For immediate release: March 17, 2011

BLOOMSBURG — Registration is open for an introductory-level wilderness first aid program sponsored by Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s Quest program and presented by the National Outdoor Leadership School’s (NOLS) Wilderness Medicine Institute. The program will be held Saturday and Sunday, April 2 and 3, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Monty’s on BU’s upper campus.

The wilderness first aid/wilderness first responder recertification course is designed to provide outdoor leaders, guides and rangers with an introduction to first aid and patient care in remote settings. Special topics include, but are not limited to: wound management and infection, realigning fractures and dislocations, improvised splinting techniques, patient monitoring and long-term management problems, plus up-to-date information on environmental emergencies.

The format for the WFA/WFR Recertification is classroom lectures integrated with practical scenarios. Scenarios and practice sessions will take place inside and outdoors. Participants should wear outdoor clothing appropriate for lying on potentially wet, muddy or snowy ground playing the role of both rescuer and patient. Participants who complete the course will be issued a two-year NOLS Wilderness Medicine Institute wilderness first aid certification. The session does not include cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training.

The $185 fee includes textbooks, syllabus, equipment and certification cards. For more information, visit www.buquest.org or call the Quest office at (570) 389-4323. Early sign up is recommended.

Bloomsburg University is one of 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The university serves approximately 9,000 students, offering comprehensive programs of study in the colleges of Education, Business, Liberal Arts and Science and Technology.