# Wilderness Medical Society

The Wilderness Medical Society was created on 15 February 1983 by three physicians from California, United States — Dr. Paul Auerbach, Dr. Ed Geehr, and Dr. Ken Kizer. It is the largest international non-profit membership organization devoted to addressing wilderness medicine challenges, more specifically defined as "medical care delivered in those areas where fixed or transient geographic challenges reduce availability of, or alter requirements for, medical or patient movement resources". It also publishes Wilderness & Environmental Medicine Journal, Wilderness Medicine Magazine, and Wilderness Medicine Clinical Practice Guidelines.

## Academy of Wilderness Medicine

The academy seeks to provide a system of adult education and certification in a modern and standardised way to provide a set level of knowledge and education for practitioners working in the wilderness arena.
The goals of the academy are to:
* Professional designation for achievement in Wilderness Medicine
* Validation for the public, patients, and clients of practitioner education in Wilderness Medicine
* Recognition for completing high quality standards in Wilderness Medicine
* Continuing medical education (CME) credit for acquisition of knowledge and hands-on experiences in Wilderness Medicine
* The advancement of an internationally recognized curriculum of Wilderness Medicine categories, topics, and skills
The Academy also maintains the curriculum for the fellowship award. This curriculum is completed over a maximum of a 5-year period and culminates in the award of Fellow being bestowed at the Society's annual conference. The award of the fellowship allows the holder to use the post-nominal letters FAWM (Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine), as of early 2020 there were just over 600 current fellows. The Academy also manages a "Master's Degree Fellow Program", which bestows a Master Fellow designation, allowing the holder to use the post-nominal letters MFAWM (Master Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine). The Master Fellow degree program is an advanced, post-fellow certification that was created to denote individuals who have excelled in a specific sub-discipline within the scope of wilderness medicine in addition to being fellows of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine. The master program is an attempt to:
* Further the academic programs of the WMS.
* Allow additional academic enrichment opportunities for WMS members.
* Create a group of experts in specific sub-disciplines for utilization in teaching, lecturing and research development.
* Create a cadre of ever-evolving leaders for the WMS to utilize.

## FAWM curriculum

The curriculum for participants wishing to gain fellowship is modular and is divided into electives, required topics, and experience:
Required/core topics are divided into twelve sub-headings:
* Diving and hyperbaric medicine
* Tropical and travel medicine
* High altitude & Mountaineering Medicine
* Expedition medicine
* Field craft and equipment
* Rescue and evacuation
* Sports medicine and physiology
* Preventive medicine, field sanitation & hygiene
* General environmental medicine
* Improvised and alternative medicine
* Disaster & humanitarian assistance
* Wilderness emergencies and trauma management
FAWM credits can be gained in a number of ways such as:
* Attending WMS conferences
* Completing online tests after reading journal articles
* Watching online lectures
* Publishing peer-reviewed articles
* Teaching in the area of wilderness medicine

## Activities

The Wilderness Medical Society organizes annual conferences and meetings for members and interested parties.

## Notable fellows

* Dr. Paul Auerbach – Founder of WMS and past president of the WMS.
* Dr. Paul Bromley – Senior Advanced Clinical Practitioner, prehospital clinician and lecturer in clinical physiology.
* Dr. Sundeep Dhillon – Physician and physiologist.
* Dr. Hannah Evans – GP and expedition medicine instructor and lecturer.
* Dr. Clayton Everline – Author of 2 editions of "Surf Survival" (2011, 2019) and Sports Medicine doctor on Oahu.
* Dr. Seth C. Hawkins – First physician to be designated a Master Fellow; editor of the textbook Wilderness EMS; executive editor of Wilderness Medicine Magazine; founder of the Carolina Wilderness EMS Externship.
* Mr. Rhodri Jordan – Remote Paramedic and educationalist.
* Dr. Tom E Mallinson – Prehospital Doctor and Academic. Senior Lecturer for the College of Remote and Offshore Medicine
* Mr. Aebhric O'Kelly – Dean Emeritus of the College of Remote and Offshore Medicine.
* Dr. Matt Wilkes – Senior Editor of the Adventure Medic Website, PhD researcher and anaesthetist.

## Affiliated groups

* Backcountry Pulse
* College of Remote and Offshore Medicine, Malta.
* Advanced Wilderness Life Support (AWLS)
* NOLS Wilderness Medicine
* American College of Emergency Physicians – Wilderness Section
* International Hypoxia Symposia
* Everest ER
* Institute for Altitude Medicine
* EcoMed
* Wilderness Medicine Programs – Roane State Community College
* Mountain & Marine Medicine
* Waves of Health
* Argentine Mountain Medicine Society
* WildMedix
* Hawk Ventures