Unlock Your Advanced Medical Expertise in Challenging Environments!

WALS is dedicated to harnessing the latest in medical knowledge and critical thinking. It is tailored for those operating in remote or resource-limited patient care settings. This specialized course was designed for advanced care medical practitioners by ALS Pactitioners. Wilderness Advanced Life Support is the pinnacle offering in Wilderness Medicine.

Advanced Exploration: Jump in to advanced medical care scenarios where resources are scarce and challenges are plenty. This course is meticulously crafted to empower medical practitioners with the skills needed to excel in extreme and unconventional settings.

Elevated Expertise: Geared towards certified or licensed advanced-level medical professionals who engage in or have an interest in rescue operations, mass casualty management, and providing care in remote outdoor or urban disaster environments.

Intensive Curriculum: 36-hour program is thoughtfully spread across 4.5 days to ensure immersive learning. From cutting-edge techniques to controversial discussions, you'll be exposed to the latest trends and technologies that shape modern medical practices.

Dynamic Learning: Experience a constantly evolving curriculum that stimulates your intellect and challenges your capabilities. Engage in robust debates, embrace new ideas, and discover how to apply them appropriately in complex medical situations.

Engaging Environment: Prepare to be captivated by a learning atmosphere that's both rigorous and enjoyable. This course isn't just education; it's an adventure that fuels your passion for medical excellence in the great outdoors.

Scientific Validity: All educational content in this program adheres to rigorous scientific principles. Every piece of knowledge you acquire is carefully reviewed and validated to ensure it aligns with the best practices in the field. 

Answer the Call: If you're a medical practitioner seeking to expand your expertise and make a significant impact in challenging situations, this course is your opportunity. Join forward-thinkers and pioneers in the medical field who are driven by a shared purpose.

Expertly Crafted Curriculum by Medical & Rescue Professionals

At the heart of our Wilderness Advanced Life Support (WALS) program lies a curriculum meticulously crafted by WMA’s in-house team of medical experts, rescue professionals, and dedicated researchers. WMA and Our commitment to excellence drives us to continuously explore and validate the most effective approaches to medicine and training in austere settings.

Rigorous Research, Solid Evidence: WMA takes pride in delving into the research, uncovering evidence, and building a foundation for their distinctive medical approach. The uniqueness of the program is grounded in the solid evidence uncovered, ensuring that every technique and strategy is thoroughly vetted.

Annual Updates for Cutting-Edge Learning: The WALS curriculum is more than just a course outline – it's a dynamic and evolving resource. Yearly updates keep it in sync with the latest advancements, ensuring that you're equipped with the freshest knowledge in the field.

Unrivaled Relevance and Peer Support: Our conviction in the WALS curriculum runs deep. We firmly believe it stands as the most relevant and peer-supported medical curriculum for remote and extreme environments globally. Join a community of professionals who trust and endorse our approach.

Example Outline:

Day 1 – Logistics and Introduction; General Concepts in Wilderness Medicine; Patient Assessment System (PAS) with drills; Critical Systems Summary; Anaphylaxis; Spine Assessment and Treatment with PAS Drills; Wrap-up

Day 2 – Homework Review; Pain Management; Musculoskeletal; Limb Splinting; Dislocation with Reduction Demos and Practice; Wounds/Burns; Thermoregulation; Small Group BLS Simulations; Wrap-up

Day 3 – Homework Review; Altitude; Cold Injuries; Lightning; Medical Aspects of Avalanche; ALS Tools/Appropriate Technology; SAR/Organization/Roles; Night Simulation

Day 4 – Homework Review; Drowning; SCUBA; Toxins/Vectors; Expedition Practitioner/Backcountry Medicine;

Day 5 - First Aid Kits; Medical Legal; Review; Wrap-up

Elevate Your Expertise: Enroll today to tap into a curriculum that is rooted in research, validated by peers, and designed to empower you in the most challenging medical scenarios. Your journey towards mastering medicine in remote settings starts here.

By the completion of this course participants should be able to:

Understand the challenges and limitations of working in a remote/resource challenged, patient care setting.

Explain principles of preventive care for patients and team members when faced by environmental challenges.

Perform an accurate patient assessment when access to advanced diagnostics are not available

Utilize useful medical and basic rescue equipment often available in a remote/resource challenged patient care setting.

Via case studies and in practice during patient-oriented drills, demonstrate decision making ability for treatments and evacuations in remote resource/challenged patient care settings.

Decide which medications and equipment that might be useful and appropriate in a variety of remote/resource challenged patient care settings.

This course has been approved for Fellowship in the Academy of Wilderness Medicine (FAWM) credits through the Wilderness Medical Society. Actual credits awarded depend on personal credit needs and history.

Pre-course Study Guides will be sent to learners two to four weeks prior to the first day of the course. Each participant is asked to take an online pretest and complete case study assignments prior to the beginning of the course. During the course, mornings are generally devoted to homework review and lectures while the afternoons focus on skill stations and patient scenarios. Skill labs include basic and advanced techniques and equipment for common problems as well as critical systems emergencies. There will be an ongoing dialogue about mission-specific, appropriate technology/medications for remote/resource challenged setting There will also be videotaped scenarios using moulaged patients; one of these is done at night.

Physicians, physician assistants, nurses and other ALS certified professionals may receive up to 36 hrs of AMA PRA Category I Credit through the Wilderness Medical Society.

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint providership of the Wilderness Medical Society and WMAI. The Wilderness Medical Society is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Wilderness Medical Society designates this educational activity for a maximum of 36 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits ™. Each physician should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nurses: Most State Boards of Registered Nurses accept AMA Category 1 Credit as meeting continuing education requirements for license renewal. Nurses should check with their state board regarding use of CME Credit.

Physician Assistants: The American Academy of Physician Assistants accepts Category 1 CME approval from organizations accredited by the ACCME.

Paramedics: The course is registered for 36 hours of continuing education credit through CAPCE.

Participants must be ALS-trained with current certification, i.e.: EMT-P and ALS trained EMT-I, Physician Assistant (PA), Registered Nurse (RN), or Physician (MD or DO). Others admitted on a case-by-case basis. Following registration, we will send students the course ID number and password to access their online pre-course materials two to four weeks prior to the first day of their course.

All teaching materials will be at no additional cost. Students will receive the following books on this course:

Wilderness and Rescue Medicine: A Practical Guide for the Basic and Advanced Practitioner

Water resistant SOAP Notebook

The Field Guide of Wilderness & Rescue Medicine

Wilderness Medicine Workbook

Dr. Will Smith | Lead Instructor

William ‘Will’ R. Smith, MD, Paramedic, is a highly accomplished medical professional with a specialization in wilderness, rescue, tactical/combat, and disaster medicine. He is board certified in Pre-hospital EMS and Emergency Medicine and has extensive experience providing consulting, teaching, and patient care in various settings worldwide. He has practiced medicine on six continents, including locations like Baghdad ER and Easter Island.

Dr. Smith is the President and Medical Director of Wilderness & Emergency Medicine Consulting (WEMC), LLC, which offers a wide range of consulting services in the fields of wilderness and emergency medicine. He has been actively involved in overseeing medical operations, medicolegal case reviews, medical education, and planning comprehensive medical and rescue strategies.

Additionally, Dr. Smith holds the position of Emergency Department Physician and Full-Time Senior Partner at St. John’s Medical Center in Jackson, WY. He has held leadership roles in various committees and has supervised medical residents, students, and staff.

His military experience includes serving in the United States Army Reserve as a Colonel (COL) in the Medical Corps (Emergency Medicine). He has been involved in disaster response strategies and has served as the Disaster Medicine Branch Chief at the US Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) HQ. He has also contributed to various military medical efforts around the world, including deployments in Kuwait and Iraq.

Dr. Smith's educational background includes Emergency Medicine Residency from the Medical College of Wisconsin, Doctor of Medicine (MD) from the University of Washington School of Medicine, and a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology/Pre-Medicine from the University of Wyoming.

He holds numerous certifications, licenses, and fellowships in emergency medicine, wilderness medicine, and EMS. He is also an accomplished speaker, author, and instructor, having presented at various national and international conferences and authored peer-reviewed articles and book chapters.

In addition to his medical roles, Dr. Smith is an experienced outdoorsman, with skills in mountaineering, diving, search and rescue, and ski patrol. He has received several awards and recognitions for his contributions to the field of wilderness and emergency medicine.

Overall, Dr. Smith's extensive experience, expertise, and dedication to his field make him a leading authority in wilderness and emergency medicine, both in medical practice and education.

Bradford Sablosky | ALS Instructor Paramedic, WP-C, WALS

Brad has worked as an instructor for Wilderness Medical Associates International since 2008, teaching classes throughout North America and internationally. He has also worked as a river guide in Northern Canada, camp director, therapeutic wilderness instructor, and had a career as a firefighter/paramedic with Durango Fire and Rescue in Durango Colorado. Currently Brad is in his 26th year as a ski patroller with Telluride Ski Resort, and works as a paramedic with Silverton Medical Rescue in Silverton Colorado. He is a member of La Plata County  and San Juan County SAR and is on both of their technical rescue teams.  The father of 2 curious kiddos, Brad’s family adventures take them throughout the Southwest and beyond, sometimes flying in their Cessna 185. 

Chris VanHouten | ALS Instructor

Chris is a nationally registered critical care paramedic with 30+ years of New York City Emergency Medical Service (EMS) experience.

Chris served as northeast regional (Region 1) faculty for the Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) program, the pre-hospital battlefield medicine course used by all branches of the U.S. military as well as NATO. He instructs TCCC (Tactical Combat Casualty Care) and LEFR TECC (Law Enforcement and First Responder Tactical Emergency Casualty Care) courses for local, municipal and federal high-risk law enforcement teams, as well as members of the Department of Defense. Part of his obligation as faculty for PHTLS and TCCC is providing oversight, instructor development and training site evaluations.  He is also a faculty member for the NAEMT EMS Safety program.

Chris also provides instruction for EMT's and Paramedics, including new provider and recertification education for civilians as well as the SOF Community.  Additional instructor certifications include but are not limited to: EVOC precision and performance driving, NAEMT PHTLS, AMLS, & EMS Safety programs, AHA BCLS, ACLS, PALS, and FEMA general topics instruction. He is also a contracted Wilderness Medicine Instructor.

Chris has recently developed a tropical/jungle medicine program to address DoD medical asset requirements to render aid in tropical and sub tropical locations. 

Chris provides medical support for numerous local and federal law enforcement agencies.  He is currently assisting in the development and delivery of custom tactical and austere medical programs for the DoD, Law Enforcement and EMS agencies that are in the process of developing and enhancing tactical medical response elements. Additionally, he has developed "team medical support" training with occupational health components as well as extended care considerations.

 His free time is spent exploring wilderness and outdoor locations, hunting, fishing, scuba diving, studying ancient archeological sites, and performing mission medical work. 

Anthony Stevens | Instructor

Wounded Bear Owner and Lead Instructor. Wilderness EMT and TCSAR volunteer. Read full bio on our about page

KC Bess | Instructor

Wounded Bear Owner and instructor. Wilderness EMT and TCSAR volunteer. Read full bio on our about page.