NOLS CME Expeditions for Medical Professionals

At the Wilderness Medical Society summer annual meeting, I chatted with Shana Tarter, who is affiliated with the Wilderness Medicine Institute (WMI) of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), headquartered in Lander, Wyoming. She informed me of an exciting program of WMI: Continuing Medical Education (CME) Expeditions for Medical Professionals.

WMI has recently finished its first program, held in the Wind River Mountains. Eight physicians spent a week hiking through the Wind Rivers, learning and practicing wilderness medicine, thereby building their outdoor skill base and learning about leadership.

In 2010, WMI will offer a series of wilderness medicine CME expeditions for medical professionals utilizing existing NOLS operational bases. According to Shana, these expeditions will offer a unique opportunity to learn wilderness medicine and decision-making in a true wilderness environment. In addition, participants will be exposed to the NOLS outdoor skills curriculum and its leadership curriculum. This trifecta of skills is intended to impart in participants the confidence to take other persons safely into the wilderness.

As of the time of this writing, expedition options for 2010 are:

Sailing in British Columbia, Canada May 8-15, 2010

Rafting the main Salmon River, Idaho July 9-17, 2010

Sea kayaking in Prince William Sound, Alaska July 10-17, 2010

Backpacking in the Wind River Range, Wyoming August 29 - September 5, 2010

Backpacking in the Galiuros, Arizona October 16-23, 2010

Details are available at: http://www.nols.edu/wmi/courses/wilderness_medicine_expeditions.shtml

photo of WME8/30 Wind River peak is by Maria Nemethy, MD

Tags: NOLS, WMI, CME, wilderness medicine, outdoor medicine, healthline