Best online first aid course?

Lowell - April 18, 2021

AdviceSkills

I just took an online first aid course from the Red Cross called “Adult, Child and Baby First Aid/CPR/AED Online” for $35 and found it very informative. In addition to the material mentioned in the title, it also covers some of heat stroke, hypothermia, bleeding, diabetic emergency, and other stuff. It’s an interactive course where you work through scenarios and click on the screen to apply pressure, perform CPR, etc.

Have y’all found any other courses you’d recommend?

I also recently took First Aid for Severe Bleeding Online ($30), which was brief and not as interactive but still informative. Next up I’m planning on First Aid for Opioid Overdoses Online ($11) because I regularly interact with IV drug users, and I’m scheduled for REI/NOLS Wilderness First Aid ($245) in June (with 4 fully vaxxed buddies). My final plan is to take REI/NOLS Wilderness First Responder ($765) after WFA.

The Red Cross courses described what is useful in various scenarios, but did not get into how to carry the gear in an EDC so that you have it when you need it. I’ve been doing that part myself, with substantial assistance from this site! I’ve got stuff for bleeding (shears, tourniquet, quikclot, etc.), various pills (aspirin for heart attack, diphenhydramine for anaphylaxis), and other stuff like an emergency blanket in case of shock, all in an EDC that I take whenever I leave my home. See: https://theprepared.com/forum/thread/what-do-you-carry-with-you-every-day-and-how#reply-52254

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Hi Lowell!  Good on you for seeking medical training!  

I just spent the last week and a half teaching WFA, WFR and WFR Recertifications for Wilderness Medical Associates Intl. (in Taos, NM).  Obviously I’m a little biased (since I’ve been been part of the WMAI system for a couple of decades) but I would check to see if your REI/NOLS course offers an upgrade path from WFA to WFR.  WMAI offers a “Bridge” course so you don’t have to do the basic curriculum over again–that may be a cheaper option if available.

Our IFAK article (https://theprepared.com/bug-out-bags/guides/first-aid-kit-list/) lists out the gear we have found to be most useful and correlates to the Wilderness First Responder level.  We also show a few different ways that we carry components of the kit.

Also, we have been filming our First Aid class (for The Prepared) and plan to have that available in about a month.  While it isn’t hands on training, we do cover concepts that aren’t normally part of Wilderness Medical training.  Most Wilderness Medical courses are designed to teach providers–meaning you are learning skills to treat other people and to stabilize them for handoff to an ambulance or to a hospital.  We discuss managing injuries to yourself.  We also touch on what to do when you will not be able to hand off the “patient” to someone else.

 

Thank you so much for your response Tom!

This is a solid tip about saving money between WFA & WFR! When I take WFA, I’ll ask about this!

Also solid reminder about the FAK list article. Even though I’ve got 4 FAKs now (I think 2x level 1, 2x level 2) I don’t think I’ve actually fully read through the article! I’ll do this soon.

I eagerly await the TP FA class!!

Thanks again for your response bud 

 

I just wanted to update this thread that The Prepared’s Austere First Aid course is now available.

 

I signed up for The Prepared’s course and plan on really diving in after the holidays, but I have started it and think it is great so far. Would definitely recommend.

 

Really glad to hear you have been enjoying it so far!