Remote Medical International (RMI or Remote Medical) is a wilderness medicine education and services provider located in Seattle, Washington.[1] Along with other outdoor education providers such as NOLS's Wilderness Medicine Institute, Center for Wilderness Safety and SOLO, Remote Medical International offers training in techniques that go beyond the level of those used by urban care providers. RMI offers Wilderness First Aid[2], Wilderness First Responder[2], and Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician training. Their educational mission is to prepare students and clients to handle any emergency situation, and most importantly, to help reduce the likelihood that an emergency will occur at all. In addition to the education and training Remote Medical offers, the company has a staff of offshore paramedics and EMTs working all over the globe in different clinics and on a variety of expeditions at any given time.[2] The company also specializes in telemedicine, a rapidly developing way to provide treatment and guidance in remote settings.[3]
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Founded by Andrew Cull[4] in 2001, the Remote Medical has experienced tremendous growth in recent years.[2] According to the Inc. 500[5] list, RMI grew over 1000% between 2005 and 2008.[6] Clients of Remote Medical include the United States Department of Defense and Federal Government.[7][2][1] RMI staff have also been involved in Project (Red)[8] and Summit on the Summit[9],
In addition to offering providers with the products required for remote medical application, Remote Medical also teaches a variety of education and certification courses. Similar to other outdoor education providers like SOLO, NOLS and WMA, Remote Medical International offers several different levels of training, from WFA to WEMT.
Wilderness First Aid
Remote Medical offers a 16 hours and designed to provide elementary skills in remote care. The course is based on recommendations provided by the Wilderness Medical Society.
Wilderness First Responder
A step below the WEMT certification, the WFR course was first taught in 1984 by SOLO.[10] Since then WFR certification has become a frequent prerequisite for professional positions that involve work in the outdoors. The training offered by RMI is accepted by the American Mountain Guides Association[11] and by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides.[12]
Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician/Medical Person In Charge
Remote Medical offers a Wilderness EMT certification and qualification for the NREMT exam and certification. Their program is similar in to those WEMT courses offered by SOLO and NOLS. In addition, Remote Medical also teaches the United States Coast Guard's Medical Person In Charge (MPIC).[13] This certification is designed for providers who may be designated to take charge of medical care on-board vessels and is set forth in STCW Section A-VI/4.4-4.6 & Table A-VI/4.2.[14]
Custom Courses
Remote Medical also offers customized courses for the government and groups who may present with special needs. An example would be medics from Madigan Army Medical Center. [15]
As mentioned earlier, Remote Medical also offers telemedicine services. According to the Telemedicine Information Exchange, "providing healthcare services via telemedicine offers many advantages. It can make specialty care more accessible to underserved rural and urban populations."[16] Remote Medical is one of the only telemedicine providers in its field. Telemedicine is an emerging field of remote medicine that has a fair amount of controversy surrounding it. Companies like Remote Medical use it to access remote areas, such as mountain base camps, that would not otherwise have access to a physician when needed.[17]