AWEP Certification®

Advanced Wilderness & Expedition Provider

June 2-6, 2027

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Register

Advanced level intensive and hands-on training taught by leaders in Wilderness Medicine including Howard Donner, MD, and Sheryl Olson, RN/BSN.

Students will learn practical techniques and practice them in mock scenarios. Successful completion of the course leads to AWEP Certification® and 16.0 additional AMA PRA Category 1 Credits®.

Take your wilderness medical skills to the next level and experience why AWEP is so highly rated by physicians, PAs, NPs, and nurses.

cme conference awep4

AWEP Schedule At A Glance

Group 1

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Wednesday, June 2, 20278:00 am to 5:00 pm
Thursday, June 3, 20278:00 am to 11:45 am
Friday, June 4, 20271:30 pm to 5:15 pm
Saturday, June 5, 20271:30 pm to 5:00 pm

Group 2

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Wednesday, June 2, 20278:00 am to 5:00 pm
Thursday, June 3, 20278:00 am - 11:45 am
Friday, June 4, 20271:30 pm to 5:15 pm
Sunday, June 6, 20271:30 pm to 5:00 pm

Note: The AWEP schedule is designed to dovetail with the schedule of the main conference presentations.

AWEP Details & Schedule

Wilderness Medicine Advanced Wilderness Expedition Provider Certification

Course tuition: $545

Includes: 16.0 additional AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, all supplies, syllabus, patch, and certificate

The AWEP Certification® Course is valid for 4 years and is the highest wilderness medicine certification we offer. AWEP 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.

AWEP-wound-packing

Wednesday, June 2, 2027

*Note: This is the detailed schedule for AWEP | Group 1. The detailed schedule for Group 2 will be slightly different, and can be seen "at a glance" in the section above on this webpage.

8:00 - 8:30 am
BREAKFAST

8:30 - 9:00 am
INTRODUCTION TO COURSE

9:00 – 10:30 am
RESCUE IN THE BACKCOUNTRY: IMPROVISED MEDICAL & TRAUMA CARE – PART 1 (1.5 CME HRS)

  • Improvised evacuation techniques
  • Improvised litter construction, packaging, and carries

10:30 – 10:45 am
BREAK

10:45 - 12:15 pm
RESCUE IN THE BACKCOUNTRY: IMPROVISED MEDICAL & TRAUMA CARE – PART 2 (1.5 CME HRS)

  • Shoulder assessment, reduction, and splinting  
  • Femur fracture and improvised femoral traction with discussion of current trends and necessity of application
  • Assessment and reduction of other joint dislocations (elbow, finger, patella, ankle)

12:15 am - 1:45 pm
LUNCH

1:45 - 3:15 pm
LIFTING & MOVING PATIENTS IN THE WILDERNESS OR AUSTERE ENVIRONMENT (1.5 CME HR)

  • Patient movement and transfers
  • Clearing cervical spine injuries in the field
  • Improvising effective cervical collars
  • Pelvic fracture; assessment and management
  • Hip dislocation; assessment and relocation technique
  • Patient management during a long evacuation

3:15– 3:30 pm
BREAK

3:30 – 5:00 pm
SCENE MANAGEMENT WITH INITIAL PATIENT ASSESSMENT AND STABILIZATION (1.5 CME HRS)

  • Scene safety
  • Field triage, examination, and assessment
  • Treatment priorities
  • Stabilization of injured or ill patients
  • Communication considerations
wilderness Medicine CME Conference AWEP live scenario

Thursday, June 3, 2027

8:00 am - 9:45 am
IMPROVISED TRAUMA & ORTHO CARE (1.75 CME HR)

  • Wilderness assessment methods for sprains versus fractures
  • Assessment and stabilization of upper and lower extremity fractures
  • Improvised splinting techniques
  • Use and application of tourniquets for managing arterial bleeds

9:45 am - 10:00 am
BREAK

10:00 am - 11:45 am
WILDERNESS RESCUE WITH INTRODUCTION TO COMMERCIAL RESCUE TECHNOLOGY (1.5 CME HOURS)

  • Introduction to ropes and knots for rescue and medical care
  • Improvising a safety harness to aid in the rescue of a victim
  • Introduction to commercial rescue equipment, including liters, spine boards, and vacuum liter
Students practicing knot ties for AWEP certification

Friday, June 4, 2027

1:30 – 2:00 pm
BACKCOUNTRY SOFT TISSUE AND WOUND MANAGEMENT (0.5 CME HR)

  • Healing by primary versus secondary intention
  • High risk versus low risk wounds
  • Wound management; cleaning, closure options, dressings
  • Infection control
  • Evacuation considerations

2:00 – 2:30 pm
CONCEPTS OF AIRWAY AND FLUID RESUSCITATION IN THE WILDERNESS (0.5 CME HR)

  • Airway emergencies in an austere environment
  • Vascular access, including intraosseous (IO) techniques and fluid replacement systems
  • Dehydration and hyponatremia

2:30– 2:45 pm
BREAK

2:45– 5:15 pm
PRACTICE STATIONS ROTATIONS (2.5 CME HOURS)

  • Bleeding
  • Vacuum liter demo
  • Airway, IO, tourniquets
  • Hypothermia wrap (Cocoon wrap)
  • Femur Traction splint
  • Shoulder wrap, pelvic binders
Patient Assessment Wilderness Medicine CME Course

Saturday, June 5, 2027

1:30 – 2:00 pm
COMMUNICATION AND AEROMEDICAL (0.5 CME HRS)

  • Radio usage and frequencies
  • Introduction to helicopter safety protocols
  • Patient preparation for air evacuation

2:00 – 2:15 pm
BREAK

2:15 – 3:00 PM
PRACTICE SCENARIO AND DEBRIEF (0.75 CME HRS)

3:00 – 4:15 PM
PATIENT SCENARIOS AND DEBRIEF (1.25 CME HRS)

  • Participants will be responsible for assessing, stabilizing, and managing multiple victims with simulated injuries or illnesses using commonly available backcountry equipment

4:15 – 5:00 pm
ONLINE EXAM INSTRUCTIONS, SUMMATION, AND FAREWELL

Group lift of injured person

UPCOMING CME DESTINATIONS BY DATE

UPCOMING CME DESTINATIONS BY DATE

UPCOMING CME DESTINATIONS BY DATE