Wilderness Medical Society Inc

Conferences: another way in which the wms achieves its mission to improve the scientific knowledge of the membership is via high quality educational conferences. 2 conferences were held in 2024. The annual winter and summer conferences with their morning plenary sessions and afternoon interactive workshops and small group sessions. 1. The winter conference provided 19.75 hours of cme credits via topics including wildland fire, solar exposure, psychological first aid, global health, risk assessment, diving, perianal problems, legal issues, medical complications, and hypothermia. 2. The summer conference provided 25.25 hours of cme credits via topics including caving expedition, introduction to dive medicine, personal locator beacons, high altitude medicine, athlete at altitude, rescue at extreme altitude, altitude and ice diving, depressive symptoms of the wm provider, search and rescue strategies, women at altitude, and oxygen use at extreme altitude.

Diploma in mountain medicine (dimm): advancing the knowledge of our members via opportunities to earn specialized diplomas is another key way in which the wms achieves its mission. Dimm is a program designed to train the participants in the essentials of caring for patients in the technical mountain environment. The dimm program is divided into two week-long didactic sessions offered in conjunction with the two wms conferences, and two week-long skills courses that provide practical education in wilderness medicine, technical rescue, and self-sufficiency in the backcountry.

The other program services that the wms provides to members as part of accomplishing our mission include adventure cme trips, student electives, two additional professional development opportunities including a diploma in dive & marine medicine (didmm), and the fellowship in the academy of wilderness medicine (fawm).