Different Types of Medical Skills | Why They Are Important to Preppers

As we all probably know, medical skills are extremely important for preppers. Because most of us are not EMT’s (Emergency Medical Technician) RN’s (Registered Nurse) or Paramedics, we need to learn about these different types of medical skills.

In this week’s show Lisa are joined by Kevin from the Wilderness Safety institute, and we talked about the different types of medical professionals, and why they are important to preppers. Just because someone has RN or DR in front of their name doesn’t mean they know how to handle every SHTF scenario.

For example: Lisa specializes in advanced wound care. She doesn’t have the same skill set an ER nurse or an EMT would have. Along the same lines, an EMT wouldn’t have the long-term care knowledge Lisa would have.

The reason all of this is important is because we need to know who we are learning from, and how much credibility we should give their advice. This is not to say you need to become an EMT or RN, they just have more training than the average person.

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SPP205 Different Types of Medical Skills

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I asked Kevin to come back this week because I thought it would be interesting to get Lisa’s perspective as a Registered Nurse, and Kevin’s perspective as a certified EMT.

If you haven’t listened to the first podcast I did with Kevin, you can listen to that here. We talked about quite a few different subjects including wilderness medicine, water safety and more about EMT skills.

25% Discount on Wilderness Medicine Classes

Kevin is offering members of the Survivalist Prepper Academy a 25% discount for any of the classes he teaches. Kevin also mentioned in the podcast that he can travel anywhere (in the U.S.) if the group is large enough. Even if you only have 5 or 6 people in your prepper group, this is a great low cost way to learn about medical skills in a survival situation.

If this is something you are interested in, just send me or Kevin an email. To have a look at the Academy just go to SurvivalistPrepper.net/SPAL

Kevin on The Disaster Podcast

At the end of the show we talked briefly about having Kevin on in the future. We also talked about him being a guest on the Disaster Podcast. Here are a few of those episodes that might be helpful to us as preppers…

Topics From This Weeks Show…

What are some of the differences between what an EMT does and what an RN does?

In one way or another, the whole show was centered around this subject. While a dentist might be a “DR.” they are not going to be very helpful in a SHTF scenario.

Notes From Kevin: EMS (EMTs, Paramedics, First Responders/EMRs) respond to 911 emergency and non-emergency calls for the sick and injured, transport patients to/from hositals, clinics, and dialysis centers, and are used as special event medical staff (sometimes along with nurses.)

RNs provide long-term care in a definitive care environment (hospitals), specialized care facilities (wound care clinics, hyperbaric, etc.) and focus on the disease pathways and overall patient wellness.

What is the difference between wilderness medicine and being an EMT?

When we talk about wilderness medicine, it’s not about medicinal herbs and wild edibles, it’s about medical care in an austere environment. Basically it’s medical care when no other care is available.

Notes From Kevin: Big difference! A layperson can learn basic wilderness medicine in 16 hours. Advanced Wilderness Medicine courses (AWLS, WALS, WUMP, Expedition Medic, etc.) require a person to be a minimum level of EMT or higher.

Wilderness medicine is focused more on providing first-aid care in an austere/back country/wilderness environment where patient care can last for hours, days, or weeks, and there are very little tools & supplies – typically what you can pack in.

EMS is focused more on providing initial emergency care to a patient, and then transporting them via ambulance to definitive care (i.e. hospital emergency room.) Patient contact typically lasts no more than 30 minutes, depending on transport times to the facility (longer times in more remote areas.)

Hypothetical SHTF scenario

In the show I posed a hypothetical SHTF scenario to Lisa and Kevin, and asked what each of our jobs would be. It was a very interesting discussion about command control, organization and where certain skill sets are needed.

This exercise was interesting because it showed that even me, with no medical experience, would be useful. I might only be taking notes and being “the go-fer”, but that would give them the ability to focus on their tasks.

Important Items for a Trauma Kit

I asked Kevin what his suggestions would be for a trauma kit for the average person. Here are his suggestions, but with one caveat. If you don’t know how to use it, it’s a waste of space and extra weight. This doesn’t mean don’t get them…it means learn to use them.

Nitrile Gloves (some people are allergic to latex)
Tourniquets (min 2ea)
Hemostatic agents (QuikClot or Celox) (min 2ea)
Occlusive dressings/chest seals (min 2ea)
Cravats Dressings/Bandages
Pen & paper
EMT Shears
Flashlight (small headlamp is good, too) and spare batteries
CPR mask

Other basic medical supplies: Lisa has written quite a few article in the past about first aid supplies for preppers. She even put together this PDF that you can download that has a complete list (and then some) of first aid supplies.

Kevin will be doing a guest post here at survivalist prepper in the near future about wilderness medicine and trauma supplies. I also talked about trauma kits in episode 152 of the survivalist prepper podcast.