Wilderness-EMT / Wilderness First Responder

Christodora, a 125-year-old, non-sectarian, non-profit organization, seeks a Wilderness-EMT or Wilderness First Responder to join our team at the Manice Education Center (MEC), located in the Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts, as the residential Healthcare and Logistics Supervisor. MEC operates outdoor environmental and expedition (backpacking and canoeing) education programs for youth from New York City from April through October each year. 
Join our Team: May 20 -- Aug 27, 2023

Responsibilities

The Wilderness-EMT (WEMT) or Wilderness First Responder (WFR) provides in-house, professional medical services to MEC programming and serves as the Healthcare and Logistics Supervisor. This is a residential position. The WEMT/WFR may be called upon for on-call medical services to assess or care for ill campers or staff in the field or via the on-site, MEC infirmary. This position monitors the appropriate administration of prescription medication to students as well as supervises the COVID-19 testing and reporting program. Additionally, WEMT/WFR will:

• Review Camper Medical Forms and Medical Summary Reports to advise MEC leadership on appropriate care for campers.
• Prepare necessary MEC Medication Administration Records (MARs) and documentation to be sent to the Health Care Consultant for acknowledgment at the start of each summer camp session.
• Provide side effects information of prescription medications, or advise camp leadership on how to attain and provide this information. Ensure the appropriate staff members understand how to look for and report side effects.
• Train and document competency for all designated health care supervisors (camp staff assigned to the care of campers and who meet minimum requirements to perform the duties of a health care supervisor) in medication administration.
• Review MARS throughout camp sessions to ensure accuracy and minimize errors.
• Support preparations and returns of wilderness expeditions by reviewing MARS, accounting for medications, and ensuring staff are prepared to administer medications in the field.
• Review medical logs and medical treatment reports and work with camp leadership to improve staff treatment standards and skills as appropriate.
• Take inventory of infirmary supplies and prepare supply requisitions for camp leadership.
• Inventory and stock first aid kits for overnight excursions
• Provide field-based support for non-emergency medical calls
• Works closely with the MEC Assistant Director in spring and fall to supervise logistics for the afternoon trips for public school field trips
• Works closely with the Excursions Supervisor to manage ~20 backpacking and canoeing
• overnight trips, ranging from one to four nights during the summer
• With the Excursions Supervisor, closely mentors high school Teaching Assistants (TAs) who manage the gear barn and lead introductory backcountry lessons
• Supervise logistics for all excursions, sign off on final departure checklists for equipment, and manage equipment de-issue when trips return to MEC
• Transport students to and from wilderness trips and occasionally assist with participants traveling to and from New York City

Qualifications

• NREMT certification or WFR certification from recognized provider
• Massachusetts EMT license preferred
• CPR/AED for healthcare providers, oxygen administration, and epinephrine administration (or equivalence to Red Cross Anaphylaxis Certification)
• Demonstrate competency for above listed responsibilities and duties through documented prior work experience or equivalent experience
• Requires a medical physical, immunizations per MA camp regulations, and background clearances to work in youth setting
• Valid drivers license
• Experience with Salesforce, Dropbox, Google Suite, and Microsoft Suite preferred
• Applicants who can commit for all three seasons strongly preferred

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

• Requires ability to work in an outdoor environment in most types of weather
• Requires speaking, reading, writing, and use of office equipment
• May occasionally require standing or sitting for long periods of time when doing presentations, trainings, and other activities
• Evening and weekend work may be required and all schedules will be agreed upon and approved by the MEC Director
• Takes care of, and protects from damage, all company property signed out to them, which may include: keys, phones, radios, vehicles, passwords, etc.
• Ability to sit, stand, squat, crouch, and crawl independently in most types of weather
• Ability to independently lift weight (50lbs) above shoulders; carry weight (no more than 1/3 of body weight) up to six miles; and drag weight (100lbs) no more than 100 yds.
• Follow all applicable company, state, and federal protocols and policies to protect the health and safety of self and others

Compensation and Benefits

$600-675/week, commensurate with experience

Room and board at MEC during employment

Outdoor equipment discounts

Acknowledgement

The staff of the Manice Education Center acknowledges that, as outdoor professionals, we continue to live on and make a living from the unceded ancestral lands of the indigenous people who stewarded this area for generations before the arrival of European settler colonialism.  These people and sovereign nations include the Mohican, now known as the Stockbridge-Munsee Band in what is currently called Wisconsin, the Pocumtuc, the Nipmuc, and the Wabanaki, though much of this collective history remains lost or stolen through the effects of European settler colonialism, and we acknowledge there may still be more peoples who stewarded these lands.  These nations are not currently represented in the board, directors, or employees of Christodora, Inc., which owns and operates MEC, and MEC continues to benefit from the oppressive history of colonialism and industrial agriculture that has forever altered the ecosystems of the region.  We recognize there will be implications for how Christodora must alter its thoughts and decisions in benefitting from educating youth on these ancestral lands, and we welcome dialogue in this work, as this is only a small step toward repairing the generations of injustice done to these people and nations.

Staff Vaccination Policy

To help maintain the health and safety of the Christodora community, all camper-facing employees must be fully vaccinated and up-to-date against COVID-19, unless an exemption applies.

How to apply:

Please send a detailed cover letter and a resume to Christodora at: [email protected] with “WEMT/WFR” in the title. Three professional references that we can contact will be required at the first interview.