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 MedIn-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 requiredNeverUsually
Cost$ to $$$$$ - $$$$