Wilderness EMS Medical Director Course

Wilderness EMS Medical Director Course The first Wilderness EMS medical director training endorsed by both the National Association of EMS Physicians® and the Wilderness Medical Society.

The premier training program for healthcare providers involved in Wilderness EMS medical direction and oversight. As interest in outdoor sports grows, so do expectations for rescue services and the volume of EMS calls in wilderness (also known as austere or resource-deficient) areas. However, until now there has been no professional society-recognized training for physicians to provide this type o

f EMS oversight. Many physicians have extensive EMS training, but little wilderness medical experience. Similarly, many physicians have deep wilderness or wilderness medical training, but little exposure to the EMS operational environment or EMS oversight. To address this issue, the Wilderness EMS Medical Director Course™ was developed to support physicians and other healthcare providers tasked with providing medical oversight to EMS systems operating in a variety of wilderness environments. The Wilderness EMS Medical Director Course™ operates under the dual support of the National Association of EMS Physicians® and the Wilderness Medical Society™. This course will particularly appeal to physicians responsible for medical oversight of search and rescue teams, technical rescue teams, ski patrols, disaster teams, and EMS systems responding to remote or wilderness areas. However, a central tenet of the Course is that all operational areas may have characteristics of austere medical care at some time, and that medical directors need to be as flexible as field caregivers in addressing those situations. The course was designed by Michael Millin (immediate past medical director of the National Ski Patrol and Johns Hopkins University professor), Seth Collings Hawkins (medical director of Linville Gorge--the deepest gorge in the eastern USA--and course director of the Carolina Wilderness EMS Externship), and Will Smith (medical director of Grand Teton National Park, Teton County Search & Rescue, and National Park Service-SE AZ Group). The underlying curriculum was originally developed by a team lead by Millin using Delphi methodology for scientific rigor. Importantly, each of the founders is a member of both the National Association of EMS Physicians® and the Wilderness Medical Society, and both these professional organizations support the Course. As the first joint NAEMSP-WMS project, the Course thus represents an important historical installment in the development of Wilderness EMS as a medical subspecialty. The WEMS Medical Director Course® was first delivered in pilot form as a concurrent program at the Wilderness Medical Society Desert Medicine meeting (Tucson AZ) in November of 2011 to rave reviews. The Journal of EMS named the Course one of the "Top 10 EMS Innovations of 2011." Given the success of the pilot program, the Wilderness EMS Medical Director Course was incorporated as a non-profit organization in December of 2012. The first post-incorporation Course was offered as a preconference program at the National Association of EMS Physicians® Annual Conference (Bonita Springs FL) in January of 2013. Subsequent courses have been and continue to be held annually at NAEMSP and WMS meetings.

11/03/2024

For over 25 years, Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) guidelines have been described in the Journal of Special Operation Medicine,

10/20/2024

The following message comes from a CAWM Affiliate:

Introducing the Canadian Frostbite Care Network. Established in 2022, the CFCN is a dedicated group of Canadian healthcare providers and researchers committed to advancing frostbite care. Our mission is to modernize treatment by promoting the best medical evidence, fostering collaboration with frostbite experts, and supporting education for healthcare professionals and the public. Born from the Canadian Frostbite Collaborative research project, our network aims to enhance clinical care and research through effective information sharing. We are excited to expand our reach through knowledge exchange, research partnerships, community engagement, and global connections. Join us as we lead the way in improving frostbite care across Canada and beyond! 😁

Visit our new website at www.frostbitecare.ca

09/23/2024

The Wilderness Medical Society (WMS) convened an expert panel to develop a set of evidence-based guidelines for prevention and treatment of frostbite

Address

Post Office Box 1083
Morganton, NC
28680

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Wilderness EMS Medical Director Course posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Wilderness EMS Medical Director Course:

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Our Story

The premier training program for healthcare providers involved in wilderness EMS medical direction and oversight. As interest in outdoor sports grows, so do expectations for rescue services and the volume of EMS calls in wilderness (also known as austere or resource-deficient) areas. However, until now there has been no professional society-recognized training for physicians to provide this type of EMS oversight. Many physicians have extensive EMS training, but little wilderness medical experience. Similarly, many physicians have deep wilderness or wilderness medical training, but little exposure to the EMS operational environment or EMS oversight. To address this issue, the Wilderness EMS Medical Director Course™ was developed to support physicians and other healthcare providers tasked with providing medical oversight to EMS systems operating in a variety of wilderness environments. The Wilderness EMS Medical Director Course™ operates under the dual support of the National Association of EMS Physicians® and the Wilderness Medical Society™. This course will particularly appeal to physicians responsible for medical oversight of search and rescue teams, technical rescue teams, ski patrols, disaster teams, and EMS systems responding to remote or wilderness areas. However, a central tenet of the Course is that all operational areas may have characteristics of austere medical care at some time, and that medical directors need to be as flexible as field caregivers in addressing those situations. The course was designed by Michael Millin (immediate past medical director of the National Ski Patrol and Johns Hopkins University professor), Seth Collings Hawkins (medical director for teams responding to Linville Gorge--the deepest gorge in the eastern USA--and course director of the Carolina Wilderness EMS Externship as well as medical director of NC State Parks), and Will Smith (medical director of Grand Teton National Park, Teton County Search & Rescue, and National Park Service-SE AZ Group). The underlying curriculum was originally developed by a team lead by Millin using Delphi methodology for scientific rigor. Importantly, each of the founders is a member of both the National Association of EMS Physicians® and the Wilderness Medical Society, and both these professional organizations support the Course. As the first joint NAEMSP-WMS project, the Course thus represents an important historical installment in the development of wilderness EMS as a medical subspecialty. The WEMS Medical Director Course® was first delivered in pilot form as a concurrent program at the Wilderness Medical Society Desert Medicine meeting (Tucson AZ) in November of 2011 to rave reviews. The Journal of EMS named the Course one of the "Top 10 EMS Innovations of 2011." Given the success of the pilot program, the Wilderness EMS Medical Director Course was incorporated as a non-profit organization in December of 2012. The first post-incorporation Course was offered as a preconference program at the National Association of EMS Physicians® Annual Conference (Bonita Springs FL) in January of 2013. Subsequent courses have been and continue to be held annually at NAEMSP and WMS meetings, with the first course affiliated with the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) held in 2018.