WILDERNESS MEDICINE
Wilderness Medicine differs significantly from standard Red Cross courses and other programs that are oriented toward the urban environment. This course teaches what to do with a medical emergency when help is miles away and calling 911 isn’t an option. We prepare students for emergency situations that involve prolonged patient care, severe environments and improvised equipment.

WHY CHOOSE WILDERNESS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES®?
Wilderness Medical Associates® has been setting the highest standard for medical training in wilderness and rescue medicine since 1981. We are the only company in this field with a practicing emergency room physician as President and Medical Director. Dr. David Johnson’s nearly 30 years of emergency medical and backcountry experience provide a depth of expertise that translates into a cutting edge curriculum.

Our team of exceptional instructors are medical professionals with significant patient care experience as well as substantial backcountry resumes. All have been through a rigorous selection and training process. We demand the best, and we get them.

The curriculum is continuously updated and refined. We search the literature and draw from field experience to create the most useful training possible for medical care in difficult and dangerous places. Our emphasis on understanding body systems and medical principles gives students the skills and confidence to adapt and respond. Once an individual has taken one of our courses, he or she will remember and understand what needs to be done.

In addition to the regularly sponsored courses, we run our programs in conjunction with medical schools and residencies in the US and Canada. These include the Michael G. DeGroote and Northern Ontario Schools of Medicine and the Montana and Central Maine Medical Center Family Medicine Residencies.

Our courses are preferred by such organizations as Outward Bound, The National Park Service, and the FBI. As Canoe Magazine stated,“Wilderness Medical Associates has become the de facto standard in wilderness medical training.”

CLASS FORMAT
This 36-hour, 4-1/2 day long course focuses on wilderness and rescue medicine for advanced level practitioners. Upon receipt of a course roster from the sponsor, pre-course Study Guides will be mailed to students two to four weeks prior to the first day of the course.Each participant is asked to take an on-line pretest and complete case study assignments prior to the beginning of the course. Generally the mornings are devoted to homework review and lectures while the afternoons focus on skill stations and patient scenarios. Skill labs include basic and advanced airway techniques and equipment, cardiovascular emergencies, and wound management. There will be videotaped scenarios using moulaged patients; one of these is done at night.

PREREQUISITES
Participants must be ALS trained with current certification, i.e.: EMT-P and ALS trained EMT-I, Physician Assistant (PA), Registered Nurse (RN), or Physician (MD or DO). Others admitted on a case-by-case basis.

COURSE SPONSORS AND INSTRUCTORS
Wilderness Medical Associates’® courses are offered by a variety of sponsors in the US and abroad. Sponsors may set rules regarding parking, dogs, the use of alcohol, and other site-specific issues. The course sponsor sets the tuition and provides the classroom and any housing or meals that may be included. All courses are taught by WMA™ instructors who have been through our rigorous selection and training process and adhere to our course standards and curriculum.

TEXTBOOKS
All teaching materials are provided by Wilderness Medical Associates® at no additional cost. This includes a book of lecture handouts, our case study workbook, SOAP notes, our textbook, Wilderness and Rescue Medicine and The Wilderness Medical Associates Field Guide.

COMPLETION AND GRADES
Certification requires 100% attendance, satisfactorily completing all homework assignments, course participation in all didactic and practical components including simulations, and the final examination. Wilderness Medical Associates® is committed to making reasonable accommodation to any student with special needs.

CERTIFICATION AND CEUs AVAILABLE
All participants who successfully complete the WALS® course will receive a certification card from Wilderness Medical Associates®.

For physicians, this activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of CMMC and WMA®. CMMC is accredited by the Maine Medical Center’s Council for Continuous Medical Education and Accreditation to provide continuing medical education for physicians. CMMC designated this educational activity for a maximum of 36 hours of Category I credits toward the AMA Physician’s Recognition Award or State of Maine licensure. Each physician should claim only those credits he or she actually spent in the activity. In Canada, this program meets the accreditation criteria of the College of Physicians of Canada and has been accredited for up to 36.0 Mainpro-MI credits.

Paramedics and intermediates are eligible for 36 Advanced Level continuing education hours from the Continuing Education Coordinating Board for Emergency Medical Services (CECBEMS).

Nurses will receive 36 contact hours.  These credits are awarded through Central Maine Healthcare, an approved provider of continuing education activity by ANA-Maine, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation

RECERTIFICATION
Although we do not have a WALS® recertification course yet, we encourage our graduates to return in 3-4 years to refresh skills and knowledge and be updated on the latest advances.

WHAT TO BRING
Bring appropriate clothing for the location and time of year. Remember that, rain or shine, much of our time is spent outside. Bring your personal first aid kit if you would like to review the contents and organization with the instructors and other participants. See our Student Handbook and speak with the sponsor for more information.

WALS® COURSE SCHEDULE
Day 1: 8 hours - Logistics and Introduction; General Concepts in Wilderness Medicine; Roles and Responsibilities; Patient Assessment; Critical System Problem Recognition Drill; Critical System Summary; Spine

Day 2: 8.5 hours - Homework Review; Musculoskeletal; Limb Splinting; Dislocation Reduction Demo and Practice; Skin, Soft Tissues and Burns; SAR/Organization; Small Group BLS Simulations

Day 3: 9 hours - Homework Review; Thermoregulation; Cold Injuries; Altitude; ALS Treatments and Meds; Appropriate Technology; ALS Tools and Medications; Night Simulation

Day 4: 8.5 hours - Homework Review; Expedition Practitioner/Backcountry medicine; Toxins; Bites and Stings; Lightning; Near Drowning; Diving

Day 5: 6 hours - Homework Review; Summary for the Course; Medical Legal; First Aid Kits; Wrap-Up; Final Exam

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