Instructor Profile: Jen Latham, WEMT
Jen has a rich and varied background in
outdoor education, leading wilderness trips, search and rescue, and
wilderness medicine. She began teaching for WMI in 2007
For this interview, we caught up with her in Talkeetna, AK between a WMI
WFR course in San Francisco and a
WAFA course in Costa Rica.
What excites you about being a WMI instructor?
I get to teach all over the country
(and in other countries) to people who are excited to learn Wilderness
Medicine. I feel very lucky to work for an organization that strives for
excellence in the way we teach our curriculum and the accuracy of the
information being presented. I enjoy seeing so many students feeling
empowered with the skills they learn and practice on our courses.
What are some challenges?
Our courses pack a lot of information
into a short amount of time, but not every student is ready for such an
intense learning experience. We teach and practice decision-making
strategies throughout our courses in numerous scenarios. Some students
want a formula to follow, or think instructors should have all the
answers to questions that are situation specific. It can be challenging
to convey that wilderness medicine is full of "complex decision making
matrices" and there is no such thing as one correct answer.
When do you feel most proud of your students?
I enjoy seeing students excel in the
night rescue scenario. It's a grand finale moment that shows students
they have the knowledge and skills it takes to deal with
injuries/illnesses in any wilderness context. I really enjoy when
students come up with improvised splints that meet all the principles
with materials and ideas that we haven't mentioned in class.
What are other passions in your life?
When I lived in Yosemite I was able to get
some experience with Yosemite SAR. Being one of the most popular
National Parks they see a couple hundred incidents every year. Because
of the resources
YOSAR
has and the unique incidents that occur, there is a definite blending
of wilderness and urban skills. It was great to see the other end of the
spectrum of large-scale operations as well as efficiency in response to
incidents.
This year is my fifth season working for
Talkeetna Air Taxi.
It's an incredibly fun, dynamic place to work. I'm not a pilot, but I
still get to enjoy the excitement people feel after landing on a glacier
next to North America's highest peak. I also get to interact with the
hundreds of climbing expeditions each season. Sometimes I wish I could
tell people to go take a Wilderness Medicine class before their
expedition, but by the time they are in our office it's too late!
I'm currently directing
Denali Rescue Volunteers,
a charitable nonprofit organization that I started in 2011. The
mission is to provide ancillary support to the volunteers that go on
month-long patrols with the Denali Mountaineering Rangers. Each year
there are close to 50 volunteers giving about 12,000 hrs in volunteer
time. Without this support the Rangers would not be able to respond to
incidents as efficiently and effectively as they do. Our main goal right
now is to be able to help out with gear needs and travel costs.
Melis Coady, Wilderness Medicine Instructor, WEMT
Melis Coady has been teaching wilderness medicine courses for 11 years and works as a year round guide for the Alaska Mountaineering School, including guided ascents of Denali. From Tanzania to Patagonia, no location is too remote for her to teach safety and survival skills to diverse audiences.
