Wilderness Medicine Institute, a division of the National Outdoor Leadership School, offers a Wilderness Medicine for the Professional Practitioner course. It is not often offered, but there is one coming up in February in Sausalito, about 100 miles from where I live. I have been wanting to take this course for a long time. In 2008 I attended a wilderness medicine conference put on by UCSF. I learned a lot and enjoyed it very much, but I know I have a lot more of the basics to learn. The conference was mostly lectures by physicians on advanced topics, though there were workshops on practical skills. The WMI course is 16 hours including a lot of hands-on practical skills.
I am in the process of attaining a position as a volunteer paramedic in an area which will utilize wilderness medicine skills very much. I would almost never use the general skills at my paid job. Additionally I am a recreational backpacker, and enjoy taking others on hikes into the bush. I am always leery of emergencies happening in the backcountry, and I have read several books on the subject but there is no substitute for hands-on instruction.
I am a full-time college student, and receive no financial aid to assist with living expenses. I work a part-time ambulance job on the weekends. It is at a rural provider and the pay is not competitive, but it definitely helps pay the "big kid bills" that my wife and I share. I normally live about check-to-check, sometimes able to save very small amounts here and there for a cushion in case something expensive happens.
I recently took time off work to care for my mother and stepfather after they had surgery. My stepfather is in renal failure secondary to Polycystic Kidney Disease, and was on dialysis. My mother wanted to donate one of her kidneys to him but was not a match, however the transplant program at California Pacific Medical Center was able to arrange a 3-way closed loop trade which involved two other couples. The operation was in the San Francisco Examiner. Here's the article: http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2011/11/triple-kidney-swap-san-franciscos-cpmc-has-unique-twist. They both needed care at home afterward, so I took time off to help them. Immediately following I also took time off to study for finals.
Money got even tighter through the holidays, and now I don't have any savings to pay for this class that I just recently learned about. I am trying to think of a way to pay for it, and though about asking for donations. It is really an educational expense, and will help me with volunteer opportunities. Not to say that it won't be fun, because I really love learning about what I do. I constructed a fundraising webpage, but haven't decided whether or not to publicize it and actually ask for donations. I really have no shame in being a "starving student" (I am definitely not starving), but I just don't know if this is an appropriate cause to ask for donations because it is personal and not specifically for an organization. Looking for suggestions.
Update: I decided to raise funds.
Friday, January 6, 2012
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