R ecieve advanced level intensive and hands-on training taught by leaders in Wilderness Medicine including Howard Donner, MD, Sheryl Olson, RN/BSN, Eric Weiss, MD, and Larry Moore, MD.
Students will learn practical techniques and practice them in mock scenarios. Successful completion of the course leads to AWEP Certification® and 15.5 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.

AWEP Schedule At A Glance
Group 1
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Saturday, February 22, 2025 | 7:30 am to 3:45 pm |
Sunday, February 23, 2025 | 12:30 pm to 3:45 pm |
Monday, February 24, 2025 | 11:45 am to 3:30 pm |
Tuesday, February 25, 2025 | 12:15 pm to 3:45 pm |
Group 2
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Saturday, February 22, 2025 | 7:30 am to 3:45 pm |
Monday, February 24, 2025 | 11:45 am to 3:30 pm |
Wednesday, February 26, 2025 | 1:30 pm to 4:45 pm |
Thursday, February 27, 2025 | 7:00 am to 10:45 am |
Note: The AWEP schedule is designed to dovetail with the schedule of the main conference presentations.
AWEP Detailed Schedule

Course tuition: $545
Includes: 15.5 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 22, 2025
7:30 am - 8:00 am
Continental Breakfast
8:00 am - 8:15 am
Introductions, Course Overview
Scene safety
- Initial (primary) patient assessment with wilderness approach to the "A, B, Cs"
- Triage and prioritizing care
- Techniques for rolling and moving a victim
- Single rescuer considerations
- Scene management and roles of team members
- Communication & scene management
10:15 am - 10:30 am
Break
10:30 am - 11:30 am
Packaging, Lifting, Moving Patients in the Wilderness or Austere Environment
- 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
11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Lunch on Own
12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Rescue in the Backcountry: Improvised Medical Trauma Care (with 15” break)
- Carries and evacuation techniques
- Cocoon wrap with litter construction
- Considerations for packaging and carrying a patient
2:00 pm - 2:15 pm
Break
2:15 pm - 3:45 pm
Improvised femoral traction splints
- Shoulder reduction and stabilization

Sunday, February 23, 2025
12:15 pm - 1:15 pm
Improvised Trauma & Ortho Care
- Use & application of tourniquets
- Improvised splinting using malleable aluminum splints
1:15 pm - 2:30 pm
Wilderness Rescue - Ropes & Knots
- Introduction to ropes & knots for rescue & medical care
- Making an improvised harness
2:30 pm - 2:45 pm
Break
2:45 pm - 3:45 pm
Airway Management & Fluid Resuscitation Skills
- Airway management considerations
- Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal airways
- Vascular access
- Intraosseous (IO) needles

Monday, February 24, 2025
12:15 pm - 1:45 pm
Backcountry Soft Tissue and Wound Management
- Considerations for cleaning wounds in the back country
- Wound closure techniques for those that suture and for those that don’t
- Blister Management
- Equipment and supplies for a wound care kit
12:45 pm - 2:30 pm
Intro to Commercial Rescue Systems with Practice Stations
- Demonstration of a vacuum litter for evacuation
- Active bleeding station
- Ortho station (shoulder, pelvis, femur, C-spine collar
- Airway station
- Cocoon wrap with litter construction station
2:30 pm - 2:45 pm
Break
2:45 pm - 3:45 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
- Abdominal assessment and evacuation considerations

Tuesday, February 25, 2025
12:15 pm - 1:30 pm
Scenario Dress Rehearsal - Dry Run
- Command incident and scene management
- Division and use of equipment
- Communication and prioritizing evacuation of victims
- Debrief dry run scenarios with Q & A
1:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Aeromedical
- Landing zones
- Safety when working around a helicopter in wilderness environments
- Preparing a patient for helicopter evacuation
2:00 pm - 2:15 pm
Break
2:15 pm - 3:30 pm
Scenarios
- Participants will be responsible for assessing, stabilizing, and managing multiple victims with simulated injuries or illnesses using commonly available backcountry equipment
3:30 pm - 3:45 pm
Summation and Exam Instructions
- Instructions for online test
- Distribution of AWEP patches and farewell

UPCOMING CME DESTINATIONS BY DATE
Classic Patagonia - Torres Del Paine
Jan 29 - Feb 9, 2025
Japan Ski & Snowboard Adventure
Feb 2 - 8, 2025
Mar 15 - 22, 2025
Apr 2 - 19, 2025
Apr 20 - 30, 2025
April 23 - May 10, 2025
Apr 25 - May 5, 2025
The National Conference on Wilderness Medicine: Santa Fe, NM
May 28 - June 1, 2025
Skills Course Rafting & Mt. Shasta
June 8 - 13, 2025
The National Conference on Wilderness Medicine: Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort, UT
July 26 - July 30, 2025
Deluxe African Safari: Zimbabwe
Aug 16 - 26, 2025
Aug 31 - Sept 10, 2025
Sept 1 - 6, 2025
Sept 10 -20, 2025
Sept 12 - 22, 2025
Sept 21 - Oct 5, 2025
Sept 28 - Oct 9, 2025
Oct 5 - 15, 2025
Fly Fishing for All Levels - Northern California
Oct 12 - 17, 2025
Oct 25 - Nov 7, 2025
Japan Ski & Snowboard Adventure
Jan 25 -31, 2026
Jan 27 - Feb 4, 2026
Classic Patagonia - Torres Del Paine
Jan 29 - Feb 9, 2026
Jan 31 - Feb 7, 2026
Apr 20 - 30, 2026
April 26 - May 10, 2026
Deluxe African Safari: Zimbabwe
Aug 29 - Sept 8, 2026
Aug 30 - Sept 9, 2026
Sept 17 - 24, 2026
September 19 - 29, 2026