Wilderness Medical Society snowmass 2005 Page 310
"TEACH UP A STORM"
COMMUNITY WILDERNESS MEDICAL EDUCATION
Objectives:
1. To identify personal interests in wilderness medicine topics that can be shared with
your community.
2. How to build a referral network, find a target audience and advertise.
3. Develop lectures for wilderness medicine topics.
4. Learn useful teaching techniques for all ages.
The View is Awesome - Importance of Outreach
I do not live in an exciting part of the world but the view for teaching is still awesome.
My backyard is central Pennsylvania where the largest mountain towers in at a mere 746
meters and goes by the not so exotic name of Red Rock Mountain. This is where I made
my first foray into community education by walking into a nearby State Park Office and
offering to give lectures to the campers. Nine years and dozens of lectures later the
outreach into my community has expanded to include lectures on wilderness medicine for
schools, universities, libraries, seniors, scouts, hunters, trekkers, travelers, community
education centers, nature and hiking clubs. My topics range from teaching seniors how to
prevent hypothermia during a power outage to teaching hikers how to prevent heatstroke
during the summer.
Do you have a passion for snowshoeing, skiing, camping, hiking, hunting, foreign travel
or any outdoor and adventure activity? Over the years have you developed wilderness
medicine practices to insure a safe day or extended outing? Then consider sharing your
experience and knowledge with your community. But it doesn't matter where you live
and practice because if you have knowledge of wilderness medicine then there are people
to share it with in your community. Urban, suburban and rural dwellers pursue outdoor
activities that put them at risk for injury or death due to medical problems occurring in
the wilderness.
Once you take the plunge, offering lectures on wilderness medicine is like canyoning,
there is no turning back. It is a natural extension of your practice be it nursing, search and
rescue, prehospital, an office or a hospital based practice. You do it everytime you talk to
your patients. You communicate and educate. Expand that concept to outreach into your
community. Share your knowledge, expertise and personal experiences on wilderness
medicine.
It publicizes important information. It sends a potent message of caring and well being to
your patients and community. It is good public relations no matter what or where you
practice and it raises the community's awareness of your affiliate hospitals and
organizations.
Finding the Trail Head - How to Build a Network
You're not in academic medicine? As an emergency physician in a small community
hospital neither am I. So how do you make the connections and build a referral network?
Hit the trail and put out the word! Start by contacting your hospital community education
or outreach office and volunteer to give a lecture. They have the expertise to help you
select topics and they can advertise the lecture in local papers and on the radio. They can
distribute or post flyers in local physician offices, libraries, schools and community
education centers. It may also be an education for them as they may not have thought of
wilderness medicine topics for the general public.
