EMD 850B - Wilderness Medicine | Department of Emergency Medicine

Clerkship Coordinator:

Sonya Martyna-Seaman / Emergency Medicine Program Manager

(520) 621-5300

EMD 850B - Wilderness Medicine

Special Note:

UA Students may use Oasis to register for this course.

Visiting Student Eligibility: In order to be a visiting student at the University of Arizona/Emergency Department, you must:

be in your 4th year of medical school at an LCME or COCA accredited program.
attend a university that has an affiliation agreement with the College of Medicine – Tucson.
have either BLS or ACLS training that has not expired.

A final practical takes place in the wilderness on the final day of the course.

Year:

Fourth-Year Only

Offered:

April 14, 2025 to April 25, 2025

Prerequisites:

Open to 4th year students

Course Director:

Christopher G. Williams, MD

Contact Phone:

(520) 621-5300

Contact Email:

srmartynaseaman@arizona.edu

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Goals and Objectives

Goals/Objectives:

During this course, students will:

Develop appropriate triage and multitasking abilities for various scenarios including multi-patient casualties.
Develop an appreciation for medicine in wild and austere environments.
Develop an organized, systematic approach for approaching and assessing a patient in various wilderness settings.

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Format

Format:

This elective consists of didactic lectures in the classroom, as well as a practical session in the wilderness. The didactics will be Monday through Friday the first week and Monday through Thursday the second week. Class will typically be in the morning. There will be a practical session in a wilderness setting somewhere within an hour of Tucson (location subject to change). This practical session will involve breaking into smaller groups, coming upon scenarios where the students will have to take charge, assign roles, and apply the skills they have learned. (Volunteers in moulage will man the scenarios.) A faculty member or lecturer will observe/evaluate each group.

Please note there is an optional—but highly recommended—campout the night before the final practical session. (Details will be in the final schedule.) The purpose of the campout is to enjoy one another’s company, get away from the city and revel in nature. It’s not a bad way to finish up med school! If you have camping equipment, great, but if not, we will crowd-source and make sure everyone has what they need. Please don’t feel like you have to go buy things for camping.

Course Requirements

Course Requirements:

REQUIRED Course book:

(NEW) WLS:MP Wilderness Life Support for Medical Professionals. Della-Giustina, David. Self-published, 2023. (Available for purchase on Amazon.)

Assignments consist of:

Read required texts
Participate in discussions and hands-on, practical scenarios
Take a written final test
Participate in final practical scenarios

REQUIRED Special tools or supplies needed: Students will also need to develop their own medical kit.

* During the course, there will be a lecture on Medical Kits. Before this lecture, students must develop & bring a personal medical kit. This doesn’t have to be elaborate or expensive but should be realistic. (For reference see correlating chapter in your text.) For prescription medications or equipment/ devices you’d like to have but can’t afford or acquire currently, just write a pretend prescription on a plain piece of paper or the name of the missing equipment on some paper and put it in there. We will go over people’s kits during/after the lecture. These kits will be used by you during our final practical scenarios.

REQUIRED Student-lead discussion on medical problem in the wild: During the course everyone will have the chance to give a 5-8 minutes presentation over a “preexisting condition or other non-wilderness medical affliction” of their choice. The student will lead a discussion that addresses the presentation, differential diagnosis for the general complaint, and austere diagnosis and treatment for the specific diagnosis. This should include a summary of evacuation criteria.

Evaluation Methods

Evaluation Methods/Grades:

Assessment methods will include:

Attendance
Participation in student-led discussion of a medical condition that develops in the wild
Development of a personal medical kit
Final written exam (>70% correct)
Group scenarios/practical

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Rotation Schedule

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EMD 850B - Wilderness Medicine

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April 14, 2025 to April 25, 2025