Wilderness Medicine Education Collaborative

Wilderness medicine has been broadly defined as the provision of medical care when environmental conditions play a stronger role in decision making and interventions than the established systems of care.

It’s something we take quite seriously here at The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE). We also ensure that all of our field instructors, course directors, and other NCOAE staff hold current certifications in wilderness medicine. On top of that, we teach wilderness medicine courses ourselves.

Editor’s Note: See “What is Wilderness Medicine” here on the NCOAE Blog for a deep dive into defining wilderness medicine. 

The history of wilderness medicine as we know it today, is generally traced back to the 1980s and the emergence of the Wilderness Medical Society (WMS) in 1983. However, it has been in practice centuries earlier than that. In respect to Western Civilization, caring for the sick and injured in the field has its origin in early Greek and Roman societies. It has certainly been in practice for as long as human beings have been sailing the seas, exploring the world, and engaging in military operations.

Experts in the field of wilderness medicine universally agree that its continued evolution is (more…)