Survival Med vs In-Person Training
PICTURED: CLIP FROM ACTUAL SURVIVAL MED STUDENT VIDEO DEMONSTRATION OF IMPROVISING A LITTER & MOVING AN ADULT PATIENT
This chart compares Survival Med's online Wilderness First Aid 16-Hour Certificate and Wilderness First Responder Certificate to traditional in-person wilderness first aid courses.
Want to know more? Here's a step-by-step breakdown of how our wilderness medicine classes work.
| Survival Med | In-Person | |
|---|---|---|
| Widely accepted | Yes. See list. | Yes. |
| Instructor-led | Taught by ER & wildmed doctors. | Generally taught by lay people. |
| Hands-on practice | Yes. Students practice on volunteer patients. | Yes. Students practice on volunteer patients. |
| Instructor access for questions | Yes. | Yes. |
| Scope of curriculum | Industry-standard + additional topics. | Industry-standard topics. |
| Scenario-driven learning | Yes. Student is primary rescuer in all scenarios. Maximizes real-world preparation. | Yes. However, each student functions as primary rescuer in < 1/3 of scenarios due to group format. |
| Scenario quantity & variety | HIGH. 10+ scenarios per course. Prepares students for broad range of injury, illness, wildlife, weather & terrain emergencies. | VARIES by school & instructor. Usually only a few scenarios due to instructor & time constraints. |
| Start-to-finish observation of practical skills | YES. Start-to-finish observation of each student's skills demonstrations. | NO. Not feasible, since group instructor can't observe every student's demo of every skill start to finish. |
| Comprehensive personalized 1:1 instructor feedback on every practical skill | YES. Every student receives detailed personalized 1:1 feedback on every practical skill. | NO. Not feasible, since group instructor can't observe every student's demo start to finish & group format does not allow detailed 1:1 feedback and coaching for every skill for every student. |
| Reliably thorough & consistent instruction | YES. Every student is taught and tested on the entire curriculum. | NO. Varies widely by instructor's knowledge & interests. |
| Adapts to different learning needs | YES. Self-paced closed-caption learning suits everyone: novice, experienced, auditory, visual, neurodivergent, hard of hearing & other students. | NO. Group's preset schedule determines everyone's pace. Self-paced & closed-caption usually not available. |
| Flexible schedule | YES. Self-paced format adapts to all schedules. Available 24/7/365 for urgent certification requirements. | NO. |
| Travel required | Never | Usually |
| Cost | $ to $$ | $$$ - $$$$ |