Courses

Travel Medicine First Aid

Developed as a collaborative effort between Wilderness Medical Associates International and Habitat for Humanity to meet the medical needs of international remote program sites. This program has evolved to encompass medical response, risk reduction, and hazard identification in low to middle income countries for North American volunteer and study abroad groups. The design of this course is not to replace a travel medical clinic consultation, but instead to enhance a group’s ability to prepare, mitigate, and respond to medical emergencies while abroad.

Wilderness First Aid Field Services

 

The only Wilderness First Aid course that meets the specific needs of industry, technical, research, and field support employees in remote areas.

The 24-hour Wilderness First Aid for Field Services course provides first aid for industrial, technical, and field support staff in remote areas. Although the fundamental medical portion of this course is similar to those in a WMA International Wilderness First Aid course, the applied context is different.

Wilderness Medical Elective

A medical school elective designed for med students who are interested in learning about applications and research for remote and untraditional patient care contexts.

The patient assessment, including history and physical examinations and the subsequent formulation of a reasonable problem list and treatment plan, should be the fundamental tool for evaluating sick or injured patients. Unfortunately, this skill set is too often relegated in favor of technological diagnostic tools. The wilderness setting offers a unique opportunity to learn and practice these fundamental skills. Wilderness practitioners are oftentimes forced to make important and difficult decisions based on limited technology and improvised equipment. Our goal is to teach practical patient evaluations and treatments and focus on topics that are not routinely emphasized in medical school curricula.

Wilderness First Aid

 

The best and most comprehensive course of its kind to offer relevant and realistic first-aid training for seasonal outdoor activities or short term wilderness endeavors and pursuits.

Wilderness First Aid is a two-day introduction to general medical concepts and basic life support skills. It is targeted to the outdoor enthusiast on day trips or short adventures. The course is taught by professional instructors with significant patient care and backcountry experience.

Wilderness Advanced First Aid

 

An entry-level course designed for professionals working in significantly remote settings for days or weeks. 

Wilderness Advanced First Aid is comprehensive medical training designed for remote professionals or wilderness leaders who venture into and challenging remote environments. Wilderness Medicine differs significantly from standard first aid courses and other training that are oriented toward urban environments. This course teaches how to manage medical emergencies when hospitals and rescue services may not be available for an extensive time period. We prepare students for emergency situations that involve prolonged patient care, severe environments, and improvised equipment.

Bridge (WAFA to WFR)

The WAFA to WFR Bridge course upgrades the Wilderness Advanced First Aid to a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) in 4 days. This course must be taken within 3 years of receiving the WMA International WAFA certification or an equivalent from another provider. The WFR is the definitive medical training course for all outdoor professionals and enthusiasts. This course may be used as a recertification for those holding a current WFR certification or equivalent from another provider whose original WFR training was at least 64 hours in length. Current WMA International Wilderness EMTs may also use this course to recertify the wilderness portion of their certification.

Wilderness First Responder

The definitive wilderness course in medical training, leadership, and critical thinking for outdoor, low-resource, and remote professionals and leaders.

The Wilderness First Responder program is the ideal medical training for leaders in remote areas including outdoor educators, guides, military, professional search and rescue teams, researchers, and those involved in disaster relief. The curriculum is comprehensive and practical. It includes the essential principles and skills required to assess and manage medical problems in isolated and extreme environments for days and weeks if necessary.

Wilderness First Responder 5-Day

Wilderness First Responder (WFR) is the definitive course in medical training for outdoor educators, guides, SAR team members, and others who work or play in remote areas. The curriculum is comprehensive and practical, including all of the essential principles and skills required to assess and manage medical problems in isolated and extreme environments. The 5-day format is for individuals and sponsors with less time available for on-site training and requires 25 hours of pre-course preparation.

Offshore Emergency Medicine

Offshore Emergency Medicine offers relevant and practical training for the largest and most remote wilderness on earth. As with all of our courses, we emphasize the understanding of body systems and principles of care to best prepare the medical officer to improvise and adapt to the infinite variety of challenges that the open sea can present. It is designed for voyaging sailors as well as professional mariners. Classroom instruction is tied to the student’s own experience through the liberal use of case studies, scenarios, and hands-on assessment problems in a marine context. Upon completion, students will earn a Wilderness First Aid certification. Previous medical training is not required.
36 Hours

EMT + W

This is a full DOT Emergency Medical Technician program followed by a WEMT Upgrade course. The training will satisfy eligibility requirements for the National Registry, State and WEMT certification. Training will take place daily, Monday through Friday, for four weeks.

Wilderness Advanced Life Support

Training for physicians, residents, and other advanced care medical practitioners. This program provides effective education in the application of critical thinking and techniques for use in low resource settings.

The Wilderness Advanced Life Support (WALS) is WMA International’s most advanced level course. Our 4.5 day (36-hour) course is open to certified or licensed advanced level medical practitioners involved in rescue, mass casualty, and remote outdoor environments or urban areas in disaster or crisis. This constantly-evolving course is highlighted by discussions of new and innovative ideas and the appropriate application of technologies. The learning environment is challenging, stimulating, and fun.

Wilderness EMT Upgrade

Training for medical personnel who would like to enhance their skills and experience for use in the rural, wilderness, and technical rescue setting. This course is popular with all levels of medical professionals but primarily geared toward pre-hospital EMS providers.

The WEMT curriculum builds on EMS training and expertise to meet the special challenges of the remote and unconventional environment. It is designed for medical personnel working in rural EMS, search and rescue, law enforcement, disaster response, and on wilderness expeditions. Like all WMA International training, it represents the best application of the available science balanced by considerable clinical experience and the reality of providing medical care in difficult and dangerous places.

Open Recertification

The Open Recertification course is open to graduates of all wilderness medical training courses of 64 hours or longer with a current Wilderness First Responder certification. Successful graduates of this course will receive Wilderness Medical Associates’ Wilderness First Responder, Anaphylaxis, and BLS/Healthcare Provider-level CPR certifications. WMA WEMT graduates with a current EMT-B or Paramedic certificate may also recertify the wilderness portion of their WEMT with this course.