Host an International Wilderness Life Support Course
Bring hands-on wilderness medicine and global health training to your community.
MedTreks is a high-touch adventure travel and medical education company built by healthcare professionals. We design carefully curated trips, retreats, and courses with trusted partners, strong attention to safety and comfort, and a team that stays involved before, during, and after each experience.
The International Wilderness Life Support course, or IWLS, is MedTreks’ signature wilderness and austere medicine training for healthcare professionals. It combines online learning, practical skills, scenario-based training, and real-world case discussions to help participants feel more prepared to care for patients in remote, resource-limited, and unpredictable settings.
Through our IWLS hosting and licensing program, medical schools, residency programs, universities, hospitals, global health organizations, and educational groups can bring this course to their own community with support from the MedTreks team.
What is IWLS
The International Wilderness Life Support (IWLS) Certification Course is a comprehensive wilderness and global health medicine curriculum developed by MedTreks International in partnership with experienced wilderness medicine educators and field providers.
IWLS combines evidence-based wilderness medicine education with practical, real-world application in austere and international settings.
The course is designed specifically for healthcare professionals and advanced medical learners who want to build confidence practicing medicine outside of traditional clinical environments.
Topics Commonly Covered Include:
- Wilderness patient assessment & decision making
- Altitude illness
- Heat and cold injuries
- Wilderness trauma & evacuation
- Water purification & field hygiene
- Travel medicine
- Tropical & infectious diseases
- Humanitarian & global health medicine
- Improvised medical care in resource-limited settings
- Expedition medicine principles
- Environmental emergencies
- Leadership and communication in austere environments
IWLS blends:
- Online pre-course learning
- Interactive lectures
- Scenario-based training
- Hands-on practical skills
- Small-group discussion
- Real-world case studies from the field
The result is an educational experience that feels highly engaging, practical, and relevant for today’s healthcare professionals.
IWLS offers:
- Up to 28 hours of Category 1 CME
- Accreditation through the Wilderness Medical Society
- Educational content designed by experienced wilderness medicine clinicians and educators
The course can also support:
- Residency education
- Fellowship training
- Nursing and APP education
- Global health programs
- Outdoor leadership programs
- Expedition preparation
- Faculty development initiatives
Who Can Host an IWLS Course?
One of the strengths of IWLS is its flexibility. The course can be adapted to a wide range of educational settings and communities.
IWLS Hosts May Include:
- Medical schools
- Nursing schools
- PA programs
- Residency programs
- Fellowship programs
- Universities
- Wilderness medicine interest groups
- Outdoor education organizations
- Hospitals and healthcare systems
- Global health organizations
- Search and rescue groups
- Expedition and guiding organizations
- International medical programs
- Conferences and educational retreats
Whether you are looking to host a small local course or integrate IWLS into a larger educational initiative, our team works closely with each partner to help customize the experience for your audience.
Why Bring IWLS to Your Community?
1. Offer Education That Feels Relevant & Inspiring
Today’s healthcare professionals are craving education that goes beyond passive conference rooms and slide decks.
IWLS creates an active, engaging learning environment where participants gain practical skills they can immediately apply in:
- Travel medicine
- Rural healthcare
- Emergency response
- Humanitarian work
- Outdoor leadership
- Expedition medicine
- Global health settings
Participants consistently describe the course as one of the most memorable and meaningful educational experiences of their careers.
2. Build Community Through Shared Experience
One of the most powerful aspects of IWLS is the sense of connection it creates.
The course encourages collaboration, teamwork, problem solving, and discussion in dynamic environments that naturally bring people together.
Programs often find that IWLS strengthens:
- Peer connection
- Leadership development
- Faculty engagement
- Interdisciplinary collaboration
- Confidence in high-pressure situations
3. Expand Your Program’s Educational Offerings
Adding an IWLS course can help your institution:
- Differentiate your program
- Attract adventure-minded learners
- Strengthen wilderness or global health tracks
- Enhance experiential learning opportunities
- Provide high-value CME or CE opportunities
- Create unique recruitment and retention advantages
4. Flexible Licensing & Support
MedTreks provides licensed partners with:
- Complete course curriculum
- Instructor resources
- Online educational modules
- Teaching materials and presentations
- Administrative support
- CME coordination pathways
- Course setup guidance
- Ongoing collaboration and mentorship
Our goal is to help institutions deliver a high-quality course experience while maintaining flexibility for their own community and educational goals.
At MedTreks International, wilderness medicine and global health are central to the way we teach, travel, and design our courses.
For more than a decade, MedTreks has created educational travel experiences for healthcare professionals focused on:
- Wilderness medicine
- Global health
- Expedition medicine
- Wellness and resilience
- Adventure-based learning
Our faculty and instructors bring real field experience as:
- Wilderness medicine educators
- Medical providers
- Expedition leaders
- Global health practitioners
- Outdoor professionals
IWLS grew from years of hands-on experience teaching medicine in remote, resource-limited, and international settings.
Interested in Hosting an IWLS Course?
We would love to learn more about your institution, community, and educational goals.
Whether you are exploring a single pilot course, annual programming, student-focused education, residency integration, global health curriculum expansion, conference-based offerings, or international programming, our team is happy to discuss what an IWLS partnership could look like for your organization.
Reach out to us at info@medtreks.com to learn more about licensing opportunities, course formats, instructor pathways, and hosting options.