How to Become a Ranger
This is not an easy, quick award to earn. It will take planning, time, initiative, and plenty of hard work. It will probably take you over a year to complete all the requirements, but that too will speak to your determination and staying power, two more attributes of a Ranger.
There are two types of requirements: Core requirements and Electives
In the core area, you will achieve a high level of proficiency in the areas of:
| First Aid | Leave No Trace |
| Wilderness Survival | Cooking |
| Emergency Preparedness | Land Navigation |
| Communications | Conservation |
Note:
Venturers, who have received the Outdoor Bronze Award, need only
complete four of the core requirements and two electives to qualify for
the Ranger Award, since they already have completed four core requirements
and two electives already.
There are a variety of ways to approach these requirements. Many requirements you must do completely on your own. Others you might choose to do on your own or with others, such as scuba certification. Others your crew might decide to do as a crew, such as Project COPE. The key is to have a plan and to have initiative. Not everyone will be a Ranger; only those who are willing to learn, work hard, and meet the requirements will be known as Rangers.
You may work with outside consultants who have expertise in the area you are working in, such as a scuba dive instructor for the scuba diving requirement or a certified first aid instructor for the first aid requirement. However, you must have these consultants preapproved by your Advisor. Consultants may initial and date your Ranger Guidebook when you have completed the requirement.
Once you have completed a requirement, have your Advisor or the consultant who worked with you on your requirement initial and date your Ranger Guidebook. Then, when you complete all eight core requirements and at least four electives, have your Advisor review your completed requirements, certify your completion of the Ranger Award requirements, and order your Ranger Award.
Multiple Credit
You may receive multiple credit for requirements, such as using an American Red Cross Emergency Response Course for credit in the first aid core requirement and for the first aid and lifesaver electives. The only time you cannot receive multiple credit is when you are required to do a tabletop display or presentation. If a core requirement or elective requires you to do a tabletop display or presentation on a particular subject, then it must be done just on that subject, not two or more at a time.
Past Credit
All core requirements and electives require you to do work as a Venturer. As an example, you may have earned the Backpacking merit badge as a Boy Scout, but you must do all that is required in the Ranger backpacking elective as a Venturer. Some core requirements and electives require some type of certification, such as scuba Open Water Diver, Standard First Aid, or BSA Lifeguard. This certification may be used regardless of when you received it as long as the certification is still current.
Above information from Ranger Handbook (No. 33494C), 2006 printing.
