Wilderness Medicine Immersion

Wilderness Medicine focuses on the care of patients in remote environments lacking typical health care facility resources. This intensive course will introduce students to the epidemiology, pathophysiology and clinical practice of Wilderness Medicine. This course will focus on the unique diagnosis associated with Wilderness Medicine and the challenges of managing medical problems in environments with limited resources under harsh conditions. The course will be taught using traditional lectures, human simulation, course reading assignments, and multiple practical workshops. Topics to be discussed include diseases associated with ingestion of poisonous plants and mushrooms, animal envenomations, high altitude and undersea environments, heat and cold extremes. Survival techniques will be reviewed and land/water navigation will be reviewed by trained experts in the field. Students will have the opportunity to apply their knowledge in both the daily workshops and in the practicum at the conclusion of the rotation which will consist of a wilderness excursion to the George Washington National Forest. The course is designed to be a total of 2 weeks in length. Student grades will be based on classroom attendance during the rotation.