NOLS Wilderness Medicine

Why NOLS

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30 Years of Wilderness Medicine Education

NOLS offers wilderness medicine courses that will prepare you to recognize, treat, and prevent injuries and illnesses that are common in the outdoors. 

You’ll learn NOLS’ industry-leading, data-informed curriculum and build new skills through hands-on practice scenarios. 

NOLS Wilderness Medicine 30th Anniversary

Find Your Course

Outdoor Enthusiast

The 2-day Wilderness First Aid course will give you a fun, hands-on introduction to managing common injuries, more serious emergencies, and everything in between. No previous experience required.
Student assessing a patient's eyes in the field

Outdoor Professionals

For those who work or aspire to work in the outdoors, a wilderness medicine certification is the credential employers value. Courses include the 10-day Wilderness First Responder and our intensive, 26-day Wilderness EMT. These are the industry standard for professional guides, trip leaders, search and rescue team members, and more.

Medical Professionals

NOLS courses for medical professionals (PA, RN, EMT, MD, etc.) offer CMEs and are designed to help you adapt your urban medical knowledge to remote settings. In the wilderness, you may have minimal access to equipment and your ability to improvise is crucial to your patient’s well-being.

Courses for Veterans & Active Duty

Wilderness medicine certifications are credentials employers value and will prepare you to respond to emergencies in remote, resource-limited environments

Wyss Campus

Designed for Wilderness Medicine Education

You’ll enjoy the rugged landscape of rural Wyoming both for its beautiful views as well as the opportunity to manage real-life terrain and weather conditions during simulated medical scenarios. 

Specifically designed for teaching wilderness medicine, students enjoy two indoor classrooms, easy access to outdoor practice space, cabin-style housing, and delicious on-campus meals.

The Wyss Campus facilities combine cutting-edge, environmentally friendly design with sweeping views of the striking red rock formations of Lander’s Red Canyon. From solar power and composting toilets to geothermal heating and cooling, this is an outstanding example of how to minimize human impact on the land. Join a group of motivated students to learn how to respond to medical emergencies—at home and in the backcountry.

Learn more about earning a Wilderness EMT certification