RAW Medicine

We're joined by Dr. Michelle Curry, the new EMS medical director of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). As of this episode, the USFS EMS program is just now coming into its own, with a uniform set of policies, Local Emergency Medical Advisor (LEMA) physicians appointed for each USDA Region, patient care protocols, and a national credentialing system. However, there are some big differences between the USFS EMS program and that of the National Park Service, to which it is often compared.

On Episode 13, we explored the role of WFR's and challenged some aspects of the way they're educated and regulated (or not). In this episode, Tod Schimelpfenig (recently retired Director of Curriculum at NOLS WMI) and David "DJ" Johnson (Medical Director of WMA International) join us to share their thoughts on some of those points. The conversation is frank but friendly, and outstanding!

WFR (Wilderness First Responder) is arguably the nucleus of wilderness medicine education. But what does it really represent- first aid, Basic Life Support, or some kind of hybrid? Where did this curriculum originate, and is it still appropriate in today's highly regulated world of patient care? Veteran WFR instructor Corey Winstead joins us to help put WFR in context and consider some provocative questions about the future of wilderness medical education.