NOLS Wilderness Medicine strongly encourages you to maintain a current certification, and frequent refresher courses will help you to stay sharp, skilled, and confident to respond to emergencies.
Upon successful completion of your NOLS Wilderness Medicine course, you will receive a NOLS Wilderness Medicine certification card that is current for two years. You also have a one-year reentry period after the expiration of your certification. During this reentry period you are eligible to participate in a recertification program, however your certification is not current. If you exceed your reentry year, you must retake the entire course.
WFR Recertification courses
The best way to recertify your WFR or WEMT certification is to enroll in a WFR Recertification course. This course is built around scenarios, case studies, and skills practice to reinforce assessment skills and decision-making. The course includes the latest updates in wilderness medicine as well as adult, child, and infant CPR.
Preparing for your recertification course
Recertification courses include both a written exam and an evaluation of your practical skills. NOLS Wilderness Medicine has developed many resources to help you prepare for your recertification course.
Graduates from other wilderness medicine providers
NOLS Wilderness Medicine welcomes eligible graduates from other providers to recertify on Wilderness First Responder Recertification courses or Hybrid Wilderness First Responder Recertification courses. To be eligible for recertification you must possess a current (unexpired) WFR certification from a provider whose WFR course is a minimum of 70 hours. NOLS Wilderness Medicine does not recognize certifications from entirely online training.
There is no reentry period once your certification expires. It is your responsibility to make sure your certification meets this standard. If you are unsure, please contact FFI or NOLS to verify your certification qualifies before enrolling in a course. Graduates from other wilderness medicine providers may not take a WFA course to recertify a WFR course. Students certified by any other organization are required to submit a photocopy of their unexpired certification card on the first day of the course. Please note that NOLS will not issue you a new WFR certification until your previous training has been verified. Please visit the NOLS website for more information or to learn more.