SU Student Uses Wilderness First Aid Training In Class

SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury University student Robin Weber of Westminster, MD, didn’t expect to put the skills she was learning in her Wilderness First Aid course to use so soon.

The sophomore environmental studies major was attending a different evening class when her professor fainted in the middle of the lesson.

“I announced that I was in first aid training and assigned roles to certain people in the class and then made everyone else leave,” she said. “I did combat breathing to keep my head clear. I also wrote down important information for University Police before the paramedics came.”

Weber said she had CPR certification in the past, and once assisted an unconscious patron at a restaurant where she worked, but Wilderness First Aid has enhanced her understanding of procedures and methods to follow.

“I am taking it for my minor in outdoor education leadership, but I also have an interest in helping people,” she said. “I heard it would give me helpful skills to use in emergency situations.”

Dr. Diana Wagner, who teaches Wilderness First Aid (ODEL 201), asked Weber share her experience in class so her peers could learn from her real-world example.    

“Robin’s quick action and clear thinking gets at the heart of our program goals in outdoor education leadership,” Wagner said. “We can teach students the skills they need to handle specific situations, but when there is a true emergency, everything comes down to outstanding leadership.”

“I didn’t think I would need to use my classroom training so soon, but life is unpredictable!” Weber said.

For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU website.