Duration: 2pm Friday, March 20, 2026 to 1pm Sunday, March 22, 2026

Location: Sesquicentennial Park, Columbia, South Carolina

Description: This 2.0 CEU-approved (NC-APTA) course presents a unique opportunity for PTs who love the outdoors to learn how to use their skills in 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. This course emphasizes clinical reasoning in the wilderness environment, knowledge for specialty practice, professionalism, leadership, and patient management. The instructors are professional educators and PT clinicians who have extensive experience in austere patient care as PTs and wilderness EMTs. This course can be used for partial completion of the WPTE Wilderness PT First Responder Certification.

Prerequisite: Course participants are required to complete our 5-hour online course ‘Intro to Wilderness Physical Therapy’ prior to taking this course.

Materials: Handouts and skill cards are provided. We ask that participants bring basic first aid materials, outdoor gear, and a backpack. A full pack list is provided in this document. Participants who would like to camp must bring additional camping gear not provided in the pack list.

Lodging: Onsite camping is available to all course participants at no additional cost. Campsites have convenient access to potable water and restrooms with showers. Campers must supply their own gear. For those who would like to stay in hotels, there are numerous options including a Hampton Inn and a Holiday Inn within a 15 minute drive.