Wilderness Medicine
Wilderness medicine courses are designed to give you the medical skills, technical skills, and decision-making skills to respond to an incident in the backcountry. Outdoor Pursuits at the University of Portland is a provider school of Desert Mountain Medicine curriculum, one of the premier wilderness medicine education schools, to meet all Wilderness Medicine Education Collaborative standards in teaching Wilderness First Aid and Wilderness First Responder courses.
These courses are open to the UP community and also to the general community. To learn more about the differences in time commitment and skills taught between Wilderness First Aid and Wilderness First Responder Classes, please read more below about each individual offering.
Wilderness First Aid Courses
Upcoming Dates: July 11-12th and September 28th-29th, 2024
Content Overview:
- Urban vs Wilderness Medicine
- Intro To Wilderness Recreation Law & Liability
- Basic Wilderness Medicine Guidelines
- Intro To Wilderness Risk Management
- Patient Assessment
- Basic Life Support
- Basic Traumatic Injuries
- Red Flag Backcountry Medical Problems
- Wilderness Anaphylaxis Training
- Basic Environmental Medicine
- Intro To Backcountry Communication Devices
- Basic Documentation
- Basics Of Calling A Rescue
This is a two-day, 16-hour course, 8 A.M.-6P.M. each day. Participants should expect a mix of classroom instruction, hands-on learning, and scenario-based practice for the wilderness first aid skills they are learning. This course is indented for the outdoor recreational and is a good introduction to wilderness medicine and basic life support skills. If you're interested in a course geared towards the outdoor professional, please look into our Wilderness First Responder offerings.
This course is $225 for UP students, staff, and alum. This course is $295 for the general non-UP community. Please email pickens@up.edu with any questions.
University of Portland Community: Register Here
Non-University of Portland Community Members: Email pickens@up.edu to register
Wilderness First Responder Courses
Upcoming Dates: August 19th-23rd, 2024
Content Overview
- Urban Vs Wilderness Medicine
- Wilderness Medicine Guidelines
- Wilderness Recreation Law & Liability
- Wilderness Anaphylaxis Training
- Genitourinary Issues
- Mental Health Illnesses
- Complex Environmental Medicine
- Patient Assessment
- Basic Life Support
- Airway Management & Adjuncts
- Backcountry Communication Devices
- Professionally Calling A Rescue
- Basic Vs Expedition First Aid Kits
- Improvised Litters
- Professional Incident Documentation
- Micromedics
- Complex Traumatic Injuries
- Dislocations
- Spine Injury Management
- Complex Backcountry Medical Problems
- Backcountry Medication Management
- Incident Management
- Leadership & Critical Thinking During An Incident
- Complex Night Scenario Simulation
- Psychological First Aid
This is a five-day, 50 hour course, 8 a.m-6P.M. each day with an additional night scenario requirement on the fourth day. There is 30 hours of mandatory online pre-work that must be completed with an 80 percent pass rate prior to the beginning of the course. Participants should expect a mix of classroom instruction, hands-on learning, and scenario-based practice for the wilderness first aid skills they are learning. This course is the standard for those working in the outdoor industry in a professional capacity- if you're interested in a certification more for the general outdoor recreationalist, please look into our Wilderness First Aid offerings.
This course is $825 for UP students, staff, and alum. This course is $875 for the general non-UP community. Please email pickens@up.edu with any questions.
University of Portland Community: Register Here
Non-University of Portland Community Members: Email pickens@up.edu to register
Additional Program Policies
- University of Portland and Desert Mountain Medicine staff reserve the right to dismiss anyone from the course who has not done the assigned pre-work
- University of Portland Outdoor Pursuits has a zero harassment and discrimination policy. University of Portland and Desert Mountain Medicine staff reserve the right to dismiss anyone from the course for behavioral reasons at their discretion. This is including, but not limited to: threatening behavior, aggressions, harassment and discrimination.
- Two weeks or more before the start date of a program, participants can receive a transfer credit for the amount that they paid for the program- no refunds are given. Two weeks or less before the start date of a program, no transfer credits or refunds are given.
