Your Ideal IOLS Course

[Get Outdoors 15]

"Get Outdoors, you said, "Real wilderness first aid certification (I'm not talking the BSA thing they do a camp)..." You might be confusing Wilderness First Aid (WFA) certification (which is the same whether from a BSA provider or any other organization like the Red Cross) and Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA), which is a more advanced class that covers more advanced topics, and Wilderness First Responder (WFR), which is an even more advanced class which covers even more advanced topics, and then above all of those you can get a "Wilderness" cert added on to whatever "professional" medical certification you already have, such as W-EMT or W-RN or something. And of course all of those are "above" a normal First Aid (FA) certification. I don't know what the summer camp was doing that you referenced, but if it's a "Wilderness First Aid" cert, then it's the same as any other WFA cert. Then again, I suppose they might have just been talking about first aid in the wilderness and not actually offering a Wilderness First Aid certification.

Basically, the hierarchy is as follows: FA -> WFA -> WAFA -> WFR -> W-EMT/W-RN/W-whatever

 

My experience with WFA training I received from the BSA about an 8 hr course during a long weekend was very similar to a basic first aid day class the Red Cross teaches. Just in a more "what hapens outdoors" kind of way. A few years before I took the BSA course, I took the basic WFA from a professional trianing company. Same course but wayyyyyyy more advanced than what BSA was trying to teaching.

 

Bottom line is "you get what you pay for" $100.00 vs. $350.00

 

[Get Outdoors 15]

Get Outdoors misses the point of Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills. No one expects proficiency out of inexperienced trainees.

 

Like Seattle Pioneer, I participate as a trainer for OLS twice a year in a three district combined effort. The people who go through it, both experienced and inexperienced, all widely praise our course. The training staff also picks up ideas from the trainees over time.

 

Some straightforward lecture is unavoidable, but we make our training as hands on as possible, with numerous live demonstrations

 

eisley, I don't think I'm missing the point. First, let me say the folks that taught my IOLS were awsome, most had very extensive knowledge. I have no complaints what so ever in regards to the staff. I think the course (as outlined by the BSA) overall misses the mark. The focus should be teaching us how to work with kids in an outdoor enviornment. It's where most of us have little to no experience (except being a parent) and many of us struggle with this. The training I took and what I'm hearing; is it's a game focused on talking adults to first class. It souldn't be about the outdoor skills, it should be about dealing with teens in the 21st centry through an outdoor classroom. Those that care will take it upon themselves to teach themselves how to build a fire, tie knots, raise the flag and pack a backpack. We need help understanding how we work with today's youth. Something that the BSA gets a failing mark it.

[Eagle92 110]

Here's my take on it.

 

1) One of the pages discusses how participants get things signed off just like the scouts do as they complete the different modules. That concerns me greatly because IMHO it reinforces the "one and done" mentality and not true mastery of a skill as was expected in previous editions of the BSHB, or "proficiency" as expected in the GTA.

 

2) Way I see it, a scouter should not expect a Scout to do a skill when he cannot. I think Scouters need to set the example and be able to do just what the scouts are able to do.

 

3) part of the learning process is teaching the skill. So i have no problems with participants with the skills already teaching the other participants. BUT leaders need to know that A) Scouts do the teaching in their units and B) we guide and mentor those instructors who have challenges teaching their fellow scouts. so being able to come up with ideas is a good thing.

 

4)In regards to First Aid, that is not WRFA as that is a 16 hour long course. More than likely it was a FA MB course, but placed in the outdoors and using real life scenarios. As an AHA FA/CPR/AED instuctor, I prefer how FA MB is taught to AHA's watching a video.