NCOAE Blog

Applicants to our nationally renowned EMT training courses often ask us if they can take
their new EMT credentials to the state where they live, and the answer is mostly yes.
The National Center for Outdoor and Adventure Education’s (NCOAE) campus is
located in North Carolina, where we offer 21-day “Intensive” EMT-Basic and 23-day
“Intensive” Advanced EMT training courses among others. Successful completion of
these courses authorize our graduates to take the National Registry of Emergency
Medical Technicians (NREMT) exam.

National Registry Certification examinations evaluate the competence of EMS
practitioners at a variety of levels, including Emergency Medical Responder (EMR),
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Advanced Emergency Medical Technician
(AEMT), and Paramedic.

NREMT credentials are either required for an initial license or accepted for legal
recognition or reciprocity in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. That makes it easier to
maintain

The health pandemic has had an enormous impact on the outdoor education and adventure programming industries, not to mention those who thrive on human-powered outdoor recreation.

Our industry-sponsored conferences and tradeshows especially suffered as a result of strict, but often necessary local and state mandates about social distancing and public gatherings. And now that those precautions have mostly been lifted — with industry confabs back to in-person events for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic started in February of 2020 — it’s time to get back into the full swing of in-person conferences and trade shows.

If you’re an outdoor industry professional, or you would like to work in outdoor education or adventure-based programming, you might want to check out the conferences and industry events highlighted in this post.

Attending in-person professional gatherings allows you to learn about what’s changed and what’s trending for our profession, participate in activities and discussions relating to the profession, and network with your peers.

Here then is a list of upcoming conferences, summits and gatherings that are worth checking out for 2022:

4th Annual Outdoor Economy Conference — April 4-7, 2022, in Cherokee, N.C.

The Outdoor Economy Conference seeks to connect company CEOs, conservation leaders, federal agency personnel, local and state park personnel, and economic developers to focus on what conference organizers believe matters both now and in the future.

This year, there are four separate conference tracks to explore, including: (more…)

Looking for a teen expedition this summer? We here at NCOAE are excited to announce that our 2022 season of backcountry and wilderness adventures for teen-agers is already up and running and in full swing.

At the end of February, a dozen students led by a team of NCOAE field instructors, headed down to Ecuador for a cultural immersion and rafting adventure. For those of us on the administrative side of things, couldn’t wait for the students experience the Palugo Farm — a sustainable organic farm that feeds 30 families each week.

NCOAE students and instructors at Palugo Farm, Quito-Ecuador.

To be sure, we have a busy season ahead, with backcountry adventurers to be found anywhere, from paddling in the Everglades to rafting Oregon’s beautiful Three Sister’s wilderness, as well as backpacking all around Pisgah’s National Forest.

Any of this sound good to you? Are you looking to step out of your comfort zone this summer? We still have openings on many of our summer teen leadership expeditions. It’s an opportunity to learn what it takes to navigate the backcountry, push your limits with new activities, and make life-long friends as you work together to cultivate the adventure you never knew you needed.

With activities that include backcountry cooking, campsite set-up, compass and map navigation, Leave No Trace training, as well as exposure to the NCOAE curriculum, you’ll leave the backcountry feeling accomplished and ready for more.

Spend seven days rafting down the (more…)

Injuries that involve bleeding are not completely uncommon to those of us who visit or work in the backcountry. In fact, injuries that produce blood are considered inherent risks in wilderness travel, whether that be during a multi-week expedition or an afternoon hike in your local woods.

Knowing how to handle medical emergencies — and that includes knowing how to stop the bleeding when it occurs — is an essential backcountry skill. But here’s the thing… when it comes to bleeding, some “vintage” emergency tactics may have outlived their usefulness. For example, if you’re old enough to remember first aid courses where you were taught to use pressure points or to elevate the injured site, you should know this:

Those methods have been found to be ineffective and are no longer recommended.

So today, we’re going to talk about this commonly encountered medical problem, and how the vast majority of bleeding issues can be effectively and rapidly controlled by almost anyone with a few simple techniques. Fist though, let’s cover the three types of external bleeding.

Types of external bleeding

External bleeding is visible, whereas internal bleeding is not. Internal bleeding can result from a variety of problems ranging from traumatic injuries to illnesses. Stopping internal bleeding requires advanced techniques and often surgery. In other words, if you suspect internal bleeding, call for help.

External bleeding is divided into three types: (more…)

I grew up in the Midwest, and while some may claim the flatlands don’t have much to offer — I often found one way or another to get into trouble. I climbed trees in my front lawn, jumping off one branch, and climbing higher. While learning how to ride a bike, I often showed up to kindergarten the next day with bandages covering my knees.

On family ski trips, I was the one tumbling head over skis down the mountain rather than staying atop my skis like other people. I wanted to know how fast I could go, but nine times out of 10, I lost control and fell victim to power of the mountain. My mother was not a fan of my experiments as we watched her fearless seven-year-old tumble on down below.

There’s no question I have always had an adventurous heart, a thirst for more, and a passion for the world around me. I was fortunate to be able to spend more days outside than inside during my childhood.

That passion grew as I grew. While all my friends were putting on their prom dresses, I was stepping into a harness. One of my most cherished memories was checking my gear for about the 10th time, giving my spotter down below the “all clear” signal, and slowly making my way down. I was in Costa Rica, about to rappel down a waterfall at sunset, thinking “there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

While most of my senior class friends wrapped up their final year in high school with ceremonial “lasts,” I was surfing seven-foot waves, sea kayaking in bioluminescence waters, hiking through a cloud forest, and whitewater rafting Costa Rica’s Savegre River.

I could probably write a book about the personal lessons I learned during all of my travels, but the one that changed everything was the realization that (more…)

It’s pouring rain, and some of North Carolina Central University’s custom outdoor education program participants slip into the knee-deep mud, briefly maintaining their balance, only to slide like baseball players down a short, navigable incline.

Stephen Mullaney, NCOAE’s director of school partnerships, quickly glances over to see how Christina is doing — just in time to see a huge grin from beneath her rain hood. That figures, he thinks.

Christina Garrett is a go-getter, no question about that. She is the Associate Director of University Scholars at North Carolina Central University (NCCU), one of about a hundred Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the United States.

As Christina, NCCU students, and some of NCOAE wilderness field instructors continue their trek in the rain, she tells Stephen about her own outdoor experiences, including fishing with her father, visiting state parks, and her accomplishment of heading what is likely the first required wilderness orientation experience for incoming freshmen and transfer students at a Historically Black College/University.

(NCCU student participants on an NCOAE custom program | image © Stephen Mullaney)

Christina’s program, which is named the Cheatham-White Scholarship Program, was established in 2018 and provides academic scholarships based on merit. Focusing on students attending NCCU, the program was designed for exceptional student scholars who possess a range of interests, proficiency in both the arts and sciences, and who demonstrate leadership potential and a commitment to service.

Admittance to the scholarship-supported program includes tuition and fees, housing, meals, textbooks, a laptop, travel, and personal expenses. The generous scholarship also means four summers of enrichment and networking. That means travel — maybe even international travel.

Where NCOAE comes into the picture is at the (more…)