Global Health, Wilderness & Travel Medicine

Course Info

This course is designed to strengthen the skills and knowledge base of medical professionals who work or travel to resource limited regions of the world. 

Over the past ten years there has been a dramatic increase in travel to the developing world, both by individuals participating in wilderness activities and by health professionals wishing to work/volunteer in developing nations. This course updates health care providers on new advances in the core material in the fields of global health, travel health and wilderness medicine. It focuses on enabling participants to safely travel to remote destinations, provide effective humanitarian assistance and sustained global health, and to counsel others who wish to do the same. 

COURSE TOPICS

This course is an overview of core topics in global health, wilderness & travel medicine. This course is broken into the following three sections. Upon completion of the course, the participants will be able to:

Section1: Travel Medicine Objectives: 

  • Describe core concepts in travel medicine and how to stay healthy abroad: travel immunization, medical insurance, safety.
  • List prevention & treatment of common vector-borne diseases: malaria, dengue, chikungunya. 
  • Define the basic principles of food precautions & treatment options for traveler’s diarrhea. 
  • Describe five methods for in-the-field water disinfection.
  • Discuss the core components of a backcountry/expedition medical kit .

Section 2: Wilderness Medicine Objectives:

  • Describe prevention & treatment of heat and cold related injuries: hyperthermia disorders, primary and secondary hypothermia, frostbite, and non-freezing cold injuries.  
  • Understand the pathophysiology of acute mountain sickness, high altitude pulmonary edema and high-altitude cerebral edema, and current concepts for various prevention and treatment options. 
  • Discuss the prevention and treatment current concepts for lightning injuries.

Section 3: Global Health Objectives:

  • Outline core concepts in providing effective and efficient global health and humanitarian medical assistance in resource limited settings.
  • Understand the medical advances in 21st Century global health. 
  • Learn how to identify, evaluate and select medical volunteering positions in the developing world. 
  • Explain how population growth and global warming effect the health of developing world populations.

Target Audience

The course is designed for medical professionals and healthcare providers who plan to work or volunteer in the fields of global health and humanitarian medicine. This course will be applicable to the following medical professionals:

  • Specialty Physicians
  • Non-specialty Physicians
  • Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners
  • Nurses
  • First Responders 
  • Wilderness and Emergency Medical Technicians
  • Paramedics 
  • Military medical personnel

CME Accreditation

Physician (MD,DO) & Advanced Practitioners (NP/PA) CME 

“This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of the Wilderness Medical Society and MedTreks International. The Wilderness Medical Society is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
 The Wilderness Medical Society designates this hybrid activity for a maximum of 12 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits TM.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.”
All education content presented in this activity has been reviewed and validated as appropriate in keeping with sound scientific principles.
The faculty and staff involved with this hybrid activity have signed disclosure statements indicating they have no conflicts of interest or relevant financial relationships with any commercial interest with respect to this course content.

Nursing Continuing Education

All of our courses are approved for nursing continuing education. Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider # CEP16597, for 12 contact hours”. 

 

CME Accreditation WMS

Make a Difference

Over the past twenty years there has been a dramatic increase in travel to the developing world by health professionals wishing to work and/or volunteer in developing nations.

As medical professionals, we have a unique skillset, one that we can bring anywhere in the world to help individuals and communities who have less resources.

This course updates health care providers on new advances and resources in the fields of global health and humanitarian medicine. It focuses on enabling participants to provide medically and cost effective humanitarian assistance and to design and implement sustainable global health programs in the developing world.

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