In the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, we discuss the integral role EMT professionals play in supporting communities after natural disasters….

The testing for EMT Certification’s has changed drastically over the years. Learn more about how standards have changed, and new innovations!…

If you’re considering a career in the field of outdoor education and adventure programming that involves leading groups through remote wilderness areas, your career path will come to a fork in the road where you will face an important choice: Do you want to become a backcountry guide or an outdoor educator? At first glance,…

Enroll in our self-paced EMT training program, offering flexible online certification for aspiring EMTs in Oregon and North Carolina….

The year 2024 was another great one for The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE). From groundbreaking program launches to prestigious accreditations, we’ve continued to grow, innovate, and strengthen our commitment to education and adventure. Here’s a look at our top milestones from 2024: Celebrating 15 Years of Excellence In 2024, we celebrated…

Most people think of wilderness medicine as providing medical care in a remote setting where access to conventional healthcare resources is limited or unavailable. They imagine someone treating a wound, applying a tourniquet, performing CPR, or fashioning a splint out of sticks and a bandana enabling a hiker with a broken leg to hobble to…

In the safety and comfort of the modern world, we often forget that the natural world can be a dangerous, unforgiving, and uncaring place. For many of us who love wilderness and the backcountry, that’s large part of its attraction.  We choose to explore areas where some fear to go,  and we participate in activities…

Over the past couple of decades, outdoor adventure enthusiasts have developed a growing obsession with speed — fastest climber (ascent/descent), fastest cyclist, fastest downhill skier or snowboarder, fastest BASE jumper. Fastest, fastest, fastest.  Whether you actively compete in one or more of these categories or prefer a less competitive approach to human-powered outdoor activities, you’re…

Covered in mud, we return to the sterile walls of the school. Nearby, students and teachers stop and stare at us. We say nothing. We keep moving, exhausted from our time spent in the wilderness, observing, interacting, developing skills to survive, absorbing information and processing the incredible time we had spent as a group. What…

In the movie Die Hard 2, hero John McLane, played by Bruce Willis, receives a fax at a car rental kiosk at Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. informing him of the identity of a suspect. The agent behind the desk, who’s been flirting with McLane through the entire scene, says, “Hey, I close in…

Little in the wilderness experience quite compares to sitting around a warm campfire after a day on the trail. Crackling embers, shimmering luminescence, and radiant warmth have an almost primal attraction.  When you take advantage of our teen leadership expeditions, adult leadership expeditions, or our high school summer semester, you’ll experience many campfires. Whether you’re…

Wilderness medicine covers an enormous area of study and practice. From anaphylaxis to zoonotic diseases, it covers a lot of glossary. From deep-water diving to high-altitude mountaineering, it covers a lot of territory including oxygen deprivation. In this post about wilderness medicine, we focus on four terms in that glossary to which every outdoor educator…

Chances are good that you’ve had to take at least one course in English composition that required you to write a 500-word essay entitled, “How I Spent My Summer Vacation.” Most teens talk about their vacation or their summer job, but you can talk about leadership activities for teens. Perhaps you had the best summer ever…

Last September, we told you we were seeking accreditation from a trio of the nation’s top accrediting bodies: the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI), the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), and the Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC). And today, we’re pleased…

According to some emergency medical professionals, including one of my early mentors, every emergency medical service (EMS) call involves a search. Even in urban settings where we’re given a home address for a patient, we need to confirm the location, find it, and gain access to the patient. And even after arriving at the right…

We live in a world increasingly dominated by social media, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence. So, when it comes to backcountry and wilderness expeditions, participants of all ages have an opportunity to learn and grow in fun, challenging real-world settings.  Whether navigating rugged terrain, setting up a tent, or preparing a meal without the aid…

Language provides a foundation for human progress. Having a common language enables us to communicate, collaborate, and coordinate our efforts in able us to achieve more together than any of us could possibly achieve on our own. It allows us to organize our thoughts and solve problems collectively. It’s when we’re not speaking the same…

There it is, middle fingers up, people screaming at one another, animals running amok. It’s just another day on the trails lost to behaviors that are normally reserved for Los Angeles traffic. It doesn’t need to be this way. So long as everyone’s aware of the rules and then follows them, hikers, bicyclists, horses, and…

Backcountry and wilderness expeditions and daytrips can be a blast! One minute you’re  stimulated by the views and having fun, and in some instances, the next minute you’re on the ground after tripping on a rock, asking yourself, “Where did all that blood come from?” Having the right medical supplies can turn a potential disaster…

Batteries die. Cell phones lose connectivity. Even satellite service can be unpredictable. But a map and compass? You can always count on these two “old schools” tools to discover where you are and how to get to where you’re going.  Truth is, navigating with a tried and true map and compass is an essential outdoor…