ORM Certification Courses
The Lees-McRae Outdoor Recreation Management program offers outdoor certification courses to students, alumni, faculty, staff, and the community. For students, certifications can be taken either for credit or not for credit.
UPCOMING COURSES:
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Wilderness First Responder | August 2024
This is a nationally recognized program that trains participants to respond to emergencies in remote settings. The 80-hour curriculum includes standards for urban and extended care situations. Special topics include but are not limited to: wound management and infection, realigning fractures and dislocations, improvised splinting techniques, patient monitoring and long-term management problems, up-to-date information on all environmental emergencies, plus advice on drug therapies. Emphasis is placed on prevention and decision-making, not the memorization of lists. This course is designed specifically to provide you with the tools to make critical medical and evacuation decisions in remote locations. Half of your time will be spent completing practical skills, case studies, and scenarios designed to challenge your decision-making abilities. Adult CPR is included in this course.
Conducted by the Outdoor Recreation Management program at Lees-McRae College.
DETAILS
- Length: 9 days (80 hours)
- Recommended for: Backcountry guides, canoe trip leaders, private expedition groups, college/university outdoor education programs, hiking club trip leaders, wilderness therapeutic programs, EMTs and adventure race safety personnel.
- Cost:
$540 – Lees-McRae students (see registration details below)
$540 – Lees-McRae alumni, faculty, and staff
$895 – Community
(A $250 non-refundable deposit will be collected at time of registration. All remaining course fees will be collected online by credit/debit card prior to the course.) - Location: May School of Natural and Behavioral Sciences, Lees-McRae College campus
- Prerequisites: None
- Certification Received: NOLS Wilderness First Responder Certification, Adult & Child CPR certification. Certifications are current for two years.
- Academic Credit: Outdoor Recreation Management offers 3 credit hours for this course. This is optional. The course number is ORM 305.
- Continuing Education: This course is pre-approved for 80 hours of EMT Continuing Education Hours (CEH) by the Continuing Education Coordinating Board for Emergency Medical Services (CECBEMS). Active members of the Wilderness Medical Society may earn up to 59.5 hours of credit towards a Fellowship of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine (FAWM). There is an additional fee of $15 for students requesting these credits. This course is approved by the United States Coast Guard to satisfy the first aid and CPR training requirements [46 CFR 11.205(e)(1)(i) &46 CFR 11.205(e)(2)(iv)] for a merchant mariner license.
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Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Hybrid Intensive | August–December 2024
Earn your credentials in the premiere EMT Intensive course.
Landmark Learning is the leading private teaching institution approved by the N.C. Office of Emergency Medical Services to teach the EMT curriculum—and the top provider to offer it in this intensive format.
The EMT Intensive includes online prerequisite hours prior to arrival onsite at our Upstream Campus. Students will then participate in an active three weeks of intensive training. Instructors will demonstrate and students will practice curriculum skills, practice with and use EMT equipment, participate in practical scenarios, prepare for course-end written and practical testing, and attend field experiences on ambulances, in long-term patient care facilities, and at hospital emergency departments.
DETAILSCourse Length: 240 hours (Aug. 25–Dec. 21, 2024)
Total cost: $1,300 ($500 deposit due at registration)
Course costs include:
- Instruction from experience faculty
- Instruction through Landmark Learning, an accredited EMS school recognized by the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services (NCOEMS)
- Excellent instructor-to-student ratio (maximum of 18 students)
- Access to CANVAS self-study online platform
- HSI Basic Life Support 2-year certification
- Field experience uniform shirt
- Field experience malpractice insurance
- All course equipment
- Access to all course equipment after class hours for study and practice
- Up to 48 hours of field experience via ambulances, clinics, and/or emergency rooms
- Online quizzes and examinations for material highlights and retention
- Final written examination in person
- Learn additional advanced life support skills that increase your abilities
- Upon completion, opportunity to participate in NOLS Wilderness Upgrade for Medical Professionals
Course costs do not include:
- Lodging
- Fees for background checks
- Prerequisite vaccines, or blood titers to prove vaccination if records cannot be found
- Fee for 10-Panel Drug Screening
- Fee for providing proof of high school graduation
- NREMT or NCOEMS exam fees
- Course textbook: Brady, Emergency Care 14th Edition (Used copies can be found online or a new text/electronic copy may be purchased directly from Pearson.)
Recommended For
Individuals supplementing their career with emergency medicine; wilderness guides and instructors; ambulance crews, firefighters, law enforcement officers, and military personnel.Certifications Received
- Certificate of Completion—EMT Intensive
- HSI Basic Life Support (CPR)
- Eligibility for NREMT and NC certification exams (exams will take place on your own time, after the course is complete.) Exam details are available at your course and post-course support is available for one year until you finish your testing.
- NC computer-based testing is available through Meazure Learning in most states.
- The NC written exam must be completed within 90 days of the last day of your EMT Intensive course.
- NREMT written exams are available in most major cities across the country through PearsonVue. The NREMT exam must be completed within 24 months of your initial training course.
Prerequisites
Prerequisites are due before your course starts. Clinical prequisites must be submitted to the Landmark Learning office prior to the start of the online portion of the course. They are required by clinical sites in order to schedule your field experiences. You may still complete the course without field experience, but will not be eligible to test for NREMT or NCOEMS certification. Forty-eight (48) hours of clinical experience is required to be eligible for course-end certification exams.Course Prequisites (must be submitted before beginning the online portion):
- 18 years of age. Proof of age: Driver's license, state ID, passport, or birth certificate.
- High school diploma or equivalent. Proof: High school transcript, college transcript with high school graduation date, or letter/email from high school stating your graduation date.
Clinical Prerequisites (must be completed before beginning clinical hours):
- North Carolina criminal background check
- 10-panel drug screen
- Proof of the following: Childhood vaccination record (MMR, Pertussis/TDap, Varicella, Hep B series, or exemption form), TB skin test from within the last year (2-step test, T Spot, or QuantiFERON-TB Gold), Flu vaccine or exemption form (Oct. 1–March 31), COVID vaccine or exemption form
- Clinical Orientation (available in your ACTIVE account after registration)
- Code of Conduct (available in your ACTIVE account after registration)
More details are available in the NCOEMS Candidate Handbook.
COURSE EXPECTATIONS
The 240 hours of course instruction prepare you for:
- Scope of Practice Exam for NCOEMS and NREMT (practical examination for EMT). This exam is held at Landmark Learning, at the end of your course.
- Computer-based Testing for NREMT (2-year certification). Test dates may be chosen 24 hours after course completion at a number of online sites through Pearson Vue.
- Computer-based Testing for NCOEMS (4-year certification). Test dates may be chosen 24 hours after course completion through Scantron. The last eligible test date is 90 days after close of course.
Certification and reciprocity
- States accept certifications from other states and the National Registry on an individual basis. Check with your state’s office of EMS to understand your reciprocity requirements.
- By successfully passing the exams both for the state of North Carolina and the National Registry, students have doubled their opportunity to be granted direct reciprocity in their home state.
- Check your state’s reciprocity for the NREMT at nremt.org
Attendance
100% attendance in the online course orientation, online instructor-led forums, and all lecture and practical sessions is mandatory. Being on time to class is also expected every day. Repeated tardies or absences are grounds for immediate dismissal. Tardiness or not appearing for a clinical rotation is grounds for dismissal as well.Notebooks and texts
- Emergency Care, 14th Edition, Brady
- EMT Intensive Manual
- You should also bring pens, pencils, and paper, and a connective internet device.
Tests
In order to evaluate your progress and eventual proficiency, appropriate tests and daily quizzes will be administered. Testing needs can be accommodated if shared prior to arrival.
- HSI Basic Life Support – 80%
- NC EMT-B Mid-Term Exam – 80%
- NC EMT-B Cumulative Final Exam – 80%
Certification exams take place after successful completion of the EMT Intensive.
- NC OEMS EMT Certification Exam – 70%
- National Registry EMT Certification Exam – 70%
Field Experience
You must be a good EMT in order to be a decent WEMT, so in addition to class time EMT students are required to attend up to 48 hours observing in a field setting. Field sites include long-term care facilities, emergency departments, and ambulances. All students must submit ALL prerequisites to take part in field opportunities.Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from field sites. Drive time to field sites averages about thirty minutes. We have excellent relationships with several ambulance services and emergency rooms where past students have performed in a professional manner under the guidance of paramedics, nurses, and doctors. These sites do not get paid or get additional benefits for allowing you the opportunity to learn there. In fact, some go above and beyond to give every opportunity to the student if they work well with their system and expectations.
Field experiences are a hit-or-miss opportunity; emergencies do not happen when planned, which requires EMS to be a dynamic profession. Some shifts are slow and students do no more than wash ambulances, change bed linens, and study. These are good opportunities to get in extra study time or to capitalize on your exposure to equipment and highly trained professionals who are not involved with immediate patient care. Most healthcare professionals are very open to helping students who take the initiative to ask pertinent questions, or to find out what equipment is what and how to use all of it. Other shifts are very busy with call after call or patient after patient. You may be called into assisting with CPR while paramedics are getting medications and AEDs ready, or you may get to assess vital signs and lung sounds on sick or injured people. You may be asked to pull manual traction on fractures while doctors apply casts, or to observe in surgery. Everything you see will prepare you for the real picture of EMS and your new role in it.
Field experiences will be offered during the week and on the weekends, after class. You will not be required to stay longer than your shift. It is important to arrive on time and in the right clothing to conform to approved dress codes. When you arrive at our campus we will provide you with a uniform top that identifies you with Landmark Learning as an EMT student. Other acceptable clothing includes a white T-shirt to wear under your top. If weather is cool, bring your jacket or raingear. If you will be on an ambulance, wear dress slacks or nice dark pants navy or black in color, with belt (NO jeans, Carharts, shorts, or sweats). Shoes with decent traction; crocs or new cross trainers, (NO heels, hiking boots, or sandals) for ER. Hiking boots or similar for EMS. All clothing needs to be fresh, clean, and free of stains, frays, or tears. Your clinical preceptor will assess your appearance when you walk through their door and if you do not meet these minimum standards you may be asked to leave. A professional personal appearance is important when you are taking care of other people. In addition to the above dress code, personal hygiene is mandatory. All bodies must be clean and neat, freshly shaved (neat facial hair is acceptable), and free from odors and strong perfumes. Long hair must be pulled back, and body art or tattoos must be concealed. Some sites may require the removal of excess jewelry or non-traditional piercings.
Safety
Even when observing, there is always the possibility of contact with body fluids. Appropriate clothing and appearance helps reduce the risk of exposure. The latest infectious disease concerns and precautions will be explained by your instructor. Host sites require you to have completed, or at least begun, a Hepatitis B series before your program. You should also have received all childhood immunizations.Due to the increase in tuberculosis, all healthcare workers should have PPD (TB) testing on a regular basis. As a requirement for observations, EMT students must provide proof of a PPD test within six months prior to the start of their course. We ask that you have the PPD testing completed and the Hepatitis B series at least begun before your arrival and that you bring proof for each from the attending doctor or clinic.
In fall and winter, a flu shot is also required. COVID vaccination is required at all clinical sites.
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League of American Bicyclists Smart Cycling Complete | April 2025
This program is designed to develop the craft and science of bicycling—the ability to use a bicycle with confidence and competence for pleasure, utility or sport under various highway, climate, terrain and traffic conditions. During this course you will learn traffic law, bicycle handling, how to conduct bicycle safety checks, on-bike skills and crash avoidance techniques. For novice to advanced riders, this course combines classroom discussion/activities and on-road practice to instruct students in the practice of vehicular-style bicycling and overcoming the fear of riding in traffic. Learning the techniques in this class will allow you to ride more confidently and more often while having more fun. Smart Cycling Complete (formerly called Traffic Skills 101) is a prerequisite for becoming a League Certified Instructor (LCI) candidate.
Registration coming soon.
DETAILS (Subject to change)
- Length: 9 hours (8 a.m.–5 p.m.)
- Recommended for: People who bike, outdoor trip leaders, camp staff, parks and recreation employees
- Cost:
Free – Lees-McRae students
$30 – Lees-McRae alumni, faculty, and staff
$45 – Community - Location: Shelton Learning Commons, Lees-McRae College campus
- Prerequisites: Must know how to ride a bike.
- Certification Received: Smart Cycling Complete. This is a lifetime certification.
- Academic Credit: Outdoor Recreation Management offers 1 credit hours for this course. This is optional. The course number is ORM 310. Students taking this certification for credit will have an additional 7 hours of instruction to be determined after registration.
Student Registration
Lees-McRae students can register for course credit for the following certification courses:
- Leave No Trace Trainer: ORM 102*
- CPR/AED, Basic First Aid, and Epinephrine Administration: ORM 200*
- Star Fish Aquatics Wilderness Lifeguard: ORM 230
- Association of Challenge Course Technologies, Level 1 Challenge Course Practitioner: ORM 232*
- Wilderness First Aid: ORM 303
- Wilderness First Responder: ORM 305
- Wildland Firefighting: ORM 307*
- League of American Bicyclists Smart Cycling Complete: ORM 310
- Leave No Trace Master Educator: ORM 321*
- Professional Ski Instructors of America Alpine Level 1 Instructor: ORM 337-01*
- Association of American Snowboard Instructors Snowboard Level 1 Instructor: ORM 337-02*
- Scuba Diving International Open Water Scuba Diving: ORM 355-01*
- Scuba Diving International Advance Open Water Scuba Diving: ORM 355-02*
- Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) Challenge for Ski & Bike Patrol: ORM 339
- North Carolina Environmental Education Certification Prep: ORM 345*
- American Canoe Association Swiftwater Rescue Level 4: ORM 350*
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT): EMS 200
*Only offered for currently enrolled Lees-McRae students.
Students can enroll in certification courses through Montibus during regular class registration. Course fees will be attached to your student account.
For More Information
Contact Katie Wall, Outdoor Recreation Management program coordinator and associate professor, at wallk@lmc.edu.