Abstract
Introduction
A wilderness medicine course was implemented in a 2-week period of a fourth-year medical student rotation at the Medical University of South Carolina in 2012. Previously, there had been no offered course for medical students of any year of training.
Objective
The purpose of this review is to describe the development and implementation of this curriculum so that other programs may use it as a template for their own institutional experience.
Methods
This report is a description of the development and implementation of our wilderness medicine course. We used a standardized, preexisting curriculum with the addition of supplementary pathophysiology that one could encounter in the field of wilderness medicine. Emergency medicine (EM) resident physicians and pediatric EM fellows were involved; the involvement of our hospital legal team and the collection of additional fees are also reviewed.
Results
The process of implementation and adaptation of this preexisting wilderness medicine course for a specific audience of fourth-year medical students is described. The potential for this curriculum to be incorporated into a more comprehensive longitudinal learning experience during the students’ subsequent residency training was also taken into consideration. Examples of didactic teaching and hands-on assessment modalities are discussed in detail, as well as results from testing and follow-up student surveys. The course was well regarded by the students.
Conclusions
A wilderness medicine curriculum was successfully established for fourth-year medical students at our institution. Students believe the course enhanced their medical school education, and many would continue to maintain their certification. A few intend to further their wilderness medicine education by becoming instructors. Areas of potential future growth of the course and development of a more comprehensive longitudinal curriculum were identified.