Wilderness Physical Therapy Educators

in partnership with Idaho State University

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A person wearing outdoor gear with a backpack and hiking helmet trekking in a narrow canyon with layered, multicolored rock walls.

Course One

Intro to Wilderness Physical Therapy

0.5 CEU - $150

Enhance your clinical reasoning skills for remote and backcountry environments, while learning essential tools for wilderness physical therapy.

This self-paced, 5-hour online course is approved for 0.5 PT CEUs. Upon completion, you have the option to take additional Wilderness Physical Therapy Educators courses that lead to certification as a Wilderness PT First Responder. Completion of this course meets the current prerequisite for our in-person course, Traversing Wilderness Physical Therapy.

Enroll

To enroll, you will be prompted to first make an ISU profile. From there, you can login and take the course.

What you’ll learn

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    How to identify medical-legal and safety concerns relating to pre-hospital patient care in austere and wilderness environments.

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    How to develop an innovative treatment approach for backcountry treatment of a person who has sustained trauma.

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    Scene leadership and safety, including the knowledge and physical materials necessary for backcountry first aid.

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    How to organize, synthesize, integrate, and apply skills in wilderness enviroments.

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    How to perform primary and secondary assessments and identify key health issues in a person who has illness or sustained trauma in the backcountry.

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    How to conduct a primary assessment using MARCH protocol.

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    How to conduct a secondary assessment through physical examination and obtaining SAMPLE history.

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    How to be a wilderness provider and ways to assist other providers on scene.

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    Learn group dynamics and leadership in backcountry rescue scenes.

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    How to be a value-added member to wilderness search and rescue teams while managing the intense physical and psychological demands of wilderness rescue.

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    Understand various backcountry evacuation considerations.

Four people outdoors in front of mountains, dressed in outdoor gear and sunglasses, smiling at the camera.

Meet your Wilderness PT Educators

The Wilderness Physical Therapy Educators have over a century of experience in physical therapy between our team members. Our team boasts impressive experience both inside and outside of the clinic stretching from military, research, and children’s classrooms to yoga shalas, cliff tops in US national parks, and national conferences. Despite our colorful PT adventures, we found that our real passion lies in helping people like you find a way to live their dream of incorporating their corporate healthcare job with their passion for the outdoors. We can’t wait to assist you on this exciting adventure.

DJ, Karen, Darren, & Paul

Testimonials

  • “One could see first hand what a situation in the wilderness may entail and being able to see how experienced professionals handle such situations is very useful.”

  • “I would highly recommend this course to anyone who is interested in wilderness physical therapy or for EMS related information in general for that matter.”

  • “The instructors were very knowledgeable and engaging, and I really felt that they had a passion for this, and it was a lot of fun to learn about this area of physical therapy.”

  • "Excellent templates for protocols when addressing medical emergencies in the back-country!"

  • "As a PT taking this course, I was immediately asking myself questions following the introductory video that were promptly answered in each subsequent course lesson."

A twisted, leafless tree growing on a rocky ledge with a canyon and mountains in the background under a cloudy sky.

Questions?

We look forward to assisting you. Please email us at info@wildernesspted.com or see our FAQ page.

FAQ