Everyone should be empowered with the skills and confidence to take charge of medical emergencies. Gut-Z Journey is a licensed provider for Wilderness Medical Associates International (WMA) and American Heart Association (AHA). Keep reading to learn more about our Wilderness Medicine Courses in California.
Get The Full WFR Course Schedule & Register
WFR Wilderness First Responder
Be able to assess someone for a spine injury
Properly clean and care for wounds
When to start and stop CPR in a wilderness context
Learn how to deliver epinephrine to someone in anaphylactic shock
Deliver of epinephrine for severe asthma attacks
WFA Wilderness First Aid
Learn how to deliver epinephrine to someone in anaphylactic shock
WFR Recertification
Your cert does not need to be from WMA we have reciprocity with many certifying companies
It does need to meet the WMEC standards- 70hours of course time with some portion being in person
The recert is as you’d expect—it renews your certification for the full WFR.
What Is Wilderness Medicine Training?
These courses help you learn medical skills, practice critical thinking and gain the confidence to handle an unexpected emergency in the backcountry. Imagine how great it feels to calmly and clearly decide if your friend’s injury is serious or not. Whether they can stay in the backcountry or not, and if you need to call for more help?
You will be empowered with the knowledge you need to avoid high-risk solutions for low-risk problems. At Gut-Z Journey, we teach you the ‘why’ behind decision-making in the field. The skills you’ll gain from our courses will therefore be incredibly practical and long-lasting.
We’ve moved away from memorization or cookie-cutter (flowchart-based) decision-making and put you in the driver’s seat. During the course, you will gain a strong foundation of emergency medicine, along with practical concepts like:
- Serious or not serious?
- Stable vs. unstable?
- Risk probability vs. consequence?
Understanding the ‘why’ allows you to transfer your knowledge
and rationally think through new and varied situations.
How You Learn Wilderness Medicine with Gut-Z
Gut-Z Journey helps break down big and intimidating topics in wilderness medicine into simple, clear, and practical chunks. We are medical providers AND educators at heart. You can expect an experience focused on delivering information in various formats for different learning preferences.
Each course is geared towards building a foundation of practical and simple medical skills. You will have access to online tools, books, and other valuable learning materials to support your knowledge. Just as important as learning wilderness medicine is learning to respond in an actual emergency. So all courses are built around hands-on practice. You’ll go through a variety of drills, with increasing complexity, with medical simulations that make you apply the learning. This is one of the most effective and rewarding ways to learn and gain confidence.
Hands-on practice through life-like drills is a core component of wilderness medical training and a part of what makes these courses so unique- and fun!
Along with the wilderness medical skills training, each course provides you with CPR training and CA injection of epinephrine training.
Those who successfully complete their course will receive a WFR certification valid for 3 years.
The depth of knowledge and time requirements for each course vary. You can learn more about each certification and application below. This will help you pick a course that best suits your personal and professional needs.
Testimonials
Natalie’s Credentials
Natalie is a Corporate & Lead Instructor for Wilderness Medical Associates International (WMA) and the American Heart Association (AHA). As a seasoned outdoor educator, medic, and guide, she has experienced firsthand the power of the life-saving skills taught through WMA. Natalie brings an incredible depth of experience and knowledge along with an unparalleled passion for teaching.
Medical Certifications:
CA EMT, National Registered EMT, Wilderness First Responder (WMA), Basic Life Support (AHA)
Emergency Response:
Current work includes US Antarctic Program Joint SAR team, Previous Yosemite SAR team member, Inyo County SAR, ambulance work, field and set medic for the film industry, and hypothermia & survival consulting expert for the film industry.
Education Outdoor:
Guiding and teaching clinics since 2002, 7 years managing UC Santa Barbara Outdoor Program & Ropes Course, WMA instructor since 2016, curriculum development for WMA since 2019
Outdoor Industry:
Along with the above qualifications she has worked as an NPS Park Ranger, Alpine Guide in the Sierra Nevada & Cascades, and currently works Field Safety for the US Antarctic Program
Natalie has certified 1,000’s of students, join her for a course- you won t regret it!
WFR on the Blog
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