Service. Humility. Competence.

Service:  It is a privilege to care for the sick or injured.  Preparing people for this service is Aerie’s mission. 

Humility:  Our ability to treat injuries and control environments is limited.  Recognizing, respecting and working within the limitations of any situation allows the care provider to be an asset rather than a liability to those in need.

Competence:  Good intentions and restraint are of limited value in unskilled hands. To be of true service, the care provider must have the ability to execute under duress, to adapt to harsh environments, and to perform when outcomes matter.  These skills are best acquired through realistic scenarios and interactive discussions led by outdoor leaders and medical professionals.

Welcome to Aerie.  

After 15 years in business with over 10,000 graduates, Aerie is unique in the wilderness medicine training world:  small enough to focus on individual students and large enough to be involved in all levels of the outdoor industry and its training needs.  All Aerie courses rely on effective, realistic and challenging scenarios.  Working with a select staff primarily based in Missoula, Montana, we provide training to many of the largest land-management and outdoor-adventure agencies in the United States, present at the most prominent risk management and wilderness medicine conferences, and offer courses around the world.  

• Courses and Programs, including, but not limited to
  • Semester in Wilderness Medicine (or visit our Semester blog)
  • Wilderness EMT (WEMT)
  • Wilderness First Responder  (WFR)
  • Wilderness First Aid (WFA) 
  • Advanced Wilderness Life Support (AWLS)
• Staff 
• Teaching Philosophy
• Mission  

Every aspect of Aerie, from our Made-in-Montana first aid kits to our course venues, reflect our commitment to supporting local communities while offering quality products and services consistent with sustainable development practices.  We encourage you to verify this by viewing our site and hope you will contact us with questions.  

Safety

No course is capable of operating without the risk of injury or illness. We encourage you to talk with our staff about risks inherent in our training programs before enrolling.  Depending on course location, injuries and illnesses that occur may require prolonged evacuations and may necessitate repatriation to the United States.  With that in mind, the safety of our students and staff is a priority.  We also recognize that activities contain inherent risks. By planning and monitoring these activities we try to minimize these risks. However, our students take our classes because they travel, work and live outdoors, away from immediate medical care. Our students want to learn to care for patients under less than ideal conditions, and Aerie believes that students learn best when they are involved in realistic, engaging scenarios and practical sessions. As a result we simulate these environments and head out to experience them during our classes as often as possible. However, we cannot guarantee the safety of our classes and fully encourage our students to investigate the risks and hazards of all Aerie activities.