Over the past few days, we have been taking Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA) classes and talking about how to respond to a crisis. These classes have been very intense and sometimes difficult. We have also been practicing how to respond to crises like massive bleeding, an unresponsive person, and mass casualty incidents. Although I have done first aid training and practice in the past through Boy Scouts, it has been years since I have had formal training. Since then, I have misremembered protocols, or they have changed to a better method. Because of the changes, I found myself getting frustrated at myself and I ended the first day of training feeling upset and disappointed. Other people in the group were also feeling overwhelmed with the amount of information that we were expected to retain. Despite the low morale, we collected ourselves and really focused on the material. We took the scenarios seriously, both as patients and caretakers, and kept meticulous notes. We kept seeing improvements in our performances both individually and as a team. We ended the second day on a very high note after all of worked together to carry a patient carefully up and down several stairs, around obstacles, and eventually into a makeshift stretcher. The instructors praised our work with a resounding शाबाश (pronounced Shaabaash), which is the Hindi word for “well done”! Today, we finished the course by taking a brief exam and thankfully we all passed (earning another शाबाश). Although some of us have been feeling slightly sick today, we’ve been in good spirits and looking forward to the upcoming treks and visit to the market.

Although the WAFA course is designed to teach us emergency medicine, the skills, abilities, and processes learned during the course also taught us a lot about leadership, especially the role of leadership in high stakes situations. One of the most important skills was basic organizational skills and self-awareness. We were taught a series of rhymes to help us organize and prepare ourselves for entering a potentially dangerous scene. There were many checklists and acronyms we needed to know when examining a patient as well. Since we were working in pairs, we usually designated one person to perform the necessary checks or treatment while the other person kept track of each step and ensured that no steps were overlooked. In more serious scenarios, the second person would also assist in preparing equipment such as bandages, splints, or other aids. This required a lot of rapid and clear communication, and sometimes we would switch roles depending on skill or comfort. In some cases, whoever was acting as the designated leader would have to make tough decisions without much time to consider outcomes or consult their partner. In these instances, I would have to trust that my partner was making the best decision in the moment or hope that they would trust me enough to make the right call and follow my lead.

The course also taught us the importance of remaining calm and collected despite pressure. This is especially true for leaders because they set the mood and tone of a situation which will influence others. A visibly anxious or stressed caretaker will not be able to control a patient or situation even if they perform the treatment correctly. It is vital that they can also remain calm and create a safe environment for the patient and bystanders, otherwise a situation can spiral into a panic and become uncontrollable.

The WAFA course was a great introduction to both first aid and for high pressure leadership roles. I may be in the minority saying this, but I genuinely enjoyed the classes (even if I dozed off occasionally). I also loved the scenarios, especially when I got to act as a patient. One of my favorites was when I was acting as a panicked bystander after a bolt of lightning struck several of my friends. My role in that scene was to be an agent of chaos and do my best to disrupt the first responders. I put my whole heart and soul into being as much of a distraction as possible. Despite my best efforts (which were Oscar worthy according to the instructors), the other students were still able to keep their heads and focus on providing care and not letting me disrupt them too much.