The BRAM Wilderness Medical Provider (WMP) certification is a 30 hour course designed to introduce medical providers a broad array of topics within wilderness medicine, and teach the practical skills to care for patients in low-resource austere and wilderness environments. This course has been developed by fellowship trained experts in wilderness medicine and updated with the latest evidence-based wilderness medical research and information, including the Wilderness Medical Society (WMS) practice guidelines and other leading research.
The course follows a hybrid model, with online modules containing videos and supplementary readings, followed by a two-day hands-on learning model focusing on skills practice, workshops, and high fidelity scenario based education. For this course iteration the two days will be spent on a backpacking trip.
The WMP certification course builds on the more traditional medical skills taught in hospital, clinic, and EMS settings and goes beyond to provide the knowledge and skills needed to handle the unique situations encountered in the backcountry. These unique topics include trauma, environmental illnesses, diving injuries, toxicology, litters, carries, and extrication, as well as a systematic approach to patient assessment and treatment. Improvisation is an important and unique aspect of wilderness medicine, and candidates will be introduced to multiple ways to approach traditional skills such as splinting and patient movement/packaging with common outdoor equipment. Considerations for trip planning and wilderness survival will also be covered. This course utilizes lectures as well as extensive hands-on scenario based learning.
At the end of the of this course, participants will be able to demonstrated their skills and ability to improvise to provide high quality medical care in wilderness scenarios.
