Gap Traveller Health &
Safety Seminar

What's On Each Course?

These notes will help you decide which course is most appropriate to you.

Scroll down to see the daily timetables of each course or click on a title on the left to jump to a section.

WMT provides 2 levels of training for explorers.

Far From Help (FFH) held over 2 days offers a thorough grounding in treating common expedition/travel ills & injuries including the use of prescription drugs (but nothing invasive).

Advanced Medicine for Remote Foreign Travel (AMRFT) held over 4 days is the GOLD STANDARD in WMT training and covers the FFH syllabus plus the FFH Part 2/Advanced Refresher syllabus which includes injections, suturing, using intravenous fluids and more.

Far From Help Part 2/Advanced Medicine Refresher is a 2 day opportunity to extend your WMT training once you've completed FFH or to retrain within 3 years of completing AMRFT.

All courses cover important illnesses, not just injuries. Please contact WMT if you are at all uncertain as to the most appropriate course for you.

Simply put, FFH + FFH Part 2/Advanced Medicine Refresher equals the Advanced Medicine for Remote Travel (AMRFT) syllabus.

All open courses are led by a doctor or senior nurse, include a comprehensive course manual and we authorise you to purchase the prescription drugs we teach you about for up to 3 years as part of your course fee.

See also Frequently Asked Questions

For the latest course dates, locations and fees click here

Course Notes
A comprehensive set of notes is issued on every WMT course which is printed in a compact A5 user friendly field guide format.

Outdoor Instructor First Aid Requirements
WMT courses DO SATISFY the first aid requirements of National Governing Bodies, including the MLTUK and the BCU. If you need a first aid course for your outdoor job or training scheme you can do a WMT course and you DON’T have to do a HSE first aid course as well (unless you specifically need an HSE approved course).

Advanced Medicine for Remote Foreign Travel (AMRFT)

WMT's most comprehensive syllabus, the 4-day AMRFT course encompasses the Far From Help syllabus plus suturing, medications by injection, intravenous therapy and more.

Daily Course Content

Advanced Medicine for Remote Foreign Travel

Day 1
· Introductions
Aims of course
Legal considerations
· Expedition medical planning
· Field nursing care
· Shock and blood pressure
· Diagnosis - taking a history
· History taking practice
· Fractures and dislocations
· Circuit training:
Measuring blood pressure
Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation
Assessing injured casualties
Examination of chest and abdomen
· Wounds and burns
· Close

Day 2
· Important medical conditions
· Heart and lung problems
· Gut problems
· Urinary, genital and neurological problems
· Scenario problem solving
· Serious injuries head, neck, chest and abdominal injuries
· Circuit training:
Examining eyes and ears
Log rolling, collars, moving injured casualties
· Thermal injuries
· Malaria, bites and stings
· Altitude sickness
· Choosing and using medical kits

Day 3
· Objectives, review of legal considerations
History taking revisited
Writing medical records – case studies
· Triage scenarios
· ABC approach to injury and illness conditions – group work
· Video - passing a naso-gastric tube
· Vehicle scene safety/extrication, helmet removal and pelvic stabilisation
· Advanced wound management
Practical - suturing a wound

Day 4
· Pain control/anaphylactic shock
· i.m. injections
· i.v. fluids and injections
· Selecting a suitable medical kit
· Written examination
· Close/depart

For the latest course dates, locations and fees click here

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Far From Help

Far From Help (FFH) held over 2 days offers a thorough grounding in treating common expedition/travel ills & injuries including the use of prescription drugs (but no needles).

Day 1
· Introductions
Aims of course
Legal considerations
· Expedition medical planning
· Field nursing care
· Shock and blood pressure
· Diagnosis - taking a history
· History taking practice
· Fractures and dislocations
· Circuit training:
Measuring blood pressure
Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation
Assessing injured casualties
Examination of chest and abdomen
· Wounds and burns
· Close

Day 2
· Important medical conditions
· Heart and lung problems
· Gut problems
· Urinary, genital and neurological problems
· Scenario problem solving
· Serious injuries head, neck, chest and abdominal injuries
· Circuit training:
Examining eyes and ears
Log rolling, collars, moving injured casualties
· Thermal injuries
· Malaria, bites and stings
· Altitude sickness
· Choosing and using medical kits
· Final questions

For the latest course dates, locations and fees click here

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Far From Help Part 2/Advanced Medicine Refresher
(Far From Help or AMRFT are prerequisites)

Far From Help Part 2/AMRFT Refresher is a 2 day opportunity to extend your WMT training once you've completed FFH or to retrain within 3 years of completing AMRFT.

Day 1
09.30 Objectives, review of legal considerations
09.45 History taking revisited & writing medical records – case studies
10.30 Triage scenarios
11.00 ABC approach to injury and illness conditions – group work
12.00 Video - passing a naso-gastric tube
13.00 Lunch
14.00 Vehicle scene safety/extrication, helmet removal and pelvic stabilisation
16.00 Advanced wound management & practical - suturing a wound

Day 2
09.00 Pain control/anaphylactic shock
10.30 intramuscular injections & intravenous fluids & injections
13.00 Lunch
14.00 Selecting a suitable medical kit
15.00 Written examination – short answer format
16.00 Close/depart

For the latest course dates, locations and fees click here

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Far From Help at the Royal Geographical Society/IBG for the annual WMT course held in central London

This is a hugely popular Far From Help course hosted (and administered) by the Royal Geographical Society normally in March. 2010 details to be confirmed

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Gap Traveller Health & Safety Seminar

This excellent one-day seminar is currently only available on a private course basis to anyone (schools/youth groups etc.) wishing to run an in-house private programme. Contact WMT for a quotation. For more details and to view the outline programme click here.

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Medical Essentials for the Adventure Traveller - currently no dates set  - can be run on demand by a private group

For this NEW seminar WMT has pulled together the most essential elements from all its programmes to create a comprensive, very practically based syllabus. This seminar aims to equip individual travellers, groups and small expedition teams to anticipate and manage a range of common medical problems. The seminar is suitable for anyone with no prior travel or medical experience.

Suitable for gap students, back packers/trekkers, small expeditions, overland drivers, media people and anyone else who wants to look after their own health and safety on their travels.  

Dates, price & venue to be confirmed. Email WMT to register your interest

There are 4 themes to the day:

• Preparation
• Staying well
• Environmental risks & concerns
• Staying safe & in contact

Outline Programme

Preparation

• Research & free resources for travellers
• Legal & insurance issues you probably haven’t thought about!
• Common pre-existing health problems & how to manage them while travelling
• Getting the right jabs - should I get rabies?!

Staying Well

• Water purification on the move
• Managing traveller’s trots (diarrhoea!)
• Looking after your eyes
• Women’s health issues
• Dealing with wounds & skin infections

Environmental Concerns

• Issues for hot & cold environments
• Preventing & treating malaria, dealing with other bugs & bites
• High altitude travel – avoiding acute mountain sickness

Staying safe & in contact

• Strategies for personal safety
• Useful technology for the traveller – GPS, satellite phones & rescue beacons
• Medical kits – what to take & how to use it

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Expedition Skills - visit a full page devoted to this 7 day programme