COURSE POLICIES
COURSE CANCELLATIONS & REFUNDS
The full course fee is due upon booking and is required to reserve a space in the course.
10+ days before the course starts, cancel for a full refund minus a $25 administration fee.
<10 days prior to the course starts, funds are non-refundable and non-transferable.
If a course cancels due to low enrollment, all funds paid are 100% refundable.
If a student initiates a course and then cannot complete it due to illness or emergency, they can work with SEM to schedule an opportunity to complete the remainder of their course at another time, with approval of the hosting organization.
COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
Please do not come to class if you are feeling sick!
Contact us so we can help you complete your training when you are feeling better.
Masks and gloves are encouraged.
RELEASE FROM LIABILITY
All students will be asked to read and sign a release acknowledging the inherent risks that are involved in training and conducting class in an outdoor format.
Minors must have a parent or guardian sign on their behalf.
MEDICAL FORMS AND PRIVACY
All students in our courses will be required to complete a brief medical questionnaire prior to attending the course, or in person upon arrival. This is intended to allow instructors to adequately anticipate medical needs of the group and provide for participant safety during the course. These records shall be accessible only to Southeast Expedition Medical instructors during the course, and will be destroyed immediately following course completion. For more information, please refer to our privacy policy.
COURSE ATTENDANCE BY MINORS
Content discussed during the course is often graphic and explicit. Southeast Expedition Medical firmly believes in being direct and factual regarding medical information and scenarios to best prepare students for real-world situations. This course is not a checkbox - it's a toolbox and framework for unexpected trauma. Allowance of minors under the age of 14 to participate in the course will be determined on a case-by-case basis and will always require written approval by a parent or guardian.
PREREQUISITES
All students must complete any online coursework in advance of attending class and provide either an email or print-out with proof of completion to their instructor prior to participating in the course.
CPR/AED certification is required for all Wilderness First Aid (WFA) and Advanced Wilderness First Aid (WAFA) courses. If a student is not certified, it is their responsibility to notify the instructor 40+ days prior to the course start so arrangements can be made to offer the CPR/AED additional service.
HARASSMENT
Harassment of any kind will not be tolerated by during courses or after course hours on the hosting property. It is your responsibility to report any misconduct to Southeast Expedition Medical as soon as reasonably possible. If you are suspected of harassing others you will be asked to leave and will forfeit course payment.
PHYSICAL CONTACT
Our scenarios are conducted with significant realism, and physical contact with other students and instructors will be required. This may include, but is not limited to, conducting patient assessments, splinting, carrying simulated patients or being carried, and more. Students and instructors are expected to maintain the concept of "medical touch" at all times when conducting patient assessments and care, and obtain consent prior to physically contacting any student or instructor. Violations of this rule are grounds for dismissal from the course.
DRUGS & ALCOHOL
No controlled substances (un-prescribed) or alcoholic beverages are permitted during course hours. Please save the party for after class. It is against our liability insurance to allow students to be under the influence during class. Known violation of this policy will result in immediate expulsion from the program and course payment will be forfeit.
MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE
Wilderness First Aid (WFA) and Advanced Wilderness First Aid (WAFA) courses are capped at 18 students. Having smaller course sizes ensures we are able to interact with and provide feedback for all students. CPR/AED additional service courses are capped at 12 students at this time due to available equipment.
COURSE COMPLETION
Students are required to attend all class sessions, skills practice, and scenarios. Students may not be absent more than 10% of the course hours. Review of missed curriculum is the student’s responsibility. Absences exceeding 10% of the course hours will result in failed certification with no refunds of course costs.
Students must successfully complete and demonstrate proficiency as outlined in the Wilderness Medicine Education Collaborative (WMEC) guidelines for certification.
PRODUCT AND RETAIL POLICIES
PRODUCT USE RESTRICTIONS
All med bags, gear, bags, and medical components purchased from Southeast Expedition Medical are only to be used by individuals suitably trained and qualified. By initiating a purchase from Southeast Expedition Medical, the buyer attests that they are suitably trained and qualified to possess and administer the purchased equipment under their level of training and scope of practice. Our stocked med bags are not packaged retail kits, rather, they are a collection of items intended for trained and experienced adventurers! The end user (customer) should always open packaging, supplement as needed based on level of training, re-pack, and ensure that they are familiar with the kit contents. Southeast Expedition Medical does not re-pack, alter, re-label, or otherwise interfere with FDA-registered packaging on medical devices sold. These devises are sold as obtained from their FDA-registered supplier. All stocked bag contents and components are available over-the-counter to retail customers.
PRODUCT SHIPPING & RETURNS
All orders on ready-made products can be expected to ship within 5 business days of the order being placed. Thank you for your patience - we are a small passion project with full-time day jobs. If we don't have a product in stock, we'll let you know prior to ordering and provide an estimated lead time.
All unopened and/or unused ready-made orders can be returned to us at the customer's shipping expense. Since many medical items are sterile and/or vacuum-packed, opening your order will negate your return. If you are not happy with your order, please contact us as soon as possible (prior to return) and we will do our best to make it right.
BUILT-TO-ORDER PRODUCTS
Any and all policies that apply to ready-made products will also apply to built-to-order products.
All built-to-order products are unique to your specifications and can require significant R&D time. When we provide a quote, we will include anticipated time and cost to produce and ship your order, as well as request a deposit for development of your item. Depending on the product, items will either be non-refundable or fully refundable minus your deposit. Whether or not your custom product can be returned will be determined based on whether Southeast Expedition Medical believes the product will qualify for resale. Unless otherwise specified by contract, Southeast Expedition Medical will own all designs, patterns, intellectual property, and prototypes of custom products. Southeast Expedition Medical retains the right to manufacture, sell, and market custom products as stocked items unless otherwise specified by contract.
LIMITED WARRANTY FOR SEWN GOODS
We stand behind our in-house manufactured goods and strive to create durable products that survive the rigors of caving. However, we are also cavers, and know too well that gear is destroyed in the cave environment very quickly. Due to this, we treat every warranty claim on a case-by-case basis. If you believe that one of our products has failed due to a manufacturing defect, please contact us to discuss repair or replacement. In general, we cannot replace gear that has failed due to excessive load, abrasion, hard use, and of course, misuse. As gear junkies ourselves, we would love to learn from mechanical failure so we can build stronger and more durable products.
WARRANTY AND LIABILITY
(The legal stuff)
Except as expressly set forth herein, Southeast Expedition Medical neither makes, nor shall have any liability under, any warranty, express or implied, including, without limitation, any warranties of merchantability or fitness for an intended use or purpose. No representations or warranties, express or implied, made by any representative, agent or employee of Southeast Expedition Medical which is not specifically set forth herein shall be binding upon Southeast Expedition Medical. Any claim not made in compliance herewith shall be deemed to have been waived. In no event shall Southeast Expedition Medical be liable to buyer with respect to any sales of products, whether under theories of contract, tort, indemnity, product liability, strict liability or otherwise, for any lost profits or special, consequential, incidental, punitive or exemplary damages, even if Southeast Expedition Medical has been apprised of the likelihood of such damages occurring.
Tourniquet & Hemostatics Replacement Guarantee
This guarantee is intended to remove cost concerns from patient care and encourage reporting of significant incidents so we, as a community, can better assess risk and outcomes in the future. Therefore, all policies related to this guarantee target those for whom cost is a significant concern or who may otherwise not submit a report.
This guarantee only applies to individuals. It does not apply to agencies, organizations, or groups for whom medical gear (including tourniquets and hemostatic agents or dressings) is an expected and recurring cost due to the nature of their activities (i.e. fire departments, police departments, hospitals and clinics, ambulance fleets, rescue units, etc).
This guarantee only applies to the following products (when directly purchased from Southeast Expedition Medical):
- SWAT-T tourniquet
- CAT tourniquet
- EDQ-wide tourniquet
- QuikClot, and other hemostatic gauze/dressings
- Chest Seals
Individuals desiring to be included in this policy must contact us and include the following in their request:
- Name
- Shipping Address
- Date of Original Purchase
- Order Number*
- Copy of Incident Report
- Proof of submission to governing agency
*If you purchased your product at the 2024 NSS Convention prior to issuance of Order Numbers, please state this in your request.
