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WFR Recertification

Recertify your WFR, WEMS/WEMT, WFA or WAFA

Three-day training with pre-course study to renew certification in wilderness medicine and rescue.

Course Overview

WFR Recertification

Course # 221501

Dates

September 5 –
October 17

Course Length

3 days

Location

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Notes

Women only. Scholarships available.

Course host

International School Ho Chi Minh City

Registration deadline

September 5

Cost

VND 7,6000,000


XXX with food and lodging

Language

English

Certification

Wilderness First Responder

Registration Handled By

Viristar

Full Course Description

Course Description

This course is presented in 24 hours over three days.  Classes are a combination of lectures, discussions, quizzes, outdoor practical skills sessions, and scenarios. Evenings are reserved for study and assignments. Expect rescue scenarios with made-up victims and simulated wounds to prepare you for backcountry emergencies.

Internet access is required to complete online pre-course activities.

The WFR Recertification curriculum is written by a team of remote medical rescue researchers and professionals. Ongoing evidence based research and review contributes to a unique and innovative approach to patient care in backcountry and austere settings. The curriculum is comprehensive, complete, and kept current on an annual basis. This is the recertification class for the most current and cutting edge course of any first response medical training (urban or remote) in the world.

  • General Principles of Wilderness and Rescue Medicine with an emphasis on the prevention and identification of medical emergencies, appropriate technology, and risk management.
  • Patient assessment and emergency care including CPR, basic life support (BLS), and the emergency treatment of anaphylaxis and asthma.
  • Environmental Medicine including altitude illness, hypothermia and heat illness, frostbite and cold injury, lightning, submersion, and environmental toxins.
  • Backcountry Medicine including the assessment and treatment of common medical problems.
  • Musculoskeletal Problems including unstable and stable injuries overuse syndromes, and dislocations.
  • Wound management including open fractures, lacerations, burns and blisters.
  • Practical skills including splinting, bandaging, litter packaging and medical kit preparation.
  • Wilderness Protocols including wound cleaning and exploration, spine injury assessment, dislocation reduction, CPR in the remote setting, and anaphylaxis and asthma.

Certifications

Upon successful completion, learners will receive a Wilderness First Responder certification (or WEMS Upgrade/WEMT Recertification, if recertifying WEMS Upgrade/WEMT), and certification of CPR (based on ILCOR/AHA standards) at the BLS CPR for healthcare professionals level.

Local EMS authorities may permit this certification to be used to challenge the US DOT First Responder exam.

Certifications are valid for three years.

Evaluation

Successful completion with certification is based on 100 percent attendance, satisfactory performance on homework assignments and written quizzes, demonstrated proficiency with practical skills and a successful grade on a final written exam. Viristar is committed to making reasonable accommodation to any learner with special needs.

Recertification

The three-day WFR Recertification course may be used as a WFR recertification option for those with a current WMA International or other qualifying WFR.

Graduates of the WFR Recertification course may recertify by taking the Bridge (WAFA to WFR) or repeating this course within three years of course completion.

Prerequisites

In order to enroll in this course, the learner must meet at least one of the following four criteria:

  • Hold a current WFR certification, from a course with at least 70 hours of instruction, of which 45 must be in-person.
  • Hold a current WEMS/WEMT certification, with a minimum of 45 hours of in-person instruction.
  • Hold a current WFR Recertification, from a course with at least 16 hours of in-person instruction.
  • Hold a current Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) certification. (In this case, successful WFR Recertification course graduates receive a WFR certification.)

The certification must be current or within the grace period allotted by the certifying entity.
 
Individuals seeking to recertify their WEMS/WEMT must indicate this during registration, and must complete required pre-course work relevant to their WEMS/WEMT level of training.
 
Learners must be at least sixteen years old to participate in the three-day WFR Recertification course. Those under age eighteen will require the written consent of a guardian or parent.

Continuing Education Hours

First Responder: 24

EMT: 24

Advanced EMT or Paramedic: 24

Approved by Commission on Accreditation for Pre-Hospital Continuing Education (CAPCE)

Materials Provided

All teaching materials will be provided by Viristar at no additional cost. Participants will receive the following books on this course:

  • Wilderness and Rescue Medicine: A Practical Guide for the Basic and Advanced Practitioner
  • The Field Guide of Wilderness and Rescue Medicine
  • SOAP Notebook

Equipment

We ask our course hosts to provide basic outdoor equipment and any specific gear relevant to their personnel when in remote and austere environments. Viristar will supply a specific equipment list to cover simulation and classroom needs.

Customization

As part of Viristar’s commitment to your medical rescue training, our instructors and management will inquire about your group’s needs and teach according to your group’s backgrounds, environments, and experience. Simulations and hands-on activities will be realistic and relevant. Relevant adult education is incorporated directly into our curriculum to maximize learning of medical theory and development of practical skills.

Syllabus

DOWNLOAD FULL SYLLABUS

Topics

Day 1

Welcome, registration, introduction
Pre-course study packet review
Patient Assessment System
Basic Life Support

Circulatory System
Respiratory System
Nervous System

Day 2

Musculoskeletal System
Dislocations
Spine Management
Wounds & Burns

Splints
Simulation

Day 3

Allergies & Anaphylaxis
Asthma
Electricity/Lightning
Near Drowning
Thermoregulation
Medical-Legal Considerations

Testing
Cleanup
Conclusion

Instructor

Jeff Baierlein

Jeff Baierlein

Director

Jeff A. Baierlein (he/him) has been working professionally since 1987 with outdoor education, environmental education, adventure education and experiential education organizations in the USA and around the world. He led remote wilderness expeditions, worked as a naturalist-educator, served as an Emergency Medical Technician with ambulance services, led search and rescue missions, and was appointed to the Washington State Governor’s Council on Environmental Education.

Prior to founding Viristar, Jeff served as Executive Director of both the Boojum Institute for Experiential Education and the Baltimore Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound Center. His writing and lectures have been translated into Vietnamese, Russian, Marathi, and Chinese.

Other Course Dates

List View Grid View
course name
Month/Year
start date
tuition
location

WFR Recertification

Dates: 19 March – 22 March, 2025
Cost: USD 66
Location: Mosfellsbær, Iceland
Instructor: Nancy Odom
March, 2025
19 March, 2025
USD 66
Mosfellsbær, Iceland

WFR Recertification

Dates: 1 January – 3 January, 2026
Cost: USD 333.34
Location: Traverse City, Michigan
January, 2026
1 January, 2026
USD 333.34
Traverse City, Michigan

Course Description

This course is presented in 24 hours over three days.  Classes are a combination of lectures, discussions, quizzes, outdoor practical skills sessions, and scenarios. Evenings are reserved for study and assignments. Expect rescue scenarios with made-up victims and simulated wounds to prepare you for backcountry emergencies.

Internet access is required to complete online pre-course activities.

The WFR Recertification curriculum is written by a team of remote medical rescue researchers and professionals. Ongoing evidence based research and review contributes to a unique and innovative approach to patient care in backcountry and austere settings. The curriculum is comprehensive, complete, and kept current on an annual basis. This is the recertification class for the most current and cutting edge course of any first response medical training (urban or remote) in the world.

  • General Principles of Wilderness and Rescue Medicine with an emphasis on the prevention and identification of medical emergencies, appropriate technology, and risk management.
  • Patient assessment and emergency care including CPR, basic life support (BLS), and the emergency treatment of anaphylaxis and asthma.
  • Environmental Medicine including altitude illness, hypothermia and heat illness, frostbite and cold injury, lightning, submersion, and environmental toxins.
  • Backcountry Medicine including the assessment and treatment of common medical problems.
  • Musculoskeletal Problems including unstable and stable injuries overuse syndromes, and dislocations.
  • Wound management including open fractures, lacerations, burns and blisters.
  • Practical skills including splinting, bandaging, litter packaging and medical kit preparation.
  • Wilderness Protocols including wound cleaning and exploration, spine injury assessment, dislocation reduction, CPR in the remote setting, and anaphylaxis and asthma.

Certifications

Upon successful completion, learners will receive a Wilderness First Responder certification (or WEMS Upgrade/WEMT Recertification, if recertifying WEMS Upgrade/WEMT), and certification of CPR (based on ILCOR/AHA standards) at the BLS CPR for healthcare professionals level.

Local EMS authorities may permit this certification to be used to challenge the US DOT First Responder exam.

Certifications are valid for three years.

Evaluation

Successful completion with certification is based on 100 percent attendance, satisfactory performance on homework assignments and written quizzes, demonstrated proficiency with practical skills and a successful grade on a final written exam. Viristar is committed to making reasonable accommodation to any learner with special needs.

Recertification

The three-day WFR Recertification course may be used as a WFR recertification option for those with a current WMA International or other qualifying WFR.

Graduates of the WFR Recertification course may recertify by taking the Bridge (WAFA to WFR) or repeating this course within three years of course completion.

Prerequisites

In order to enroll in this course, the learner must meet at least one of the following four criteria:

  • Hold a current WFR certification, from a course with at least 70 hours of instruction, of which 45 must be in-person.
  • Hold a current WEMS/WEMT certification, with a minimum of 45 hours of in-person instruction.
  • Hold a current WFR Recertification, from a course with at least 16 hours of in-person instruction.
  • Hold a current Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) certification. (In this case, successful WFR Recertification course graduates receive a WFR certification.)

The certification must be current or within the grace period allotted by the certifying entity.
 
Individuals seeking to recertify their WEMS/WEMT must indicate this during registration, and must complete required pre-course work relevant to their WEMS/WEMT level of training.
 
Learners must be at least sixteen years old to participate in the three-day WFR Recertification course. Those under age eighteen will require the written consent of a guardian or parent.

Continuing Education Hours

First Responder: 24

EMT: 24

Advanced EMT or Paramedic: 24

Approved by Commission on Accreditation for Pre-Hospital Continuing Education (CAPCE)

Materials Provided

All teaching materials will be provided by Viristar at no additional cost. Participants will receive the following books on this course:

  • Wilderness and Rescue Medicine: A Practical Guide for the Basic and Advanced Practitioner
  • The Field Guide of Wilderness and Rescue Medicine
  • SOAP Notebook

Equipment

We ask our course hosts to provide basic outdoor equipment and any specific gear relevant to their personnel when in remote and austere environments. Viristar will supply a specific equipment list to cover simulation and classroom needs.

Customization

As part of Viristar’s commitment to your medical rescue training, our instructors and management will inquire about your group’s needs and teach according to your group’s backgrounds, environments, and experience. Simulations and hands-on activities will be realistic and relevant. Relevant adult education is incorporated directly into our curriculum to maximize learning of medical theory and development of practical skills.

Syllabus

DOWNLOAD FULL SYLLABUS

Topics

Day 1

Welcome, registration, introduction
Pre-course study packet review
Patient Assessment System
Basic Life Support

Circulatory System
Respiratory System
Nervous System

Day 2

Musculoskeletal System
Dislocations
Spine Management
Wounds & Burns

Splints
Simulation

Day 3

Allergies & Anaphylaxis
Asthma
Electricity/Lightning
Near Drowning
Thermoregulation
Medical-Legal Considerations

Testing
Cleanup
Conclusion

Instructor

Jeff Baierlein

Jeff Baierlein

Director

Jeff A. Baierlein (he/him) has been working professionally since 1987 with outdoor education, environmental education, adventure education and experiential education organizations in the USA and around the world. He led remote wilderness expeditions, worked as a naturalist-educator, served as an Emergency Medical Technician with ambulance services, led search and rescue missions, and was appointed to the Washington State Governor’s Council on Environmental Education.

Prior to founding Viristar, Jeff served as Executive Director of both the Boojum Institute for Experiential Education and the Baltimore Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound Center. His writing and lectures have been translated into Vietnamese, Russian, Marathi, and Chinese.

Other Course Dates

List View Grid View
course name
Month/Year
start date
tuition
location

WFR Recertification

Dates: 19 March – 22 March, 2025
Cost: USD 66
Location: Mosfellsbær, Iceland
Instructor: Nancy Odom
March, 2025
19 March, 2025
USD 66
Mosfellsbær, Iceland

WFR Recertification

Dates: 1 January – 3 January, 2026
Cost: USD 333.34
Location: Traverse City, Michigan
January, 2026
1 January, 2026
USD 333.34
Traverse City, Michigan
  • Inspiring…got a new paradigm of first aid knowledge.

    Participant, Wilderness First Aid course

    Odyssey Institute, West Java, Indonesia

  • Great course–I feel much more prepared for wilderness emergencies.

    Tuva Rødningsand Kirkerud

    Keilir Academy Adventure Studies Program, Reykjavik, Iceland

  • It was such a great experience!

    Nguyen Thu Thao

    Senior Instructor, Outward Bound Vietnam, Cát Hải, Bình Định, Vietnam

  • Viristar was awesome! The WFA class was engaging and fun and interesting, and I appreciate the relevant information and training.

    Carie Ward

    Lead Teacher, Charles Wright Academy, Washington state, USA

  • We were very pleased with the top notch instruction from Viristar instructors for our Wilderness First Responder Course at Green School in Bali! THANKS Viristar!

    Kenny Peavy

    Head of Risk & Safety, Green School Bali & Green Camp Bali, Bali, Indonesia

  • Great program. Amazing teachers.

    Andri Svansson

    WFR student, Keilir Academy Adventure Guide Studies Program, Reykjanesbaer, Iceland

  • I feel confident that the knowledge and experience gained during this course will help me stay calm and help no matter how stressful the situation.

    Tjaša Metličar

    Keilir Academy Adventure Studies Program, Reykjanesbaer, Iceland

  • I’ve learned more than I expected…it was a hands-on inquiry-based learning journey with excellent guidance.

    Hanneri Coetsee

    Teacher, Satit Bilingual School of Rangsit University, Bangkok, Thailand

  • The instructors were amazing.

    Guadalupe Navarro

    Community Engagement Manager, Sonoma County Regional Parks, California, USA

  • In-depth and helpful.

    Kris Roney

    WFR student, Keilir Academy Adventure Guide Studies Program, Reykjanesbaer, Iceland

  • I learned a lot about medical conditions and how to treat and respond to them in the wilderness.

    Kamna Mishra

    Lead Instructor, Outward Bound Vietnam, Cát Hải, Bình Định, Vietnam

  • The practical sessions were really informative and a good way for me to learn.

    Shelby Weicht

    WFR student, Keilir Academy Adventure Guide Studies Program, Reykjanesbaer, Iceland

  • Learned A LOT in a short time. The presenter was very approachable and was excellent at teaching learners of all backgrounds.

    Josh Doppelt

    Washington state, USA

  • Kate Johnston

    Outdoor Educator, Singapore

  • Derek Angevine

    Director of Experiential Education, Spring St International School, Washington state, USA