“The mountains are calling and I must go.

” –John Muir
• What is wilderness
medicine?
• How did it begin?
• What does it encompass?
• Why should I participate?
• How do I become involved?
• Can I complete a
fellowship?
• Wilderness: “a tract or
region uncultivated and
uninhabited by human
beings”(1)
• Medical care in a non-
medical setting
• Requires broad knowledge
• Encourages adaptation and
creativity
• The earliest human medicine was wilderness medicine.
(2)

• In the mid-1970s physicians and guides started meeting

to discuss “Mountain Medicine” topics.
• The Wilderness Medical Society was formed in 1983. (3)
• In 1990 the first edition of Wilderness & Environmental
Medicine was published.
• Wilderness medicine interest has grown every year.
• Wilderness medicine has expanded to sub-specialty
areas.
Includes aspects of (4):
•Mountain Medicine
•Disaster Medicine
•Marine Medicine
•Tactical Medicine
•Tropical Medicine
•International Travel
•Search and Rescue
• Altitude Disorders
• Cold injuries &
hypothermia
• Emergency airways
• Evacuation techniques
• Dive medicine
• Lighting injuries
• Wilderness trauma
• Envenomation
• Field dentistry
• Survival physiology
• Plant toxins and dermatitis
• To become a well-rounded physician
• To get a broader perspective of medicine
• To contribute to an emerging field of medicine
• To “Combine your profession with your
passion”™ (WMS)
• Join wilderness medicine organizations
• Wilderness Medical Society (WMS)
• ACEP, SAEM, EMRA Wilderness Medicine Sections
• Student Interest Groups
• Wilderness Electives
• Residency Specialty Track
• Local Outdoor Groups
• Research
• Wilderness Medicine
Conferences
• Advanced Wilderness Life
Support
• Wilderness Medicine
Institute of NOLS
• Wilderness Medical
Associates
• Diploma in Mountain
Medicine (DiMM)
 Formal Post-residency
Fellowships
• Massachusetts General
• Stanford
• University of Utah
• •
Denver Health
• USCF-Fresno
• SUNY Upstate
• University of New Mexico
• Medical College of Georgia
• Madigan Healthcare System
• Tufts University-Baystate
Fellow of the Academy of
Wilderness Medicine™ or FAWM
• Provided through WMS
• All medical professionals
100 credits over 5 years
• Core curriculum
• Experience credits
• May begin as a resident
• Wilderness Medicine is a broad field offering
countless exciting opportunities.
• There are multiple ways to get involved.
• Wilderness medicine training helps all physicians.
• Get out there and have fun.
• 1. Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Definition of Wilderness.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wilderness. Accessed July 24,
2012.
• 2. Auerbach, PS. Wilderness Medicine, 6th ed. Forward & Preface.
Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2012.
http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-1678-
8..00125-2&isbn=978-1-4377-1678-8&uniqId=347118921-2#4-u1.0-B978-
1-4377-1678-8..00125-2. Accessed July 24, 2012.
• 3. Barry, J and Erb, B. Wilderness Medical Society. Our History.
http://wms.org/about/history.asp. Accessed July 24, 2012.
• 4. Auerbach, PS. Wilderness Medicine, 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier;
2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-
4377-1678-8..C2009-0-39724-X--TOP&isbn=978-1-4377-1678-
8&about=true&uniqId=347118921-2. Accessed Jul 24, 2012.
• 5. Wilderness Medical Society. “Combine your profession with your
passion”™. http://www.wms.org. Accessed July 24, 2012.