With the changes in our economy over the past decade, the job market has become more and more uncertain for many people. While opportunities in many traditional occupations have diminished, the medical and outdoor recreation industries continue to grow.
If you enjoy the outdoors and are interested in entering the field of medicine without a tremendous financial investment and years of specialized university education, a certification as a Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (WEMT) could serve you well!
Although it is possible to find year round work in the outdoor industry, most jobs are seasonal. If you like to travel, you may enjoy the opportunity to see different parts of the country; working at a ski resort in the winter and a camp in the summer.
Listed below are a few different positions that are currently available to those with WEMT certifications. The more experience you have, the more opportunities will become available to you!
Health Technician, National Park Service
Full Time, 1 year contract
Salary Range: $38,790-$50,430 per year
Yosemite National Park, California, is known worldwide for its spectacular natural beauty, and is the location for this position. This position requires you to respond to a variety of emergency situations which can differ in type and severity. You will initially make independent decisions as to the type of treatment to be applied, examine patients and perform a full range of advanced emergency medical care after having identified the nature and extent of a patient’s condition or seriousness of the injury or illness. You must also operate transport vehicles to safely move patients to appropriate medical treatment facilities.
Instructor, Wilderness Medicine and Rescue, Remote Medical International
Full or Part Time
Compensation: You will receive a highly competitive compensation package, an open system for pay increases and a variety of additional benefits. Full-time employees receive a regular salary, performance bonuses, 401(k) and a comprehensive health benefit package.
As an RMI Instructor, you will teach courses from Introductory Wilderness First Aid to intensive courses for medical professionals across the US and internationally, based upon the latest research, sound medical practice and proven delivery methods. Our clients and students are diverse and range from researchers working in Antarctica, to military special forces, to professional mountain guides on any given course. Therefore, you must possess the unique ability to connect with people from a wide variety of backgrounds and experience, be humble and always flexible.
Health Officer, YMCA of Metro Chicago
Full Time, Seasonal
Compensation: Competitive salary with room and board provided.
Responsibilities: collect all campers and staff medication keeping them locked up and dispensable as directed; check all campers for communicable diseases, health problems, illnesses as directed; collect and file all camper and staff health forms; maintain all first aid kits; maintain daily treatment log; treat first aid emergencies and other contingencies; secure proper treatment for campers and staff requiring a Doctor's or hospital attention; give brief health checks to all campers leaving the camp property for overnight trips assuring proper information is available to staff members; contact parents of camper requiring physician's attention or overnight stay in health center; fill out incident reports; observe and advise staff on health, disease, sanitation, and cleanliness issues.
Health Services Assistant, Girl Scouts of Maine, Camp Pondicherry
Full Time, Seasonal
Compensation: $1,800-$2,200 plus room and board
Responsibilities: Assist Health Services Director with the oversight of health and safety of campers. This includes; maintaining camper health and medication records, keeping daily medical log, filling out incident reports, developing and maintaining first aid kits, and responding to camper/staff health concerns promptly, make camper/staff medical appointments and escort them to appointments, participate in and lead staff training pertaining to camp health and safety.
The above is just a sampling of the many and diverse opportunities available to those with WEMT certification. And don’t forget, being a WEMT enables you to work as an EMT in an urban environment, as well! If you are interested in pursuing a career as an EMT or WEMT, check out the intensive WEMT course available at SOLO Southeast! In just a few weeks, you could be on the road to a new, exciting career!
