Advanced Wilderness Life Support

Wilderness Medicine CME Course & Certification

A certification course designed for medical professionals who love adventuring in the outdoors, traveling, and/or medical volunteering in remote settings.

Learn hands-on medical skills that you can take anywhere in the world. 

Course Description:

  • Earn your certificate in Wilderness Life Support for the Medical Professional WLS:MP (formerly AWLS)
  • Learn the latest practical hands-on wilderness medicine skills for patient assessment, treatment & evacuation protocols
  • Practice your skills in live scenarios with our expert instructors
  • Obtain up to 24.5 hrs of category 1 CME
  • Receive Wilderness Medical Society Fellowship credits

Hybrid Learning Format

Hybrid AWLS Course

The hybrid AWLS course is an exciting new format that provides you with 12 online wilderness medicine modules that you will have access to for three months and can study at your own time. After the didactic portion, we host our AWLS courses in epic locations that allow you to practice skills, ask questions, and meet other like-minded medical professionals, all while enjoying the outdoors and participating in some incredible adventures.

Course Objectives:

To provide a practical foundation in Wilderness Medicine for medical professionals. This course covers patient assessment in remote settings and treatment guidelines for life support until definitive care or evacuation is available. Medical professionals get the opportunity to step away from the comfort of their own hospitals/clinics and learn skills that they can use in any setting. The course is fun, dynamic, and empowering.

Topics include:

  • Patient assessment
  • Trauma
  • Medical problems
  • Infectious disease
  • Head, ear, eye, nose, throat & skin conditions
  • Animal & insect bites
  • Musculoskeletal Injuries
  • Wound management
  • Water treatment
  • Hyperthermia, hypothermia & frostbite
  • Medical kits
  • Lightning
  • High altitude illness (HACE, HAPE)
  • Dive Medicine

Continuing Education Credits:

The Wilderness Medical Society designates this hybrid activity consisting of both online education and in-person practical skills for a maximum of 24.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

AWLS: Hands-on, skills-based, adventure packed.

Most of our AWLS courses are hosted as part of one of our adventure trips. We have learned that combining online lectures with hands-on skills in a wilderness setting provides a unique learning opportunity that is much more practical. In additional the wilderness medicine skills participants will also learn a variety of outdoor skills pertinent to the specific adventure trip such as swift water safety, rescue, survival & navigation. We hope to see you on a future AWLS adventure!

AWLS Course

More about AWLS

Wilderness Medicine for Medical Professionals

Hands-on Practical Training 

Learn to treat the most common injuries and illnesses encountered in the wilderness through lectures, practical skills training, and treatment of mock victims.

Continuing Education Credit

The AWLS course is approved for up to 24.5 hours of continuing education credits through the Wilderness Medical Society.

Credits earned also apply toward the Fellow in the Academy of Wilderness Medicine

Live and Online Training

Choose a live conference with lectures and practical skills or a hybrid course with online learning and live practical skills teaching.