The Base Medical program is ideal for a variety of organizations, including for profit, larger non-profit groups, and smaller volunteer Search and Rescue (SAR) teams.
EMPOWERING THE OUTDOOR COMMUNITY
Certifying as a Base Medical Education Center will empower your organization to provide high-quality, standardized wilderness medicine education that is affordable, sustainable, and even profitable. Your organization can provide a WFA certification to your members for as low as $65 per member. The process of certifying as a Base Medical Certified Education Center requires at least one member of the organization to certify as a Base Medical Instructor.
STANDARDIZED
Our hybrid delivery model ensures that every student receives high quality education and meets defined competencies and objectives. All courses contain an online lesson component. The Base Medical Education Center provides the hands-on training. AFFORDABLE
Base Medical charges the organization a nominal fee per student that varies per certification level. The current per student fees are:
WFA - $65
WFR - $125
WFR Recert - $85
FLEXIBLE
Organizations set their own training schedule. Courses may be scheduled, rescheduled, postponed, or cancelled independently of Base Medical. Courses can be customized based on the organizations unique needs. PROFITABLE
Organizations can opt to offer courses to the public at market value, which averages at about $250 USD. Many Base Medical Certified Education Centers leverage the Base Medical program for fundraising or generating capital. CUSTOMIZED
Base Medical aims to meet the unique needs of the outdoor safety community. In addition to the standardized core curriculum, instructors can use elective curriculum topics to customize a course to meet student and organization needs.Our mission is to empower a safe outdoor community through access to innovative education.
Base Medical’s Wilderness Medicine Program
Base Medical offers online, live-remote, and in-person wilderness medicine courses with the goal of eliminating the geophysical, financial, time, and curriculum barriers that exist with traditional delivery methods. All Base Medical course delivery methods contain an online lesson component. The Base Medical Education Center and instructors provide the hands-on training component of in-person wilderness medicine courses. Base Medical will invoice your organization after the start of the course. We charge a fee per student that varies based on certification level.
Wilderness First Aid
Online Lessons: 8-10 hours, asynchronous. Includes epinephrine administration. CPR is an additional option.
Practical Training: Minimum 8 hours in-person (may be longer if instructor desires)
Per Student Fee: $65
Wilderness First Responder
Online Lessons: 22 hours, asynchronous. Includes Epinephrine Administration, CPR, Medical Oxygen Administration, BLS airway including BVM, and basic Search and Rescue training.
Practical Training: Minimum 45 hours in-person with a Base Medical Certified Instructor licensed at the EMT level or above. (training hours may be longer due to instructor customization.)
Per Student Fee: $125 ($85 for WFR Recert)
To Offer Training - Upon becoming a Base Medical Certified Education Center, offering wilderness medicine courses is as simple as registering a course date with Base Medical. The organization then provides access to students to enroll and complete the required online lessons before attending the practical training session with the organization's instructor(s). The instructor grants student access to the online final assessment after successful completion of the practical training. The final assessment contains a course evaluation and final exam that students must pass with an 80% or higher. Once the final assessment is complete, students are automatically issued a certification that is valid for two years.
Becoming an Education Center
The process of certifying as a Base Medical Certified Education Center requires at least one member of the organization to certify as a Base Medical Instructor. The process is defined by four phases as outlined below.
Phase 1
The organization must identify individuals interested in becoming certified as a Base Medical Instructor. Candidates should have at least a Wilderness First Responder Certification or higher medical license. While one candidate is acceptable, it is recommended to certify three or more individuals as instructors to guarantee program sustainability. Base Medical will approve all instructor candidates. Instructor Candidates can apply here:
Phase 2
All candidates will be required to complete:
An online instructor course (4 hrs)
The online wilderness medicine lessons (8+ hrs)
A live-remote training ( 2 hrs)
Phase 3
The organization will host in-person WFA courses for it’s members and/or the public to facilitate mentorship and evaluation. To be as cost and time effective as possible, it is recommended to host 2 consecutive one-day WFA courses (such as Saturday and Sunday). The first course provides the instructor candidate and organization an opportunity to experience the process of offering training opportunities while under the guidance of the Instructor Trainer. Dates for these wilderness medicine courses will be arranged between the organization and the Base Medical Instructor Trainer
Phase 4
After the candidate has received mentorship, the next course will serve as their evaluation. During this course, the instructor candidate(s) will act as the lead instructor(s). The Instructor Trainer will complete the final teaching assessment of the candidate. After passing the evaluation, the candidates will receive certification and the organization will be granted Base Medical Education Center status.
Initial Costs
Instructor Trainer Expenses: The organization will pay for the travel, lodging, meals, and wages of the Base Medical Instructor Trainer. The cost of travel may vary depending on the primary location of the Instructor Trainer. The final cost of airfare and lodging may be higher than initially quoted.
A local Instructor Trainer will be used if possible to reduce travel costs for the organization. If a local instructor trainer is not available, then the organization will have to pay for airfare and rental car in addition to lodging and wages. If the organization has the capability to provide lodging and/or meals, then the cost will be subtracted from the final quote.
The Per Student Fee: The organization has the following options for paying the Per Student Fee:
The organization pays the Per Student Fee for it’s members in full
The members pay for the Per Student Fee in full
The organization pays for a portion of the Per Student Fee, the members pay the remaining.
Equipment Fee: The Instructor Trainer will bring equipment and gear to use during the courses. The equipment fee is to replace the consumable used.
Public Course Offering: The organization can open the courses for public enrollment at a market competitive price to reduce the cost of phase 3 and 4. Each course can have up to 20 students. The price offered to the public is determined by the organization.
In some cases, Base Medical will waive all fees associated with instructor training if the organization can not afford for the initial costs up front but can offer 4 or more courses per year.
Future Opportunities and Program Sustainability
Base Medical Instructor Trainer - Once certified, Instructors can continue to progress into becoming an Instructor Trainer to train and certify other organizational members as instructors.
Remote Instructor - Instructors can train to become a remote instructor. This would allow the organization to offer remote training opportunities as well. This is ideal for large groups with members located in various locations. Recertification and the Base Medical Affiliate Program - All Base Medical wilderness medicine certifications are valid for two years. Recertification is required to maintain a Base Medical certification. Students may be eligible to recertify online. Base Medical implements an alternating cycle of hands-on recertification to online recertification. This alternating cycle requirement means that students must participate in hands-on training every other recertification cycle. Hybrid courses (online combined with in person or remote hands on practical) qualify as hands-on training.
Base Medical Certified Education Centers have the option of being an affiliate of Base Medical. Base Medical affiliates earn a pre-determined amount of each referral to online and remote recertification and SAR courses. For organizations of significant size or following, these earnings can be substantial. Potential earnings range from 12-30 dollars We look forward to working with you in creating a safe outdoor community.