Outdoor Emergency Care, known best by the acronym OEC, is the baseline medical curriculum that every ski patroller attains when joining National Ski Patrol. The NH Region OEC program oversees the quality, consistency, and continuity of the educational curriculum and its practical application on the slopes of New Hampshire ski areas.

NH Region teaches the full 110-hour OEC course generally during the autumn months, every odd-numbered year. Entry to the course is limited to the first 20 students and often overfills ten months in advance. The best strategy for getting a spot in the course is to contact your local resort Patrol Director and become a candidate patroller during the ski season. Many member patrols teach their own OEC courses during the even-numbered years. If you want to patrol, contact the NH Region OEC Administrator and the best time to do that is in the spring to be ready for the next ski season.

For existing medical professionals, such as EMT’s, Nurses and Physicians, NH Region holds OEC Challenge Exams. Medical professionals are required to attend orientation sessions to qualify for the challenge. Contact your local PD or EMAIL the Region OEC Administrator directly.

or Enhancing the skills of Decision Making, Problem Management and Leadership

OEC Module of the SENIOR PROGRAM is a nation wide educational training program designed to helps existing NSP members develop management skills to aid in the performance of their duties. Completing this training is one component of the multiple components required to attain the level of Senior Patroller, or full SENIOR status as Senior Alpine Patroller, or Senior Nordic Patroller.

National Ski Patrol’s “Senior Alpine Program” is designed for members who aspire to perform at the upper levels of skiing/snowboarding, emergency care proficiency, toboggan handling and other skills used while patrolling. In addition, the program prepares patrollers for leadership roles within the NSP. Similarly, the “Senior Nordic Program” prepares patrollers specializing in nordic oriented activities. Patrollers who concentrate their focus on emergency medical management activities use the OEC Module of the Senior Program to move onward toward leadership roles.

The Senior OEC Program is a national education opportunity that allows members to participate in ski patrol-relevant exercises that are designed to develop and enhance the skills of “Decision Making, Problem Management, and Leadership” as applied to managing complex emergency care situations in a typical ski patrol environment. The purpose is to build-on but not duplicate the Outdoor Emergency Care Program. Senior level OEC training provides an opportunity for senior candidates to gain new and different perspectives on their own style of leadership in more challenging emergency medical situations.

Training is an essential part of the program. Senior candidates are expected to spend a significant amount of time reviewing senior criteria and using the required knowledge and skills to practice scenarios on challenging, senior level terrain under various conditions in the patrolling environment. Senior candidates are encouraged to take advantage of clinics in which they receive constructive and corrective feedback on their performance.