The past few days have been a deep dive into the coursework and practice scenarios required to achieve a Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA) certificate before we embark on the ten day trek. We respond to fake scenarios where we dress wounds, improvise splints, and administer CPR. These scenarios are complimented by lectures jammed full of facts and processes which could be the difference between life and death. With such high stakes, the skills, abilities, and processes we learn have direct overlap with the theory and implementation of leadership.
Most of this experience has focused on personal leadership theory and the individual. The WAFA certification however, has focused more on group decision making. First aid scenarios inherently involve other individuals when acting as a caregiver. They can also involve additional caregivers and patients which is why a conditional leadership continuum becomes a useful tool. Based on risk level and time taken to decide, choosing a leadership approach on the spectrum of delegating and directing becomes advantageous. For example, many of the scenarios are intended to be chaotic as many life threatening injuries are rapidly deteriorating. The scenarios often test us on knowledge which we haven’t learned in lecture to place us in uncomfortable situations to stimulate learning. This particular scenario was a multi casualty incident caused by a lightning strike. We had patients with bloody faces and ears, unresponsive patients, and even aggressive bystanders attempting to distract us. The chaos ensued and all the caregivers who were not yet trained in CPR or how to treat injuries from lightning had to jump into the unknown. Everyone ran around like chickens with their heads cut off. No real effective care or control over the situation occurred and we even forgot to “fake” call first responders. This multi casualty incident really showed me the need to understand and practice conditional leadership theory. Directives needed in many first aid scenarios is a direct translation from WAFA to the theory and implementation of leadership.
From another perspective, being a patient also requires leadership at many times. We have to be honest with those around us about our status even when it is uncomfortable. No one wants to be the cause of an evacuation during a ten day trek we have all traveled across the world to participate in. But conditions like hypothermia can deteriorate from bad to fatal in the blink of an eye. An example of our group showing leadership in this respect is the recent outbreak of some cold-like symptoms. People quickly made the our entire cohort aware of their health status and took the appropriate mask and isolation steps even if it meant missing out on a day of activities. We have all now completed our WAFA certifications and I am excited to see what new skills will be transferable to leadership theory as we prepare for the hike.
For the most recent side quest, it is a short one since we have been so jam packed with classes the past few days. During our lunch break, Thomas and I walked down the mountain in search of an ATM. We were stopped by some locals on a motorbike who were curious about where we were visiting from. I explained to them where Pittsburgh, PA was which made me very happy. After talking to a guard at the Woodstock School with the few Hindi words we have picked up and some English, we located the ATM and made it back to class huffing and puffing from the hill with a minute to spare.