What a great group of folks to hang out with for three weeks!  These folks are headed for greatness in emergency medicine.  The diversity of age and experience in our class this round has surely been of resource.  As we close the EMT Intensive and head into another WMI of NOLS WUMP, folks are doing their final practice and preparation for the practical skill exams that will take place tomorrow.  Energy is still high and folks are quite giddy with the friendships they have developed over the last month.  Oh the bitter-sweetness of good byes…..happy with all the accomplishments and addition of EMS folks out there, but not looking forward to the absence of these very cool people.  From the support staff - “stay in contact, and remember you are alumni to our school, let us know how we can serve you in your professional direction.” Smiles and smirks from the instructional staff.

We opened a great letter yesterday from a recent graduate of our WFR course. Please read the below excerpt.

“I was a student in the recent Wilderness First Responder (”WFR”) course at the Landmark Learning Center. The main purpose of my letter is to praise the instructors Jason Carter, Eli Helbert, and Rob Barham. While I found the curriculum, training center, and overall atmosphere of the WFR course to be sublime, it was the performance and quality of the instructors that had the most significant impact on me…I was constantly amazed by how well they handled the class and encouraged success, all the while setting the performance and expectation bar pretty high. It is a special kind of teacher who motivates a student to strive to succeed, at least in part, so he or she does not let down the teacher. Only a small handful of teachers in my past have had this effect on me, Jason, Eli, and Rob now having joined this select list.” 

Nice job guys and to the student…Thanks so much for sharing!

If you have any stories or experiences you would like to share with us at Landmark Learning we would love to hear from you. Please email your thoughts to main@landmarklearning and we will post them here on our Blog.

Please read this post on Outdoor Ed’s website about the 2008 death of six students on a canyoning trip in New Zealand.

http://www.outdoored.com/Community/blogs/risk/archive/2010/07/18/lessons-learned-from-tragedy.aspx

Landmark Learning is a North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services Training Institution.  Although NC does not require clinical experiences for EMT-B, we require our students to complete a minimum of 16 hours of clinical time. Our student’s time is split into four- (4) hour shifts at Emergency Rooms and on Ambulances.  Not only do our students obviously look good in their clinical uniforms, but they are prepared with basic life support skills to assist with patient care at their clinical sites.We are proud to be welcome at Westcare EMS, Haywood County EMS, and Cherokee Tribal EMS, Harris Regional Hospital Emergency Department, and Swain County Hospital Emergency Department.  We believe that the experiences our students have in these settings add color and reality to our curriculum.  Students get a “real life” perspective with the support of site preceptors.  It may be likely that the experiences our students gain in clinical, lead many of them to continue in emergency medicine.Many kudos to all involved that help to make this portion of the EMT Intensive course come alive and  provide these advanced learning opportunities for our students!

Check it out at:http://www.astralbuoyancy.com/news/testimony/the-swiftwater-entry/Nice one Justin!

Come join us in West Virginia for the New River Gorge WFR! Landmark will be in Fayetteville at the old River’s Outpost from August 28th - September 5th. Get in quick!

To sign up, please download the registration packet at:

http://landmarklearning.org/course-calendar.php?sortby=start.

Then fax or email your paperwork into our office at main@landmarklearning.org.

See you on the river soon!!!

We received the below story from a recent EMT-B graduate of Landmark Learning. Thanks for sharing Brian. Nice work!

——————————————————————————————

After my EMT class ended several weeks ago, I wondered when I’d have call to use all the great training you’ve provided me.  I got an answer this last weekend. 

I was a spectator at the second day of a swim meet.  By noon, the weather was in the mid-90s and very humid.  A teenaged female swimmer, who had recently completed her second race of the day, collapsed into the arms of another parent.  I was called to the scene by a coach who knew I had EMT training. 

I confirmed that EMS had been called, fixed the O2 mask, and then “gently” inserted myself into the situation and began assessing the girl. The girl was disoriented, irritable, combative, and confused.  She was drifting between A+0×1 and 3.  The girl’s respirations and heart rate were within normal ranges, so we repositioned her to lower her head, but watched her carefully for signs of nausea out of concern for vomiting creating an airway obstruction. 

I worried about her being on a narrow bleacher bench in case we had to perform CPR, but because there were several people supporting her on each side, I decided that leaving her where she was, was best for the time being.  Her mom was present and I got a good SAMPLE history and ran through OPQRST with the girl and her mom. 

The girl had eaten a light breakfast and hadn’t had more than six ounces to drink since then.  I next did a rapid physical exam.  After my assessment I gave 911 dispatch a report and they dispatched a paramedic unit to join the EMT unit already en route.  EMS arrived and I gave my report to one of the EMTs, and then backed off, but they continued to ask me questions about her history and status changes while I had been caring for her. They got a normal EKG, and transported her with O2 and IV fluids.  She improved as the afternoon wore on and was discharged that evening. 

Thanks to Landmark for providing me the skills to make a difference in this young lady’s care! - Brian Sparks

——————————————————————————————

Do you have an interesting story you would like to share with the Landmark Learning community?  If so, please shoot us an email at main@landmarklearning.com. We would love to hear from you!

What a great class of EMTB’s, EMTI’s, EMTP’s, PA’s. and MD’s.  WMI of NOLS, without a doubt, has a great design and curriculum for blending these different care providers into a functional, hands on, and practical course.  But I aways, I believe that the human interaction between all involved makes the course - the memorable experience that it is.  We remember best the memories that are pertinent and fun….seems that when we smile we are able to better anchor our lessons learned.  We must of learned a lot….my face is still hurting from smiling  so much.  Thank you to all of the students and staff that made this course such a great experience!

Check out the latest video blog from our friends at Astral!

Here’s a quick glimpse of Astral, our friends, and products that we use on the rivers near our home base in Asheville, NC.          

http://www.astralbuoyancy.com/news/inside-astral/astral-home-grown-promo-video-2010/  

Video courtesy of Gareth Tate, 7 Finger media.

Having a blast with the May-June EMTB class this year.  Lots of folks from the southeast mixed with folks from all over.  Many of our students have previously completed a WFR course through WMI of NOLS.   Not critical, but really helps as the EMT information and skills keep getting piled higher and deeper.  We have formed a pretty solid community of folks that work and study together well.  All of the instructional staff are impressed with our student achievements and time management.  I guess “when the going gets tough, the tough get going!