LEWIS CENTER, Ohio — When it comes to the medical field, preparing for the unexpected is essential, and where better to train for that than out in nature.

What You Need To Know

• Doctors and residents at The Ohio State University College of Medicine participated in a Wilderness Medicine Training


• They learned how to be prepared to care for people in the wild where resources may be limited


• During the training, medical residents participated in a simulated bear attack and learned to care for bites, stings, and broken bones

That’s why doctors and residents at The Ohio State University College of Medicine participated in a Wilderness Medicine Training.

Among the participants is Nick Thompson, a resident physician at Ohio State University.

“Really excited to learn about traumatic injuries that we can help patients out in the field, not just in the hospital system,” said Thompson.

During the training, residents would switch stations and each one had its own challenges: from simulating a bear attack to treating bites, stings, and broken bones. All situations they’ll likely have to face in the medical field, and being outside where resources are limited, is a vital part of the training.

Thompson knows that first-hand.

“We see these patients frequently,” said Thompson. “Patients who were hiking and climbing and have injuries or patients who encountered venomous animals. Being able to be prepared to treat those patients is important.”

Nicholas Kman, a physician leading one of the stations, said quick thinking is key.

“Time is of the essence for a lot of these things,” said Kman. “With my station where it’s two people who came upon a bear in their camp, and they were attacked by the bear. If someone is bleeding, you may only have three minutes to stop the bleed. Same thing with bee stings.”

It’s giving these residents not only a day out of hospitals or doctors’ offices, but the experience to be more prepared than ever.

“Being able to learn how to treat patients that I might run into out in the wilderness or wherever I may be outside of the hospital, I have the possibility to make an impact, a life-changing impact on a patient who may not have that opportunity,” said Thompson.

The Wilderness Training is something Ohio State medical residents train for once a year.