Wilderness Medicine Courses

Training for Utah's wilderness medical professionals

Emergency Programs sponsors/hosts NOLS Wilderness Medicine courses on main campus throughout the year. View the current schedule for courses here on campus

U of U Emergency Programs proudly offers wilderness medicine courses in partnership with NOLS Wilderness Medicine. This partnership combines NOLS, the leader in wilderness medicine training, with the power of a level one research institution, resulting in some of the most powerful and exciting wilderness medicine and technical rescue courses on the market.

University of Utah Emergency Programs also offers University of Utah credit for all NOLS Wilderness Medicine students in their 450+ annual courses.

Wilderness Medicine courses provide participants with the patient care skills to respond to a wide variety of medical emergencies when you are responding outside the reach of urban EMS and it is not possible to access definitive medical care in a timely manner. Whether you are called on to provide care for friends and family or as a professional, wilderness medicine training provides the ability to care for patients when EMS is more than a phone call away.

Wilderness First Aid

Fast paced and hands-on, this two-day course covers a wide range of wilderness medicine topics for people who travel and work in the outdoors.

Wilderness First Responder

This 80-hour course is the standard for professionals that may be called upon to provide patient care in wilderness and other and extended care situations. This course is designed specifically to provide you with the tools to make critical medical and evacuation decisions in remote locations. Half of your time will be spent completing practical skills, case studies and scenarios designed to challenge your decision making abilities. Curriculum includes standards for both urban and extended care situations.

Wilderness First Responder Recertification

This three-day scenario-based course is designed as a review and recertification course emphasizing hands on skills, key curriculum updates and evacuation and decision-making guidelines.

Wilderness Upgrade for Medical Professionals

Building on your background you will learn how to improvise equipment, deal with challenging environmental conditions, and make difficult medical decisions in remote locations.

EMT Refresher Training Program

This course may be used to fulfill the requirements for urban EMTs who must complete a refresher course as established by the National Registry of EMTs.

Academic Credit Information

The University of Utah Emergency Programs is proud to offer contract credit* for NOLS Wilderness Medicine courses. Here's how it works:

1. Enroll in a NOLS Wilderness Medicine course.
2. Visit https://continue.utah.edu/health_education during your course and fill out the requested information (you will need your NOLS course # for this).
3. Enjoy your course.
4. You will receive a confirmation email from the University of Utah which will list the semester you are enrolled in and the earliest date you can request your transcript. Transcripts are available at the end of the semester of enrollment.
5. To request a transcript visit http://registrar.utah.edu/transcripts or call the Transcripts Office at (801) 581-8965 to obtain your grade and transcript.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is the credit transferable to my school?

A: Most schools will accept credit from the U of U. However it is up to your institution to decide which and how many credits to accept.

Q: When can I request a transcript?

A: The end date of your wilderness medicine course determines which semester you are enrolled in. Transcripts are generally available at the end of that semester.

Q: How do I register for credit?

A: Visit https://continue.utah.edu/health_education

Q: Which department offers the credit?

A: The Department of Health Promotion and Education

Q: What credits do I get for what courses and what does it cost?

A: Wilderness First Aid: H EDU 1960, 1 credit, $95
Wilderness First Responder: H EDU 3980, 3 credits, $300
Wilderness Upgrade for Medical Professionals: H EDU 3970, 4 credits, $350
Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician: H EDU 5980, 9 credits, $550

For more information about receiving credit for your NOLS Wilderness Medicine course contact uucep@utah.edu or (801) 581-4512.