Real-World, Hands-On Learning

IWLS is designed to move far beyond a traditional classroom experience. Participants spend time actively practicing the kinds of skills and decision-making that wilderness and austere environments demand — from spine stabilization on uneven terrain and hypothermia management to wound care, orthopedic injuries, improvised solutions, and patient evacuations. The goal is not simply to memorize information, but to build confidence through experience.

Designed for Remote & Resource-Limited Settings

Whether you are caring for patients on a mountain trail, during international travel, in rural communities, or in global health environments, IWLS focuses on practical medicine when resources, personnel, and evacuation options may be limited. The course emphasizes adaptability, critical thinking, and learning how to provide thoughtful care outside of ideal clinical conditions.

Evidence-Based Wilderness Medicine Education

Our curriculum is grounded in current wilderness medicine standards and informed by the latest best practices in the field, including educational principles supported by the Wilderness Medical Society. We are committed to delivering education that is both practical and academically strong.

A Meaningful Community of Healthcare Professionals

One of the most memorable parts of the IWLS experience is the people you meet along the way. Participants train alongside healthcare professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds who share a common interest in adventure, medicine, and lifelong learning. Many return year after year — not only to continue building skills, but because of the friendships, conversations, and sense of community that develop throughout the course.

Online Foundations

Complete pre-course modules covering:

• Patient assessment & C-spine updates
  
• Environmental illness (hypothermia, hyperthermia, altitude illness)
  
• Animal bites & stings
  
• Lightning
  
• Ocean and water medicine
  
• Travel medicine & global health principles
  
• Wilderness medical kits
  
• HEENTS in austere settings
  
• Wellness in the wilderness

These modules allow you to complete the education at your own pace and in your own setting, allowing you to digest the material prior to arriving for the hands-on skills portion of the course. 

 In-Person Skills Intensive

• Patient assessment in the field
  
• C-spine stabilization & patient movement
  
• Splinting & dislocation reduction principles
  
• Hypothermia packaging
  
• Wound care with limited resources
  
• Water disinfection
  
• Medical problem scenarios
  
• High-fidelity wilderness simulations
  
• Testing scenarios for certification