Expedition Skills 30 CPD credits

What WMT says

Expedition Skills is a camping based multi-disciplinary 7-day collaborative training event delivered by WMT, Fieldskills and Land Rover Experience at Eastnor Castle, Ledbury. Our aim is to deliver a solid base of expedition-proven skills from the UK’s three leading training providers of off road driving/bush mechanic training, jungle/forest expedition training and expedition medical training. It starts mid-day on Monday and concludes at 5.30pm on Sunday. No previous experience is required. This in-depth expedition skills programme is ideal for experienced and aspiring expedition medics who want to increase the breadth of their skills and competence. The WMT module – Expedition Medic – was added in 2009 with great success, and runs alongside Far From Help for our lay students, although Expedition Skills is now primarily attended by doctors, nurses, medical students and paramedics. If you don’t have overseas ambitions, Expedition Skills is an alternative “working” holiday to extend your medical and wilderness knowledge. Expedition Medic (2-days) can be attended on its own and student/nurse discounts are available.

What students say

Great – all of it. Lot’s of humour, real examples.
An excellent, informative and useful course. Thank you v. much!
Relaxed and informative – never boring!
Excellent in presenting a lot of content in an interesting way.
Was glad of lots of [teaching] styles.
Superb – good humour & clear instructions.
Handled questions well – good demos.
Not enough biblical preaching and snake handling!

Who can attend?

No prior experience is required and anyone without any prior expedition, driving or remote medical training is welcome to attend. Expedition Skills represents a rare opportunity to learn a valuable combination of skills from three teams of experts on one, seamless course. Medics can bring a non-medical partner who can complete Far From Help instead of Expedition Medic.

What’s broadly covered on Expedition Skills?

The course days are divided as follows:
- Fieldskills forest and jungle training – first 2.5 days (arrive noon)
- Land Rover Experience off road driving/bush mechanic training – days 4-5
- WMT Expedition Medic module – days 6-7 (arrive the night before).

Detailed content; skills & techniques

Fieldskills training
· Outdoor safety, sanitation and hygiene
· Establishing an expedition camp
· Safe use and maintenance of knife and saw
· Safe use and maintenance of axe & machete
· Tree felling considerations
· Wilderness fire making techniques
· Collection, purification and transportation of water
· Bush navigation
· Expedition catering
· Jungle camping systems
· Equipment considerations and maintenance
· Wilderness emergency procedures
· Expedition planning & preparation
· Risk assessments
· Crisis management plans
· Wildlife hazards

Land Rover Experience – Level 1 Off-road driving Skills/combined bush mechanic training, including bonus elements from Land Rover’s Level 2 and winching courses
· Route planning
· Manoeuvring
· Ruts & tracks
· Crossing ditches
· Mud & wet grass (weather permitting)
· Steep inclines and gradients
· Convoy techniques
· Introduction to winching
· Basic recovery techniques

The bush mechanic training emphasizes the following:

1. Vehicle maintenance is paramount as ‘prevention is better than cure’
– a brief description on service and care, also what to look for on choosing your vehicle

2. Understanding the anatomy of a vehicle leads to understanding how it works which
leads to the ability to fault find
– a walk and crawl around how a vehicle works and what does what

3. Knowing how to fault find (i.e. what’s wrong with a vehicle) means correct
assistance can be requested or a repair can be made
– once you have an idea of a problem then you know if it is terminal or you can continue with care

4. When absolutely necessary and there is no other option but to get your vehicle
going again, a little confidence and inspiration can go a long way towards enabling safe
improvisation
– knowing what can be used to fix what and understanding the properties of the materials needed

Due to high demand from doctors and healthcare professionals, WMT added this Expedition Medic module in 2009 which runs in parallel to Far From Help for the laypeople on the course.

Day 1
Introduction, aims & legal considerations
What is expedition medicine?
Expedition medical planning – imms/antimalarials
Pre-existing medical cases
Medical kits – discussion
LUNCH
Tropical fevers
Moving lifting & straightening patients
Soft tissue injuries & burns
Expedition emergency scenario discussion

Day 2
Altitude llness
Fractures & dislocations
Radio communication
Belays, ropes stretchers, improvised rescue
LUNCH
Heat illness & malaria
Bites & Stings
Hypothermia & frost bite
Expedition opportunities

BMJ Review

Read a Student BMJ review of Expedition Medic by Matthew Everson.

Fees

The full course fee in 2011 was £720 and fully inclusive of meals, camping and materials, use of specialist group equipment, course notes/manuals, all instruction and use of Land Rover vehicles and associated equipment. VAT is also included.

Modular Expedition Medic bookings

For fees and to book just Expedition Medic please visit this page.

CPD credits

We estimate that this programme is valid for approximately 30 CPD credits.

Download more information

Coming soon!

RGS Expedition Health Research

A Royal Geographical Society study of 1263 medical complaints on expedition found that more than half (51%) were classified either as gastrointestinal upsets (30%) or medical problems (21% – infections, headache, malaria etc.). 8% of complaints were fauna related. Not surprisingly, 4% of problems were feet related. Orthopaedic problems accounted for 19% of complaints, closely followed by environmental problems at 14%. Even minor illnesses left untreated, such as diarrhoea, blisters or sunburn, can slow a whole team down, reduce productivity and enjoyment and threaten the success of an expedition. More serious illness or injury can derail the expedition’s plans and result in evacuation that can be difficult and protracted. There is much for the expedition medic to consider and prepare for.