EMT: Wilderness Medical Professional Certificate
The recommended certification for entry into the wilderness EMS workforce
The Wilderness Medical Professional Certificate of Completion (COP) provides students with comprehensive educational certificates for entry into the wilderness EMS job force and includes the EMT Basic (12 credits), WEMT Upgrade (3 credits) and EMT-IV (2 credits).
After completing the program, students are eligible to test and certify for NREMT-Basic, State of Colorado EMT-B and EMT-IV, and be awarded a 3-year WEMS Wilderness EMT Certification.
Accelerated, multi-week format
The Wilderness Medical Professional COP is offered in an accelerated format over a period of weeks. Course instruction will include a combination of learning styles, including online work, video conference sessions, in-person lab sessions and 4 clinical rotations (to be scheduled during weekends or after the course).
The first portion of the face-to-face field section will consist of hands-on skills training in the EMT lab and day trips to local wilderness venues for scenarios. The field session will include an intensive multi-day camping trip that will afford students opportunities to practice and train wilderness rescue medicine techniques, including a night scenario and stress inoculation training.
CPR certification is included in the EMT course. Drug screening and background checks are mandatory for clinical rotations.
This program has a fee that may be non-refundable. The $800 program fee (subject to change) and charges do not include State of Colorado nor NREMT EMS certification fees, vaccines and immunizations.
Semester Format
Alternatively to the accelerated format, students can take the EMT class over a semester and then obtain their EMT-IV and wilderness EMT certification the following semester to complete the wilderness medical professional certification.
Prerequisites include: students must be 18 years old by first class, GED or high school diploma and college-level reading proficiency. You must have high-speed Internet access and basic computer skills, including navigating, using email, sending attachments.
The Wilderness Medical Professional Certificate is offered at:
- Breckenridge: Mostly in-person
- Steamboat Springs: Mostly in-person
Program Learning Outcomes are what we expect each student will learn while earning a degree or certificate. Meeting these learning outcomes is how we assess our performance as a college. Our learning outcomes support both important career skills and future success as a student.
Upon completing the Wilderness Medical Professional Certificate program, CMC students will be able to:
- Employ leadership, sound judgment and good decision-making skills when leading, guiding or rescuing others in a wilderness, austere or technical environment.
- Utilize critical thinking skills in a potentially austere environment, so that the rescuer, teammates, bystanders and patients remain as safe as possible at all times.
- Prepare safe wilderness travel plans for a variety of remote and technical environments (Rock, ice, Snow, swiftwater, Mountain).
- Demonstrate competency in wilderness travel skills in a variety of remote and technical environments (Rock, ice, Snow, swiftwater, Mountain).
- Demonstrate competency in technical rescue skills in a variety of remote and technical environments (Rock, ice, Snow, swiftwater, Mountain) at a technician level.
- Organize, manage and safely execute all aspects of wilderness medical care including: scene management; patient assessment; medical, trauma and environmental injury management; and patient evacuation, at the wilderness EMT level of care.
- Describe appropriate professional practices, communications, organizations and career opportunities in the field of wilderness rescue medicine.
- Improvise techniques and resource management necessary to safely provide patient care, rescue and evacuation with limited personnel, equipment and communication.