Training for medical personnel who would like to enhance their skills and experience for use in the rural, wilderness, and technical rescue setting. This 45 hour course is popular with all levels of medical professionals but primarily geared toward pre-hospital EMS providers. Like other 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.

Price: $1099

Where & When

Offered at the Maine Island Lodge in Friendship, Maine.

May 26th – 30th, 2023

Fall dates TBD, 2023

Important Information

Lodging, meals, boat transport, and use of recreational kayaks and paddle boards all included.

About the Course

This intensive course covers a wide spectrum of emergency care topics relative to wilderness medicine and caring for injuries and illnesses over prolonged periods of time. The course is a combination of discussions, practical stations and real-life simulations. This wilderness EMS upgrade introduces wilderness protocols that are approved by several federal and state EMS agencies. Topics include assessment and management of traumatic injuries such as fractures, burns and wounds; circulatory, nervous, and respiratory system problems; common injuries such as blisters, sprains and strains; medical problems such as anaphylaxis, toxins, altitude, hypothermia, hyperthermia, and infections; and use of improvised materials in remote situations. The course includes information on personal outdoor preparedness, accident management and prevention and introduces you to simple evacuation techniques. The course is concept based and offers a critical thinking approach vs protocol approach to emergency care practices. It is intended for people who may provide care in remote environments such as outdoor trip leaders, guides, search and rescue units, disaster response teams, rural ambulance squads, and backcountry rangers. Certification is through Wilderness Medical Associates International.

Length: 45 hour course

Prereqs: Certification as an EMT, AEMT or Paramedic. Nurses, advanced practitioners and physicians also frequently take and benefit from WEMS Upgrade courses.

Cert: 3 years

CEH: Forty five (45) hours of continuing education credits available through CAPCE for EMS providers.

We believe that whomever teaches the course has a huge effect on your preparedness to deliver critical medical treatment in the field.  This course is taught by Jon Tierney, owner of Acadia Mountain Guides. Jon is one of the nation’s most experienced wilderness medicine instructors with over 1500 teaching days and tons of real-life mountain and street rescue experience. He is a flight paramedic and an internationally licensed IFMGA mountain guide.