Wilderness Medicine Fellowship Curriculum

Overview and Goals

The goal of our Wilderness Medicine Fellowship program is to give you the skills and knowledge to become leaders in the field of Wilderness Medicine.

There are four components to the fellowship program:

1. Knowledge Base

Learn and understand the wealth of knowledge and its application to both basic and advanced wilderness and remote medical problems. You will be given monthly reading assignments as well as writing multiple choice questions to add to our Wilderness Medicine Question Bank. Must attend one WMS Annual Meetings (July or Feb.)

2. Hands-On Skills

Learn the hard skills needed to set up rescues through different electives based on the fellows area of interest. These may include: High
/ Low Angle Rescue, Avalanche Training, Swift Water Rescue, Climbing / Rescue Knots, Scuba and Hyperbaric Medicine, Splints & Carries. You will be evaluated on your expertise during your apprentice instructorship as an Advanced Wilderness Life Support (AWLS) instructor.

3. Research

Complete a wilderness medicine research project and/or scholarly activity. Attend our faculty development and departmental research meetings. The fellow will also be required to participate in our quarterly journal club activities.

4. Lecture/Teaching

Develop lecturing and teaching skills by creating a Wilderness Medicine lecture portfolio and contributing to the program’s educational mission. This may include medical student lectures, resident lectures and small group work-shops, Baystate Wild Med Interest Group lectures and work-shops, participating in various Wilderness Medicine conferences with Wild Med Adventures, and becoming certified as a Wilderness First Aid & Advanced Wilderness Life Support (AWLS) Instructor. Complete requirements for FAWM - Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine.

Required Activities

Requirements may include but aren't limited to:

  • Participate and help organize elective for medical students / AWLS conference
  • Search and Rescue - Baxter State Park, White Mountains, Green Mountains
  • Mt. Washington backcountry Ski Patrol, Vermont/Western Mass Ski Patrol
  • High Altitude experience on Mt. Elbrus, Aconcagua, Kilimanjaro, Himalayan Rescue Association
  • Dive/Hyperbaric Medicine
  • Swift Water Rescue
  • Attend at least one major national / international conference on Wilderness Medicine
  • Apply for FAWM, Fellowship in the Academy of Wilderness Medicine, WMS Society
  • At least 3 Core lectures to residents regarding wilderness medicine
  • Journal Review
  • Scholarly Project with focus on original research
  • Reading List

Download the reading assignments (pdf) for the Wilderness Medicine Fellowship

Curriculum

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