Horses grazing in a grassy field with green trees and mountain peaks in the background under a blue sky with some clouds.

Wilderness PT Courses

Combine your passion and profession. Our continuing education courses help you apply your clinical physical therapy background to the wilderness environment, with the opportunity to earn a Wilderness PT First Responder Certification.

In-person CEU Course

A mountain trail surrounded by lush green and reddish vegetation with tall pine trees and a large mountain peak in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
A group of people practicing emergency first aid on a person lying on the ground in a forest. 
Traversing Wilderness PT

2.0 CEU Course (20 hr)
Columbia, SC: March 20-22, 2026
Pocatello, ID: September 25-27, 2026

This course is perfect for physical therapists looking to explore the rapidly growing field of Wilderness Physical Therapy. Using scenario-based teaching approaches onsite in the backcountry, this course will assist participants with problem-solving strategies and innovative treatment approaches for people who become injured or ill in backcountry environments.

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Online CEU Courses

A person hiking through a narrow canyon with colorful sandstone walls, some patches of ice or snow on the ground, and a blue sky with clouds overhead.

Introduction to Wilderness Physical Therapy

.5 CEU - $150 (5 hr)

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

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Two climbers ascending a snow-covered mountain slope, using ice axes and wearing helmets and backpacks.

Environmental Factors in the Wilderness

.6 CEU - $180 (6 hr)

Learn interventions for illnesses provoked or worsened by environmental factors. Topics include hypothermia, frostbite, heat illness, dehydration, animal encounters, lightning, altitude illness, and drowning.

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People gathered around a person wrapped in a gold emergency blanket in a forested area.

Trauma in the
Backcountry

.5 CEU - $150 (5 hr)

Learn backcountry patient care and management techniques. Topic areas include spinal, neck, head, chest wall, lung, abdominal, pelvic, and extremity injuries, as well as, hemorrhage and shock.

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Four hikers with backpacks walking on a dirt trail in a mountainous landscape with snow-capped peaks, green fields, and trees.

Medical Problems in the Backcountry

.4 CEU - $125 (4 hr)

An essential aspect of wilderness physical therapy. This course provides you with critical skills and knowledge regarding illness and emergencies in wilderness and backcountry settings.

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A desert landscape with a large rocky hill on the left, scattered Joshua trees across the scene, and distant mountains under a partly cloudy sky.
Group of people preparing to carry an injured person to safety.

The Master Class is a compilation of our entire curriculum. Made with the APTA as a precursor to CSM 2026, participants can earn their Wilderness PT First Responder Certification in the beautiful scenery of Joshua Tree.

APTA Master Class

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“In wilderness medicine, the patient is our guide, the elements are our challenge and our skills are our lifeline.”

— Wilderness PT Educators

Curriculum Trails

Wilderness PT-First Responder Certification

Our flagship certification is awarded to individuals who successfully complete the 4 online courses, an in-person offering of Traversing Wilderness PT, and a cumulative exam. This prestigious certification is valid for 3 years from completion. An alternative path to the certification, as a special prelude to CSM 2026, is our Master Class that combines our entire curriculum and allows participants to earn their WPT-FR.

WFA Certificate

Participants who successfully complete all four online courses will earn a Wilderness First Aid certificate.

Solo Trek

We recommend starting your Wilderness PT journey with the course Intro to Wilderness PT. From there, explore any course offering that interests you. Our online courses are self-contained so that you can blaze your own trail. while earning CEUs.

Questions?

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

FAQ