UW Nursing Students Further Their Education with NOLS Wilderness Medicine Training

Photo by Shana Tarter.

This spring, students and instructors from the University of Wyoming nursing program took a two-day NOLS Wilderness Medicine for the Professional Practitioner course. Participants agreed that the course offered valuable leadership training as well as preparation for providing patient care in resource-limited environments.

“NOLS, a leader in wilderness education, headquartered in Lander, and UW’s Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing recently brought second- and third-year Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and family nurse practitioner students together with physicians, nurses and nurse practitioners from Wyoming and across the nation for training at Wyoming’s Table in the Wilderness. Located about 30 miles from UW’s campus, this remote camping area provides access to rock climbing, hiking and canoeing—a perfect setting for learning to provide emergency medical assistance, if needed, in a wilderness or resource-limited environment.

‘Whether it’s travel abroad or engaging in outdoor activities in Wyoming, the possibility of an accident or injury always exists,’ says Esther Gilman-Kehrer, a clinical assistant professor with the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing. ‘As medical professionals, being knowledgeable about providing leadership and emergency medical care in a remote, backcountry setting is a valuable part of the education made available to students…’

‘This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to take a leadership role in the care of individuals injured in resource-limited settings like the wilderness or communities impacted by natural disasters,’ she says. ‘They will learn to test their medical skills against realistic situations and implement decision-making wilderness guidelines.’”

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