Advanced level intensive and hands-on training taught by leaders in Wilderness Medicine including, Howard J. Donner, MD, Eric Weiss, MD, FACEP and Sheryl Olson, RN/BSN.
Students will learn practical techniques and practice them in mock scenarios. Successful completion of course leads to AWEP CertificationTM and 15.5 additional AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM
AWEP Schedule At A Glance
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Thursday, May 30th | 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm |
Friday, May 31st | 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm |
Saturday, June 1st | 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm |
Sunday, June 2nd | 1:30 pm to 6:30 pm |

AWEP Detailed Schedule

Course tuition: $495
Includes: 15.5 additional AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM all supplies, syllabus, breakfast, patch, and certificate
The AWEP CertificationTM Course is scheduled so that students will be able to attend all plenary sessions at the National Conference on Wilderness Medicine. Note: To register for AWEP, you must be registered for the main conference.
Thursday, May 30
Continental Breakfast
Introductions, Overview of Course
Initial Patient Assessment & Stabilization
- Scene safety
- Initial (primary) patient assessment with wilderness approach to the "A, B,Cs"
- Triage and prioritizing care
- Techniques for rolling and moving a victim
- Single rescuer considerations
- Scene management and roles of team members
- Communication
Lifting & Moving Patients in the Wilderness or Austere Environment
- Clearing and protecting the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine in the wilderness
- Improvising a cervical collar
- Assessment of pelvis and hip, diagnosis, and management
- Practice scenario applying morning lessons
Improvised Evacuation and Patient Packaging
- Carries and evacuation techniques
- Cocoon wrap with litter construction
- Considerations for packaging and carrying a patient
- Improvised femoral traction splints
- Shoulder reduction and stabilization

Friday, May 31
Backcountry Soft Tissue and Wound Management
- Considerations for cleaning wounds in the back country
- Wound closure techniques for those that suture and for those that don't
- Blister management
- Equipment and supplies for a wound care kit
Wilderness Rescue with Introduction to Commercial Rescue Technology
- Introduction to ropes and knots for rescue and medical care
- Making an improvised harness
- Demonstration of a vacuum litter for evacuation
Communication and Aeromedical
- Landing zones
- Safety when working around a helicopter
- Preparing a patient for helicopter evacuation
Improvised Trauma & Ortho Care
- Use and application of tourniquets
- Improvised splinting using malleable aluminum splints

Saturday, June 1
Airway Management & Fluid Resuscitation Skills
- Airway management consideration
- Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal airways
- Vascular access
- Intraosseous (IO) needles
Care of Traumatic Injuries in the Wilderness
- Assessment of a victim with head trauma
- Concussion management in the wilderness
- Management of chest injuries including pneumothorax, flail chest, open chest wound
- Abdominal assessment and evacuation considerations
Management of Common Severe Medical Emergencies in a Wilderness Setting
- Anaphylactic shock and allergic emergencies
- Altitude Illness cases (HACE, HAPE, AMS)
- Chest pain (acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism, angina)
- Neurologic emergencies (stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage vs. Bell's Palsy)

Sunday, June 2
Practice Scenario and Debrief
- Out of doors - dress appropriately
- Simulated injuries and/or illnesses in a wilderness environment
- Teams will implement skills learned during prior days teaching modules
- Apply learned principles of scene safety, triage, prioritization of care
- Implementation of patient care with instructor involvement if necessary
- Efficient team communication and scene management
- Instructor guided problem-solving ideas
- Victims and rescuers will have time to share what worked, what didn't, and what they want to do differently to ultimately improve the scenario
Test Scenario and Debrief
- Time to do it again!
- Scene safety
- Scene management, triage and communication
- Collaboration of teams
- Assessing and prioritizing care
- Effective and appropriate medical management
- Implementation of improvisational treatments
- Review of scenario with input from victims, rescuers, and faculty
Summation and Exam Instructions
- Instructions for test
- Distribution of AWEP patches and farewell

UPCOMING CME DESTINATIONS BY DATE
Jan 19 – 28, 2019
Jan 19 - 30, 2019
Patagonia Rafting & Multi-Sport
Jan 25 - Feb 2, 2019
Jan 31 - Feb 9, 2019
Feb 23 - Feb 27, 2019
March 2 - 9, 2019
March 13 - 17, 2019
April 5 - 15, 2019
April 24 - May 11, 2019
April 8 - 19, 2019
May 29 - June 2, 2019
Intensive Skills Course & Mt. Shasta
June 8 - 14, 2019
July 9 - 12, 2019
Big Sky Resort, MT
July 27 - 31, 2019
Sept 4 - 14, 2019
Middle Fork Salmon Rafting/Flyfishing
Sept 9 - 14, 2019
Sept 14 - 24, 2019
Sept 19 - 27, 2019
Oct 2 - 13, 2019
Oct 6 - 11, 2019
Africa Wildlife Safari & Kilimanjaro
Oct 6 - 20, 2019
Africa Wildlife Safari & Kilimanjaro
Oct 21 - Nov 4, 2019
Oct 26 - Nov 5, 2019
November 7 - 17, 2019
Jan 18 - 27, 2020
Jan 18 - 29, 2020
Patagonia Rafting & Multi-Sport
Jan 27 - Feb 4, 2020
Jan 30 - Feb 8, 2020
Big Sky Ski Resort, MT
Feb 22 - 26, 2020
April 3 - 13, 2020
April 5 - 22, 2020
April 23 - May 10, 2020
Big Sky Resort, MT
May 25 - 29, 2020
Santa Fe
May 27 - 31, 2020
Africa Wildlife Safari & Kilimanjaro
Oct 4 - 18 2020
Oct 11 - 21, 2020
Sept 2 - 12, 2020
UPCOMING CME DESTINATIONS BY DATE
Jan 19 – 28, 2019
Jan 19 - 30, 2019
Patagonia Rafting & Multi-Sport
Jan 25 - Feb 2, 2019
Jan 31 - Feb 9, 2019
Feb 23 - Feb 27, 2019
March 2 - 9, 2019
March 13 - 17, 2019
April 5 - 15, 2019
April 24 - May 11, 2019
April 8 - 19, 2019
May 29 - June 2, 2019
Intensive Skills Course & Mt. Shasta
June 8 - 14, 2019
July 9 - 12, 2019
Big Sky Resort, MT
July 27 - 31, 2019
Sept 4 - 14, 2019
Middle Fork Salmon Rafting/Flyfishing
Sept 9 - 14, 2019
Sept 14 - 24, 2019
Sept 19 - 27, 2019
Oct 2 - 13, 2019
Oct 6 - 11, 2019
Africa Wildlife Safari & Kilimanjaro
Oct 6 - 20, 2019
Africa Wildlife Safari & Kilimanjaro
Oct 21 - Nov 4, 2019
Oct 26 - Nov 5, 2019
November 7 - 17, 2019
Jan 18 - 27, 2020
Jan 18 - 29, 2020
Patagonia Rafting & Multi-Sport
Jan 27 - Feb 4, 2020
Jan 30 - Feb 8, 2020
Big Sky Ski Resort, MT
Feb 22 - 26, 2020
April 3 - 13, 2020
April 5 - 22, 2020
April 23 - May 10, 2020
Big Sky Resort, MT
May 25 - 29, 2020
Santa Fe
May 27 - 31, 2020
Africa Wildlife Safari & Kilimanjaro
Oct 4 - 18 2020
Oct 11 - 21, 2020
Sept 2 - 12, 2020