Take your next step to medical school (or nursing, PA, dental, vet school!) while learning about and earning a certificate in wilderness and emergency medicine.  Join pre-health students from across the country to learn in a stunning setting surrounded by gorges, waterfalls, and trails.

Escape the on-line drudgery and generic, sometimes brutal, pre-health curriculum for authentic hands-on learning that can make a real difference.  Whether you are interested in emergency medicine, humanitarian relief work, disaster medicine, global health, rural medicine, or backcountry first aid, you will learn a ton while earning certifications in Wilderness First Responder and CPR.  Learn, earn, and have fun!

Taught by University of Colorado School of Medicine faculty, these classes are an exciting, hands-on introduction to emergency and wilderness medicine, as well as a backstage pass to the med school application process and a career in health care. You will work hard, learn a ton, have a blast, and make new friends from across the country.  Scroll down for more course information and to register for a class today.

Earn CPR and Wilderness First Responder certifications (EMTs earn a Wilderness EMT bridge certificate) from the University of Colorado School of Medicine

Undergrad college students and grads from any college or university, as well as gap year students, are encouraged to enroll!  No experience or pre-reqs required

Need based scholarships are available. They cover the tuition for the course, but do not cover travel costs or other expenses you may come up against during the course. You can access the application here.

Upcoming Ithaca Courses

Part I – On-Line Modules
Dive in to the fascinating world of austere and wilderness medicine with a series of interactive on-line modules.  Whether you aren’t sure what kind of medicine interests you, or you already have an interest in disaster medicine, global health, rural medicine, humanitarian relief efforts, or straight up wilderness medicine, you’ll enjoy learning at your own pace about a whole new world of medicine.  Learn about subjects such as patient assessment, trauma and shock, lightning, hypothermia, and much, much more.  The dozen plus modules, covering about 24 hours of study, include state of the art content, case studies, interactive questionnaires, video links, and quizzes.

Part II – Ithaca is Gorges Experience
This is the in-person heart of the class, held in beautiful, hip Ithaca, NY.  It is an easy drive for anyone in the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic states or a quick Uber ride from the Ithaca airport.  In this portion of the class we will focus on four things:

1. Hands on skill demonstrations and practice to learn how to assess patients, splint, treat wounds, perform CPR, move patients, create litters, and much, much, more. When the stuff hits the fan, whether you are in the wilds, traveling internationally, or just in your own back yard, you will have the skills and confidence to respond to a wide variety of medical emergencies.
2. An emphasis on leadership and teamwork as you participate in scenario-based learning designed to reinforce the skills and knowledge necessary to prevent, assess, and treat a variety of austere medicine challenges and emergencies. Respond to simulated but authentic-feeling situations covering head trauma, fractures, spinal injuries, environmental issues, searches, and medical complaints.
3. In-depth exploration and discussion to enhance your application process to medical school and other health professions. Learn from those on the inside, med school faculty, and get a back door pass to the world of health care and medicine.  Share with and learn from students just like you from all over the country.

Program Includes:
This unique program includes all instruction (on-line and in person), labs, simulations, recreational activities, CPR and WFR certifications, and a program t-shirt.  Optional academic credit, if desired, is extra.

Program Benefits:
At the completion of the program, students will have gained invaluable exposures to emergency and wilderness medicine. Students will better understand the track to medical school and other health professions and will have obtained a valuable addition to their application to health professional schooling. They will benefit from getting to know medical school faculty and inside knowledge regarding a successful medical career, and perhaps most importantly, they will have gained the skills to treat and/or save the life of a friend or family member in the event of an emergency or backcountry incident.  And of course, students will earn a certificate in Wilderness First Responder and CPR from the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Where are students staying?
We have arranged a special deal with the Best Western University Inn, located within an easy walk of Cornell University. Students can book rooms for $65/night.

What are the current COVID-19 safety precautions? Due to rules put forth by the State of New York, students from outside of New York and its contiguous neighbors must obtain a negative COVID-19 test before arriving, quarantine for three days after arrival, and then produce a second negative test. Students who are from within NY and its neighboring states must produce a negative test as well, without the requirement to quarantine.