Expedition Skills

What’s broadly covered on Expedition Skills?

The course is structured as follows:
– Wild Human forest and jungle training & expedition preparation – first 3 days (arrive 10am)
– WMT Expedition Medic module – days 4-5 (close at 4pm)

The Expedition Skills Teaching Teams

It takes a big team of experts to deliver a course of this breadth and calibre. Wild Human’s Ben McNutt will lead the first part of the course and his team will manage the camp and catering throughout. Ben is a brilliant instructor with an impressive expedition CV. The final medical module is delivered by WMT instructors lead by expedition veteran Dr Duncan Gray, A&E consultant and GP. WMT Teaching Team – Expedition Skills 2019 The breadth of the course is matched by the seamlessness in the manner in which it’s delivered.

Module 1, days 1-3 Bushcraft and jungle living

Being on expedition can be tough. Being an expedition medic is even tougher! The core fear of most expedition medics is that their own personal fieldcraft will let them down. This module equips delegates to be slick in the outdoors; your daily drills become second nature enabling smooth camp life management ensuring you have spare capacity to support companions medically.

In three days of intensive camping-based training there is a natural element of “stress inoculation”. With supportive Wild Human instructors lead by founder Ben McNutt, delegates will be immersed in field living and learning by doing. There is nothing “basic” about the fundamental skills delegates will acquire that are themed around basecamp set up, living comfortable and moving through the landscape. Dozens of skills are taught, demonstrated or discussed; here are just the highlights.

Day 1
Setting up the course basecamp from scratch. Skills and projects include:
Campsite considerations & selection
Rope skills to install canopy shelters overhead, including all the essential knots required for life
Siting hygienic latrines & wash systems
Setting up personal tarps & hammocks
Machete safety, use & maintenance
Expedition planning seminar
Evening self-catering: preparing game (each night it’s fin, fur or feather)

Day 2
Living comfortably by mastering fundamental wilderness skills including fire, water and food considerations. Skills and projects include:
Bulletproof fire lighting methods using matches & sparks
Lessons on safe saw & knife use
Making a pot hanger & kitchen tools
Water sourcing, procurement & disinfection – natural & modern
Environmental considerations for tropical camping – wet / dry routines
Learning how to cook on an open fire – fish preparation

Day 3
Pioneering skills – moving through landscape safely, from natural and celestial navigation to classic rope craft and more. Skills & projects include:
Improvised watercraft for short water crossings
Tree felling demo & considerations
Wildlife hazards
Tyrolean traversing – aerial ropeways to cross rivers & gaps
How to dispatch & prepare game birds & small mammals
Baking – making tasty bannocks & pies in the embers of the campfire

Module 2 – Expedition Medic days 4-5

In short, this module combines the essential content of WMT’s 2-day jungle medicine and mountain medicine courses and provides skills and insights into the demands of an expedition medical role. This is a busy two days with loads of practical sessions, group work, lectures and case discussions covering all environments; tropical, mountain and frozen. Expedition Medic 6pm 10 – 12 July can be booked on its own via this webpage. Themes include:

• • expedition medical planning
  • medical kits
  • managing trauma inc fractures
  • tropical medicine headlines, malaria/fevers
  • environmental medicine (hot, cold, high)
  • patient packaging & getting rescued (satellite trackers/messaging & GPS)
  • scenario training; putting skills into practice including what has been learned from Wild Human
  • basic rope craft
  • becoming an expedition medic; CV advice, sources of jobs & networking

  The July programme is now available under DOWNLOADS below.

Target audience

Doctors of all grades, nurses, medical students, paramedics and OHPs are welcome to attend. No prior camping or expedition experience is required. Whether you are flirting with the idea of accompanying a team up Kilimanjaro, jungle trekking, pimping your expedition CV or simply want a fun, inspiring educational course, Expedition Skills will satisfy your aims and open your eyes to expedition medicine and the possibilities for travel using your medical and field skills. (Please also be aware we also run a 7-day course – Expedition Skills for Medical Students – 22-28 July 2019 with added content including bush mechanic 4×4 vehicle repair training.)

CPD

We estimate that Expedition Medic is valid for at least 12 CPD hours and the full course for 30 CPD credits or more.

Fees

The course fee is fully inclusive of meals, camping and materials, use of specialist group equipment, course notes/manuals and all instruction. Each delegate gets a knife to keep. 20% VAT is also included. Personal camping equipment (sleeping bags and tent etc) is required but not included.

Important note about the camp set up, facilities and access

These courses are camping based on private land, alongside a beautiful tarn (wonderful for swimming).The camp is semi-wild with slit latrines, no running water, hot showers or electricity. Bring your own tent/sleeping bag etc. All meals provided and cooked for you. We cover some mountain medicine topics but there is no fell walking involved. The site is very rugged so those with mobility concerns should contact WMT before booking.

2019 Downloads

WMT July 2019 Expedition Skills medic pre-course Dossier v2
Expedition Medic teaching team bios WMT Teaching Team – Expedition Skills 2019
WMT Participant Declaration
WMT-Medic-pre-course-reading-bundle-May-2016.pdf (yes – we know it’s dated May 2016)
WMT Expedition Medic programme Lake District 11-12 July 2019