A Very Brief Overview by ODP Editor Gerald Clough, EMT-P Wilderness Medicine, as you will find the term commonly used, extends the topics commonly taught in first aid, first responder, and emergency medical technician programs. Emergency medical technician programs presume the rescuer is either a member of an ambulance crew or can anticipate arrival of an ambulance very quickly.
Emphasis is on getting the patient safely off the scene within ten minutes of the ambulance arrival.
Wilderness medicine, in the context of emergencies, presumes that the ambulance or air ambulance is hours to days from arriving. This is a very real possibility when the injury occurs on a backcountry trail, and someone may well have to walk out to summon help or the patient may have to be laboriously carried out. Wilderness medicine also includes such matters as environmental injury from cold, heat, or high altitude, the effects of toxic plants and animals, and the types of injuries that may be experienced from the stresses of moving and working in the outdoors. By necessity, wilderness medicine includes the basics of rescue and transport in backcountry settings. Completion of the equivilent of this course is almost always a prerequisite for employment as a facilitator or councelor in a wilderness or outdoor adventure program and many summer camps.