The Wilderness Medical Society recognizes that
the public, whether casual participant, expert
outdoor enthusiast, or international traveler, has
high expectations of their health care providers in
delivering advice, treatment, and safety precautions for
wilderness and adventure travel. Additionally, greater
responsibility has been placed on outdoor guides,
search and rescue personnel, and other adventure
industry workers to have some formal medical training
for the safety and health of their clients.
For this reason the Wilderness Medical Society
has established the ACADEMY OF WILDERNESS
MEDICINETM. An organized curriculum of core
wilderness medicine topics has been created to
help train and prepare individuals who desire to
enhance their knowledge and skills. The Academy
offers a means to identify those who have achieved
a demanding set of requirements validating their
training in wilderness medicine for the assurances of
patients, clients, and the public at large. Any current
member of the Wilderness Medical Society who
successfully completes the requirements will have
the distinction of being a registered member of the
Academy of Wilderness Medicine and entitled to use
the designation Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness
Medicine (FAWM) and may reference it on resumes,
business cards, and advertisements.
Individuals who desire membership will make
application to the Academy of Wilderness Medicine
for admission as a candidate. The WMS will
document progress of attendance at pre-approved
CME education programs sanctioned by the WMS.
Individuals may take up to five years from the original
date of acceptance as a candidate to complete
the requirements.
The Fellowship is open to all WMS members
meeting the criteria, not only physicians.
Complete and detailed information about candidate
criteria, core curriculum, fellowship requirements,
and fees may be found at: www.wms.org/academy
The 2007 Annual Meeting of the Wilderness Medical
Society offers up to 51 hours of the required 60-80
hours from the core curriculum. The breakdown is
as follows:
Conference
16.75
Toxicology Symposium
2.75
AWLS
17.50
Optional Workshops
14.00
The first convocation ceremony to award FAWM
designation to fellowship candidates who have
completed all requirements will be held during the
banquet at the WMS Annual Meeting on Tuesday,
July 24, 2007.
"Every pre-hospital provider would
benefit from attending."
- Paramedic, AK
"The speakers were superb, being very
knowledgeable with just enough humor
to be fun."
- Registered Nurse, CA
"Stimulating in the diversity of topics
presented, instructive in the subjects
discussed and encouraging for
opportunities in the future."
- Fam. Med. Resident, ME
"I have always felt inspired after leaving
these meetings."
- Internist, MA
"Where else can you have so much
fun coupled with a world class
educational session."
- Hematologist, NJ
A `high' for outdoors people. Spiritual
refreshment, an invaluable aid to care,
teaching and research. A rare chance to
understand the changing role of humans
in their environment. A professional no-
nonsense approach to medical care in the
wilderness from real-time experts."
- Emergency Physician, Tasmania
"27 years in medicine and this was the
best meeting I've ever attended, where I
could apply my personal and professional
interest, with individuals with the same
interests from all over the world."
- Physician Assistant, TN
"The Wilderness Medical Society
is a `non-traditional' collection of
professionals in the best sense of the
word. The conference provided me with
useful clinical and field information, as
well as engendering camaraderie with
fellow attendees."
- Exercise Physiology &
Physical Therapy, MT
"The WMS conferences have been
invaluable as a source of current
information in high altitude physiology.
The relaxed atmosphere encourages
communication between presenters and
audience. A source of inspiration for the
aspiring researcher."
- Doctoral candidate in
Kinesiology, CO
"The Wilderness Medical Society meeting
in Colorado was destructive to my
resolution to join no more organizations.
Please accept my application
for membership."
- Neurologist, WA
"There are very few opportunities where
you can combine two passions medicine
and the love of outdoor adventure. This
conference is one."
- Emergency Physician, NH
::acaDeMY of wILDeRness MeDIcIne
BecomeaFellowoftheAcademy(FAWM)
Shean E. Phelps MD, FS, FAAFP
Director
JULY21-252007
"The young doctor should look about early for an avocation, a
pastime, that will take him away from patients, pills, and potions ...
No man is really happy or safe without one, and it makes precious little
difference what the outside interest may be botany, beetles
or butterflies, roses, tulips, or irises, fishing, mountaineering or
antiquities anything will do so long as he straddles a hobby and
rides it hard."
- Sir William Osler
