Students from Albuquerque Academy, Sandia Prep, and Bosque School took part in a Wilderness First Aid and CPR class over the past weekend, held in the Academy’s Science Center.
Thirteen Academy students currently enrolled in the Outdoor Leadership II course were joined by nine students from Sandia Prep and two from Bosque School to take part in a Wilderness First Aid and CPR class, held in the Academy’s Science Center on February 20-22. This intensive course taught students the basics of patient assessment and care: how to treat common backcountry injuries including shock, fractures, athletic injuries, dislocations, and wounds; and how to deal with environmental emergencies including hypothermia, heat stroke, and altitude illness. Students also received an introduction to first aid for medical issues such as heart attacks, asthma, seizures, and diabetic emergencies. The course included a 4-hour CPR class covering a multitude of hands-on skills.
Students were challenged to memorize techniques and then demonstrate their skills in “scenarios” that were as life-like as possible. The final scenario included a mass-casualty incident with five critical patients. Students had to organize themselves into a team and decide on the most appropriate treatments and evacuation order, while dealing with fake blood (an open fracture on a right tibia), fake vomit (oatmeal simulating a occluded airway), fake amputated appendages (thumb lost in the scene), and staged screams. At the end of the course on Saturday, 23 students passed the class and will receive two-year WFA and CPR certifications.
