Course Offerings
There is no substitute for experience.
All Aerie courses rely on effective, realistic and challenging scenarios that provide context for engaging didactic presentations. 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 as well as to the US military, present at the most prominent risk management and wilderness medicine conferences, and offer courses around the world.
Course Offerings
Unsure which might be the right course for you?
Browse our course descriptions below.
Wilderness First Aid
If you are just getting started in medicine, or want a little more than your basic first aid class, this is an ideal course. The two-day format also makes it easier to fit a work or school schedule. Know the basics of wound management, splinting, patient assessment, improvised care and management of hot and cold emergencies before your next adventure.
Wilderness Advanced First Aid
A Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA) certification is a level of training between a Wilderness First Aid and Wilderness First Responder courses. While the curriculum is similar to a Wilderness First Aid course, the WAFA allows for more hands-on practice. This certification requires 36 hours to complete, or 4 days. This includes 4 hours designated to the CPR Certification. The WAFA course is a great option for sponsors looking for a basic level of training with extra hands-on training and scenarios with integrated CPR. Students with a WAFA certification walk away with more confidence in their practical skills and handling emergencies.
Wilderness First Responder
In just 8 days, gain foundational lifesaving wilderness medical skills with Aerie. The WFR is the industry standard for outdoor leaders because it provides enough time for students to practice skills necessary for preventing and managing emergencies in the backcountry.
Emergency Medical Technician
Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) are the foundation of pre-hospital medical care in the United States. EMTs gain access to and assess patients, control bleeds, stabilize fractures, administer certain medications, package patients and deliver them to higher levels of care. Aerie’s EMT courses prepare our students for this field with in-depth, interactive lectures and realistic, challenging scenarios, emphasizing compassionate care and sound judgment.
Wilderness EMT
While EMTs serve in pre-hospital care settings, Wilderness EMTs (W-EMTs) take foundational EMT skills into austere environments, with potentially hazardous conditions and limited resources. Aerie’s Wilderness EMTs are taught to adapt to these challenges with numerous extensive, realistic outdoor scenarios and case studies. Our W-EMT classes begin with standard EMT training, then progress to backcountry scenarios to teach students to care for patients in remote environments.
Semester in Wilderness Medicine
Aerie developed the Semester program to prepare students for careers in medicine while providing them with the skills and certifications necessary for competitive jobs in the outdoor field. Aerie offers two full Semester programs: Spring, in Costa Rica and Montana; and Fall in Montana and the Indian Himalaya.
Paramedic Refresher
This six-day course is a scenario-based refresher, with particular emphasis on extended care in wilderness and other austere environments.
Certifications/ Documents of Completion:
1. National Registry paramedic refresher
2. AHA ACLS, PALS, PHTLS, and BLS CPR Refreshers
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
Master the skills that can restore a heartbeat when seconds count. Aerie’s 4-hour CPR classes blend concise, up-to-date instruction with extensive hands-on practice so every student leaves confident using compressions, rescue breaths, and an AED. Two certification tracks are available: Heartsaver CPR for the workplace, home, and guide services, and Healthcare Provider CPR for medical and EMS professionals. Both options meet American Heart Association standards, carry a two-year certification, and are frequently paired with our First Aid, WFA, and WFR-R courses to create a single evening of lifesaving training.
Wilderness Medicine Essentials
This one-day (8-hour) “essentials” class delivers a fast-moving survey of the medical problems you are most likely to face beyond the trailhead. Half classroom and half scenario lab, it covers bleeding control, wound and burn management, basic splinting, heat and cold emergencies, and back-country improvisation. The course substitutes for Standard First Aid/BLS requirements while adding the wilderness decision-making framework that conventional courses leave out. Graduates earn a two-year Wilderness Medicine Essentials certificate and leave prepared to manage common field emergencies with limited gear.
First Aid
Perfect for guides, trip leaders, teachers, and families who need a concise introduction to emergency care, Aerie’s 4-hour First Aid class follows the AHA Heartsaver curriculum but is taught by instructors who work daily in pre-hospital medicine. Expect streamlined lectures on airway, breathing, and circulation problems, paired with focused skills stations covering bandaging, epi-auto-injectors, and patient assessment. The certification is valid for two years and can be taken alone or combined with our CPR module for an 8-hour First Aid & CPR package.
Learn more about the course by clicking here.
Wilderness First Responder Refresher (WFR-R)
Keep your WFR current–and sharp–during this intensive 16-hour, two-day update. The WFR-R revisits core topics (patient assessment, trauma, environmental, and medical emergencies) through complex, scenario-driven labs that emphasize critical thinking, gear improvisation, and extended-care decision making. Instructors weave the latest evidence, protocol changes, and case studies into every exercise, ensuring you leave with refreshed skills, renewed confidence, and an active WFR card for another two years. Current WFRs and WEMTs from Aerie or other accredited providers are eligible.
EMT Refresher
Revitalize your skills—and keep your NREMT current—in this immersive 24-hour refresher delivered over three intensive days. Aligned with the National Continued Competency Program (NCCP), the course revisits airway, breathing & cardiology, trauma, medical/OB-pediatrics, and EMS operations while weaving in evidence-based updates and high-consequence case studies. Classes combine crisps, interactive lectures with protocol discussions, and then move to hands-on skill stations and multi-patient simulations that sharpen critical thinking, crew communication, and documentation. Graduates earn 24 CEUs, satisfying the full National component of EMT recertification and meeting most state and agency renewal requirements. Current or recently expired (≤ 24 months) EMTs are welcome; a valid CPR/BLS card is recommended but may be renewed the evening before the course (separate course).