Wilderness First Responder
Register Here
Housing Options Available Here
This is a nationally recognized program that trains participants to respond to emergencies in remote settings. The 80-hour curriculum includes standards for urban and extended care situations. Special topics include, but are not limited to, wound management and infection, realigning fractures and dislocations, improvised splinting techniques, patient monitoring and long term management problems, up-to-date information on all environmental emergencies, and advice on drug therapies. The program emphasizes prevention and decision-making, not list memorization. This course is designed specifically to provide you with the tools to make critical medical and evacuation decisions in remote locations. Half of your time will be spent completing practical skills, case studies and scenarios designed to challenge your decision making abilities. Adult CPR is included in this course.
Click here for additional course registration information.
Course Length: 9 Days/80 Hours
Recommended for: Backcountry guides, canoe trip leaders, private expedition groups, college/university outdoor education programs, hiking club trip leaders, wilderness therapeutic programs, EMT’s and adventure race safety personnel.
Prerequisites: None.
Minimum Age: To participate in a Wilderness Medical Certification through Appalachian State University, participants must be 18 years old on the first day of the course or a registered Appalachian State University Student who has graduated from high school.
Course Cost: (Due by 4/19/24)
- $685 - Current Appalachian State University students
- $890 - Other
Dates of course:
- May 11 - 19, 2024
- 7:45 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Day 3 & Day 7 include Night Scenarios from 6:00 - 10:00 p.m.
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Participants must arrive at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 11th for an orientation to the facility and for checking into the program.
Location: Broadstone at Appalachian State University
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1431 Broadstone Road, Banner Elk, NC 28604
How to Register: Please view our website to register. From here, you will need to log into your account. If you do not have an account, click “sign up” in the top right corner and follow the instructions to create an account. Click on the button that says "Certifications." (Make sure to input your birthday when making an account because our Wilderness Medicine Courses have an age restriction set on them.) You will find “Wilderness First Responder” listed there. Make sure to click on that one and not the one that says recertification. (Unless a recertification is what you need). If you need lodging accommodations, revisit the "Certifications" button and find our "Wilderness Medicine Housing" listing. (More information on that below.) Select the dates that you need from there! Follow the directions for processing the payment online via the link that you'll be sent. Once you pay for your course and if needed, lodging, make sure to visit the bottom of this website to view all the paperwork requirements! Note: If the course is full, you will be able to sign up on the waitlist following the exact same steps outlined above. The only difference is that instead of the end button saying "Register," it will ask you to "Join Waitlist."
Cancellation and Refund Policy: Payment in full is required to reserve your spot in a course. Payments are non-transferable across participants. Our refund policy covers before 30 days from the course start date and within 30 days from the course start date. If a course is canceled due to low enrollment, all funds paid are 100% refundable or transferable to another Wilderness Medicine Course hosted by UREC within an academic calendar year (July 1 - June 30)
Before 4/11/24: If you withdraw from the course more than 30 days prior to the course state date, you may receive a partial refund. In this case, UREC will keep $215 for Wilderness First Responder (WFR) and refund your remaining balance.
On or After 4/11/24: Within 30 days of the course date, if a participant cancels or does not show up to the first day of the course, 50% of the balance amount will be refunded to the participant, only if their spot in the course was filled. If a participant withdraws after the course has started, no refunds will be given.
Lodging: The WFR is happening at our beautiful Broadstone facility located in Valle Crucis, NC. A part of the Appalachian State University campus, Broadstone provides an ideal location to conduct a wilderness medicine course. The majority of the course takes place in the main lodge which has plenty of room for classroom discussions, as well as a kitchen and dining room. We have many outdoor locations nearby which we will also be utilizing where we can conduct outdoor scenarios for the course. We have cabin accommodations available for the duration of the course. Shared cabin space with bunk beds is available at Broadstone on a first-come, first-serve basis. Any overnight stay is $20/night and grants access to the kitchen appliances and indoor showers located in the cabins. Students may choose to stay from the night prior to the course beginning through the night the course finishes. Students staying the night before must arrive by 8:00 p.m. A housing package may also be purchased a reduced cost to include lodging for all nights starting on the evening prior to the course and ending the morning of the last day of the course. Please see the above section on how to register.
NOLS COVID-19 Policies and Vaccine Policy: Effective 5/1/2023
- Please do not come to class if you are feeling sick!
- Students are encouraged to wear a mask during indoor lecture time, but it is optional. You can wear your own mask or a KN-95 we will provide for you.
- Masks, gloves, and safety glasses are optional during skills workshops and scenarios. If you would like to wear any or all of them, KN-95s are available or you can bring your preferred multi-layer mask, and we will also provide nitrile gloves and safety glasses.
- If your course is held at a time or location where stricter requirements are in effect, your instructors will require you to adhere to those procedures throughout your course.
- Students must follow instructors’ directions and don a mask upon request at any time during their course.
For more information, please visit: Landmark Learning Policies
Certifications Received:
- NOLS Wilderness Medicine Wilderness First Responder Certification
- NOLS Wilderness Medicine Adult & Child CPR certification
- Certifications are current for two years.
Continuing Education:
- This course is pre-approved for 70 hours of EMT Continuing Education Hours (CEH) by the Continuing Education Coordinating Board for Emergency Medical Services (CECBEMS).
- Active members of the Wilderness Medical Society may earn up to 59.5 hours of credit towards a Fellowship of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine (FAWM). There is an additional fee of $15 for students requesting these credits.
- This course is approved by the United States Coast Guard to satisfy the first aid and CPR training requirements [46 CFR 11.205(e)(1)(i) &46 CFR 11.205(e)(2)(iv)] for a merchant mariner license.
Course Paperwork:
Please mail all course paperwork to Student Recreation Center C/O Jacob Norris, ASU Box 32081, Boone, NC 28608 by April 19th, 2024.
Required paperwork for course listed below. We need a "wet-ink" (black or blue ink) on paper signature for everything. [This means nothing can be typed, scanned, faxed, or emailed.]
Download: Wilderness Medicine Course Application
Download: Grounds and Lodging Orientation
Download: General UREC Participant Waiver All Programs
Click here for additional course registration information.
For more information, contact Jacob Norris at norrisjw1@appstate.edu or (828) 262-8411.