Cinchona.org has some great information on the subjects of wilderness/expedition medicine and travel health. One of their new articles is about the NAU (Northern Arizona University) Outdoors Section classes in Wilderness Advanced Life Support, from the University of Utah School of Medicine and Wilderness Medicine.
For those of you in the medical professions, this class is similiar to ACLS (advanced cardiac life support), PALS (pediatric advanced life support) or ATLS (advanced trauma life support) but with the wilderness health care provider in mind. The University of Utah School of Medicine was that first place to offer a class like this, including the certificate of training, which is good for 4 years. They started this concept back in 1997.
The class looks great, from what I have seen. I am currently looking at my schedule to arrange some time to get out and take a class!
The curriculum can be viewed on their site and includes didactic lectures, hands-on skills and a written exam, at the end. If you are looking for some serious training in the discipline of wilderness medicine, this should be your class. For those professional health care providers, here is an opportunity to include a certification and earn some CME.
The classes even offer credit towards the Wilderness Medical Society’s program of earning a Fellowship in Wilderness Medcine, through the Academy of Wilderness Medicine, designated FAWM (fellow academy of wilderness medicine).