AWEP Certification®

Advanced Wilderness & Expedition Provider

February 21 - 25, 2026

Big Sky Ski Resort, MT

R ecieve advanced level intensive and hands-on training taught by leaders in Wilderness Medicine including Howard Donner, MD, Sheryl Olson, RN/BSN, and Lee Vernon

Students will learn practical techniques and practice them in mock scenarios. Successful completion of the course leads to AWEP Certification® and 15.25 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.

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AWEP Schedule At A Glance

Group 1

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Saturday, February 21, 20267:00 am to 3:45 pm
Sunday, February 22, 202612:15 pm to 3:30 pm
Monday, February 23, 202611:45 am to 3:30 pm
Tuesday, February 24, 202612:00 pm to 3:30 pm

Group 2

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Saturday, February 21, 20267:00 am to 3:45 pm
Sunday, February 22, 202612:15 pm to 3:30 pm
Monday, February 23, 202611:45 am to 3:30 pm
Wednesday, February 25, 20261:30 pm to 5:15 pm

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

AWEP Detailed Schedule

Wilderness Medicine Advanced Wilderness Expedition Provider Certification

Course tuition: $545

Includes: 15.25 additional AMA PRA Category 1 Credits® all supplies, syllabus, breakfast, patch, and certificate

The AWEP Certification® Course is scheduled so that students will be able to attend all plenary sessions at the National Conference on Wilderness Medicine. 

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. 

To register for AWEP, you must be registered for the main conference.

Saturday, February 21, 2026

*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.

7:00 am - 7:30 am
Continental Breakfast

7:30 am - 9:00 am
Introductions, Course Overview

9:00 am - 9:30 am
Rescue in the Backcountry: Improvised Medical Trauma Care: Part 1

  • Improvised carries and evacuation techniques
  • Improvised litter construction & packaging a victim
  • Cocoon wrap/burrito wrap

9:30 am - 9:45 am
Break

9:45 am - 11:15 am
Rescue in the Backcountry: Improvised Medical Trauma Care: Part 2

  • Shoulder assessment, reduction, and splinting
  • Femur fracture and improvised femoral traction with discussion of current trends, necessity of application

11:15 am - 12:30 pm
Lunch (on your own)

12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Initial Patient Assessment, Stabilization, Scene Management

  • Scene safety
  • Initial (primary) patient assessment with wilderness approach to the "A, B, Cs"
  • Triage and prioritizing care
  • Medical emergencies; MI, Anaphylaxis, CVA
  • Techniques for rolling and moving a victim
  • Single rescuer considerations
  • Scene management and roles of team members
  • Communication and prioritizing evacuation of victims

2:00 pm - 2:15 pm
Break

2:15 am - 3:45 pm
Improvised Liters; Moving patients; Managing C-spine, Hip & Pelvis

  • Clearing and protecting the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spin in the wilderness
  • Improvising a cervical collar
  • Assessment of pelvis and hip, diagnosis, and management
  • Long term evacuation considerations

3:45 pm
Adjourn

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Rope Litter

Sunday, February 22, 2026

12:15 pm - 1:45 pm
Improvised Trauma & Ortho Care

  • 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
  • Intro to scene command and communication

1:45 pm - 2:00 pm
Break

2:45 pm - 3:45 pm
Wilderness Rescue with Introduction to Commercial Rescue Technology

  • Introduction to ropes and knots for rescue and medical care
  • Improvising a safety harness to aid in rescue of a victim
  • Holes and jams

3:45 pm
Adjourn

AWEP wound packing 2

Monday, February 23, 2026

11:45 am - 3:30 pm
Concepts of Airway and Fluid Resuscitation in the Wilderness

  • Managing airway emergencies in austere environment
  • Vascular access including intraosseous (IO) techniques and fluid replacement systems

12:15 pm - 12:45 pm
Backcounty Soft Tissue and Wound Management

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

12:45 pm - 2:15 pm
Practice Stations

  • Bleeding station
  • Vacuum liter
  • Airway, IO, and tourniquets
  • Cocoon wrap
  • Femur traction splint
  • Shoulder wrap, pelvic binders

2:15 pm - 2:30 pm
Break

2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Care of Traumatic Injuries in the Wilderness

  • Assessment of a victim with head trauma
  • Concussion management in the wilderness
  • Management of chest injuries including pneumothorax, flail chest, open chest wounds
  • Abdominal assessment and evacuation considerations

3:30 pm
Adjourn

AWEP Carry 1
Traction Splint Winter

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

12:00 pm - 12:30 pm
Communication and Aeromedical

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

12:30 pm - 1:45 pm
Practice Scenario and Debrief

1:45 pm - 2:00 pm
Break

2:00 pm - 3:15 pm
Scenarios and Debief

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

3:15 pm - 3:30 pm
Summation and Exam Instructions

  • Instructions for the online test
  • Distribution of AWEP patches and farewell

3:30 pm
Adjourn

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