Outdoor Emergency Care
Encyclopedia
Outdoor Emergency Care is an award winning course that was first developed by the National Ski Patrol
in the 1980s for certification in first aid
, CPR and other pre-hospital care and treatment for possible injuries in non-urban settings. Outdoor Emergency Care technicians provide care at ski resorts, wilderness settings, white-water excursions, mountain bike events, and in many other outdoor environments.
Basic emergency skills taught include using airway adjuncts, assisting patients with medications, splinting and bandaging, providing emergency care for environmental illnesses and injuries, using special equipment and techniques particular to non-urban rescuers, and managing prolonged transport.
-Basic course and the curriculum contains the skills identified in the US Department of Transportation (DOT) 1994 EMT-Basic National Standard Curriculumhttp://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/outreach/traftech/1995/TT105.htm, although training is specific to needs in outdoor scenarios. OEC technicians are first responders and have the knowledge to care for and treat patients, but not to diagnose them.
Technicians must attend annual OEC refresher courses in order to maintain their certification. The OEC refreshers cover 1/3 of the OEC curriculum each year which cycles through the entire course every three years. OEC technicians are trained to understand medical, legal and ethical issues, to use innovative methods to perform their tasks, and to be mindful of consent and refusal of care. OEC technicians are able to effectively interface with the next level of care for their patients, usually EMTs and hospitals.
National ski patrol
The National Ski Patrol is the largest winter rescue organization in the world. It was founded in 1938 by Charles Minot Dole, at the urging of Roger Langley...
in the 1980s for certification in first aid
First aid
First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by non-expert, but trained personnel to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care...
, CPR and other pre-hospital care and treatment for possible injuries in non-urban settings. Outdoor Emergency Care technicians provide care at ski resorts, wilderness settings, white-water excursions, mountain bike events, and in many other outdoor environments.
Basic emergency skills taught include using airway adjuncts, assisting patients with medications, splinting and bandaging, providing emergency care for environmental illnesses and injuries, using special equipment and techniques particular to non-urban rescuers, and managing prolonged transport.
Training
The standard of training and actual procedures and requirements for OEC is very similar those of the EMTEmergency medical technician
Emergency Medical Technician or Ambulance Technician are terms used in some countries to denote a healthcare provider of emergency medical services...
-Basic course and the curriculum contains the skills identified in the US Department of Transportation (DOT) 1994 EMT-Basic National Standard Curriculumhttp://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/outreach/traftech/1995/TT105.htm, although training is specific to needs in outdoor scenarios. OEC technicians are first responders and have the knowledge to care for and treat patients, but not to diagnose them.
Technicians must attend annual OEC refresher courses in order to maintain their certification. The OEC refreshers cover 1/3 of the OEC curriculum each year which cycles through the entire course every three years. OEC technicians are trained to understand medical, legal and ethical issues, to use innovative methods to perform their tasks, and to be mindful of consent and refusal of care. OEC technicians are able to effectively interface with the next level of care for their patients, usually EMTs and hospitals.
See also
- first aidFirst aidFirst aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by non-expert, but trained personnel to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care...
- ski patrolSki patrolA Ski Patrol is an organization that provides Emergency Medical and rescue services to skiers and participants of other snow sports, either at a ski area or in a back country setting. Patrollers are trained in Basic or Advanced Life Support to stabilize and transport patients to definitive care,...
- National Ski PatrolNational ski patrolThe National Ski Patrol is the largest winter rescue organization in the world. It was founded in 1938 by Charles Minot Dole, at the urging of Roger Langley...
- oxygen first aid
- medical emergencyMedical emergencyA medical emergency is an injury or illness that is acute and poses an immediate risk to a person's life or long term health. These emergencies may require assistance from another person, who should ideally be suitably qualified to do so, although some of these emergencies can be dealt with by the...
- emergency medical servicesEmergency medical servicesEmergency medical services are a type of emergency service dedicated to providing out-of-hospital acute medical care and/or transport to definitive care, to patients with illnesses and injuries which the patient, or the medical practitioner, believes constitutes a medical emergency...
- triageTriageTriage or ) is the process of determining the priority of patients' treatments based on the severity of their condition. This rations patient treatment efficiently when resources are insufficient for all to be treated immediately. The term comes from the French verb trier, meaning to separate,...
- paramedicParamedicA paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...
- medicMedicMedic is a general term for a person involved in medicine, especially emergency or first-response medicine, such as an emergency medical technician, paramedic, or a military member trained in battlefield medicine. Also the term is used toward a Nurse in pre-hospital care and/or emergency...
- certified first responderCertified first responderA certified first responder is a person who has completed a course and received certification in providing pre-hospital care for medical emergencies. They have more skill than someone who is trained in basic first aid but they are not a substitute for advanced medical care rendered by emergency...
- Wilderness medical emergencyWilderness medical emergencyMedical emergencies in areas of wilderness present particular challenges that can requires specialised responses.-Mass casualty incidents:These are incidents which produce an elevated number of injuries, such as blizzards, earthquake, avalanche, landslide, floods and forest fire...