best tools I had in the field were SOAP notes. SOAP stands for subjective information, objective information, assessment, and plan. Basically the SOAP note helps to direct the responder in gathering all the relevant info in an emergency. I have included a portion of a SOAP note that I filled out during a simulation below. Sometimes when my mind would blank, all it took was a glance at the SOAP note to get the thinking process started again. It was a great tool for making sure I didn’t miss anything and I think the idea is that the note can be passed along to the definitive care provider so they know what treatment was done and what symptoms to watch. The simulations were hard but so necessary. I am so glad that I have actual practice in these skills and not just the information in my head.
Completing the Wilderness First Responder course was one of the hardest things I have ever done. It tested me in various ways and allowed me to grow as a person. The course not only taught me the skills to be a first responder, but the skills needed to be a better leader, a better teammate, and a better outdoorsman. I will explain some of the areas below.
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Trip Planning
I had never been camping for longer than 4-5 days before completing this project. And of those 4-5 day camping trips, I had never been the sole planner. I usually let my dad figure out all the logistics. So taking on the task of planning was completely foreign to me, let alone for a whole 10 days. The hardest part of planning was coming up with meals. I had a small cooler to take with me but even with ice, that only lasts a few days. It was tricky but I was able to plan my perishable meals towards the beginning of the trip and save the non-perishable foods for the latter half. The meals may not have been my favorite foods to eat, but they were simple and practical and that’s what counts. Many of the meals required no cooking but for the few that did I was able to share a small camp stove with a classmate.
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Another area of planning that I was not accustomed to was providing my own camping equipment. I had always used my family’s camping supplies but I figured it was time that I stopped relying so much on my parents. Believe me, borrowing from my family would have been much easier. But I took this project as a motivator to start compiling my own gear. I had originally thought to rent the gear from SUU Outdoors but as I was figuring the cost I realized that it would be more expensive than if I were to buy my own gear. So I ended up investing in a 0 degree sleeping bag, a tent, a camp chair, and a basic mess kit. Overall I am really happy with my decision. Having my own gear means that I can go camping whenever I want and without any unneeded gear expenses. It was definitely a good investment.
Conclusion
Overall, I grew as a person because of the experiences I had during the WFR course. I learned how to plan and camp for 10 days, how to work as a team, how to trust myself, and how to use my knowledge in the real world. It was definitely a successful project.