Franklin University Switzerland is proud to announce it has recently developed a partnership with emergency and wilderness medicine experts Dr. Todd Miner and Dr. Jay Lemery of the University of Colorado School of Medicine Medicine’s Department of Emergency Medicine. In the context of this partnership, Franklin students can profit from Dr. Miner’s and Dr. Lemery’s long-term experience in advising, preparing, and counseling students interested in health care professions and can also join their courses. Most importantly, however, the partnership allows Franklin and Colorado School of Medicine to jointly offer a set of courses and academic modules that enable Franklin students to become Wilderness First Aid (WFA) and Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certified.
As a matter of fact, Professor Patrick Della Croce invited Dr. Miner on his Academic Travel course to Egypt (ENV 232T – Marine Systems Conservation) this past spring. Combining lectures and practical exercises and simulations, the students in the course earned a Wilderness First Aid (WFA) certificate.
About the partnership, Dr. Miner stated "we are very excited to launch an exclusive collaboration with Franklin University Switzerland to provide such Pre-Health programming. Franklin, with its bright, motivated, and internationally diverse students is a perfect partner for these efforts. Through initial pilot programs, we have seen, whether teaching in Switzerland, or in austere environments such as Egypt, the power of exposing undergraduates to medical school level training. Thus, we look forward to working with outstanding Franklin students in future collaborative health profession classes wherever they might be held!"
"The curriculum offers an insider’s back-door pass to the world of health care as well as providing a competitive advantage when applying to grad school or health professions programs. Students in the program learn practical, hands-on medical skills, appropriate for humanitarian relief efforts, disaster response, or rural setting, and they earn a nationally-recognized Wilderness First Aid certificate. They also have the opportunity for coaching and application review to US medical schools and graduate health programs by School of Medicine faculty." concluded Dr. Miner.
“The collaboration with the University of Colorado School of Medicine allows Franklin students to better understand what a career in health care means and also gives them the chance to learn practical, life-saving skills during their undergraduate studies. In addition, faculty from both institutions will be able to come together and cooperate in many different academic and research settings. I am very much looking forward to working with Dr. Miner, Dr. Lemery, and their colleagues more and more in the future.” commented Professor Della Croce.
The first course on Wilderness First Aid was held during the Spring '22 semester, where students got their hands on the basics and fundemental of wilderness medicine. In particular, they were introduced to lessons on how to provide effective first aid treatments for injuries and illnesses common in the outdoors, and how to make appropriate evacuation decisions.
“My favorite experiences of Wilderness First Aid include all the hands-on scenarios where we learned how to analyze and address different situations that could happen in the wilderness. I also enjoyed the night lectures outside with the students and Professor Della Croce," commented Maddie Espinoza ’23.
"We learned the basics of Wilderness First Aid, including water safety-as we were on the Red Sea. One thing I enjoyed about the concept of wilderness first aid is the innovative side. You are not always going to have the precise first aid gear that you need, so having a creative mind to work with what you have and build what you do not was really challenging in a way I had not experienced on any other academic travel. My favorite memory was the real-time scenario that they surprised us with. We were on a dessert tour excursion and suddenly, we were being yelled at that someone needed help, so we ran back from the cars with backpacks and any makeshift supplies that we could find and conducted a multi-patient start-to-finish scenario. After having nearly a week of training by this point, it was a very balanced mix of lots of fun, but also stress because your adrenaline is so high from running through the desert and not knowing the severity of what we were about to be tested on." added Siri Dye ’24.
To learn more on Wilderness First Aid and the opportunities of earning its certificate contact Professor Patrick Della Croce.