IMAGINE you are faced with a person experiencing a life-threatening allergic reaction to an insect bite while in the great outdoors.
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Your quick-thinking and first aid skills are crucial.
Charles Sturt University (CSU) Bachelor of Applied Science (Outdoor Recreation and Ecotourism) students dealt with that situation in a mock exercise during a five-day wilderness first aid course.
Bachelor of Applied Science (Outdoor Recreation and Ecotourism) Port Macquarie-based course coordinator Associate Professor Rosemary Black said the wilderness first aid course provided the students with advanced first aid skills and knowledge they would use not only in their course but also when they worked as leaders and instructors in the outdoor recreation and adventure industry.
"The course gives then very practical skills that they can use in remote and wilderness areas where there may be no paramedic services," she said.
Bachelor of Applied Science (Outdoor Recreation and Ecotourism) student Danny Smith said the course was really interesting and had realistic scenarios.
He feels more prepared to tackle an emergency situation in the wilderness as a result of the training. The comprehensive course covered basic life support, traumas such as head and spinal injuries, dislocations and fractures, environmental injuries such as hypothermia, bites and stings, and medical conditions.
The main focus was to provide real life scenarios when students put their first aid and problem solving skills into action.
Wilderness First Aid Australia facilitator Christie Pisani said people employed as leaders in the outdoor industry had a duty of care to their clients and needed a higher level of first aid qualifications.
"They could be hours, even days, from help so they need to have a really good grasp on extended care," she said.
Miss Pisani said students learnt how to make judgments under pressure.
The hands-on scenarios used stage make-up to simulate injuries.
Wilderness/remote area first aid education specialists Wilderness First Aid Australia delivered the course.
CSU students and other students completed the course.