Wilderness medicine courses and resources from the University of Utah School of Medicine

This site is for everyone interested in wilderness medicine, whether in the health field or not. Welcome!

New AWLS in person course at Smoky Mountain National Park - check it out!

QUICK LINKS TO SOME COURSES

DONATE TO THE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE. We provide free courses to students and are developing a program to keep children safe in the wilderness. Can you donate to help us with these initiatives? A little goes a long way! Thank you!

In Person - Courses

Here is a list of in-person wilderness medicine courses that we help to teach.

Register for a Course

You can for a course by clicking here, or you can sign up on the course page. You can study without registering.

Host a Course

Do you want to host one of our courses? It is easy and rewarding! Click here to find out how.

How to Get CME

Click here and we will help you get CME for your courses

Rotations for Residents

We have rotations and programs available for residents. You can study AWLS, Backpacking and other wilderness medicine subjects.

MERCH

Cool looking hats, shirts, water bottles and other merch for sale!

For Medical Students

Here is a list of courses for medical students taught at the University of Utah School of Medicine. .

DONATE

Consider donating to the wilderness medicine program at the University of Utah School of Medicine.

Instructors Page

This page is for instructors who are teaching our courses.

CHILDREN OUTDOORS

Help us as we teach children to remain safe and healthy in the wilderness.

Bulk Enrollment - Payments

Multiple students enrollment and Tuition Payment.

WILS FOUNDATION

A foundation dedicated to outdoor safety, focusing on proper helmet use after a tragic accident.

Click on the image below to learn about the Associate in Wilderness Medicine program

Learn about how to become an Associate in Wilderness Medicine by clicking the icon above.

Thank you for using this site! Organizations are charging super high prices for their courses and teach mostly outdoor rescue medicine. Our goal is to change that. We want to teach wilderness medicine inexpensively to as many as possible, to keep people safe in this beautiful world.

Richard Ingebretsen MD PhD

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Join the online BWLS webinar from the University of Utah School of Medicine!

CME available:
Biking medicine, Climbing medicine, Hiking and Backpacking, Skiing and Snowboarding, Water Sports, Caring for an Injured Patient, How to Treat Wounds, Injure

Correct answer: A.
The process of making water safe to drink starts with finding the best available water. A stream would be the best choice because settling, UV rays, and predatory bacteria can help the stream to purify itself. A cold lake would be

Correct answer: C. The first step in assessing abdominal pain is to see if there was trauma. If there was, determine the mechanism of injury (MOI). That will help to determine what kind of damage could have been done. Is the patient moving or staying

Yikes! A tooth has been knocked out.  Once you find it, what liquid should you put it in while you go to the dentist?  Listen as wilderness dentist, Dr. Paul Schmutz, gives us the latest data on the best solution for the knocked out tooth.

$Correct Answer: A. Just like a closed fracture the bone is broken except in this case the fractured bone has punctured the skin creating an open wound. Be aware that the bone does not need to be protruding out to be considered an open fracture. This$

The correct answer is D.
This position is known as the instinctive drowning response and is the final set of reactions in the last 20 to 60 seconds before sinking. Drowning itself is quick and silent, although it may be preceded by distress, which is

What does it take to run one of these incredibly long and difficult ultramarathons?  What do you eat? What shoes do you wear? And what does it take to complete one?  Listen as ultramarathoner Magnus Tveit inspires us.

Listen to our AWLS po

The answer is a: rapid rewarming. Damage from frostbite happens during the rewarming stage and the faster it is warmed, the less damage will be done. Put the affected area in water that is about the temperature of a jacuzzi. And remember, do not let

The answer is a. The vast majority of lighting strikes occur ahead of a storm from positive charges that rise to the top of a cloud. This allows a charge to strike long before a storm, a great distance away, even beneath blue skies. When thunder roar

The answer is c. Milk is very good liquid to store a knocked out tooth in while going to the dentist. Milk is readily available as well. Water and sports drinks are not good to use. They lack the correct nutrients to preserve the tooth and its ligame

You should immediately evacuate the victim, there is no other treatment. Snake bite treatment has been plagued over the years with poor suggestions and bad information. Here is a list of things to avoid because they are either harmful to the victim o

The correct answer is C.
Care must be taken in handling victims suffering from severe hypothermia as extremely cold core temperatures can cause cardiac irritability. Even the slightest jolt may cause these individuals to degenerate into life threate

Ankles and legs are protected with well oiled ski bindings. But the knees sure have taken a hit since bindings came out. New quick release heel bindings are supposed to help. Do we 'kneed' them? This update podcast looks at common ski injur

We all know what “Ouch” means - something hurts.  Pain at home may be a big nuisance.  But pain in the backcountry is always a bigger problem.  How do we evaluate and manage pain in the wilderness?  The answers will su

How low do you go? Climbing is called an ‘antigravitational’ sport. So, the lighter the weight, the easier it is to climb. But some climbers take this to an extreme so that disordered eating becomes a problem. Lighter weight mea

Have you ever thought about taking someone with a disability into the wilderness? What are the unique challenges that you should consider? In this podcast, Dr. Joey Fyans discusses why it is important to get people with cognitive and physical disabil

For years we have all used RICE therapy for treatment of athletic injuries. But now MEAT is becoming the preferred therapy. What do we do in the wilderness for these types of injuries? This update looks at the issues.

Listen to our AWLS podcasts whe

How good is chocolate milk for recovery? Is there a 'metabolic window'? When should outdoor enthusiasts drink that incredibly desirable recovery drink? Listen as we answer these important questions.

Listen to our AWLS podcasts wherever you get your

Your wilderness experience begins with travel. Listen as Dr. Natalie Bronthius gives fascinating tips on how to stay safe as we travel, especially for solo travelers. She covers common social media scams, Uber/Taxi/Lyft safety, hitch hiking, hotel ro

A 57 year old lady had a rash that despite extensive therapy, would not go away. Doctors went searching for the cause and found of all things - sugar - Alpha Gal.

Listen to our AWLS podcasts wherever you get your podcasts.

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Quick Learning Links

All textbooks are free to download above.

Click above to go directly to the Practice Tests page.

Click above to learn how you can listen to our podcasts.

Practical Skills and other Videos

Click above for the practical skills and other videos.

Power Point Lectures

Click above to watch PowerPoint Lectures on our subjects.

Certification Examinations

Click above to go to the certification exam page.

Have Questions or need a password?

If you have issues or questions or need a password, contact the email by filling out the form below.

Richard Ingebretsen MD, PhD
richard.ingebretsen@m.cc.utah.edu

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