Become an Instructor for NOLS Wilderness Medicine

William Woodward

NOLS Wilderness Medicine's mission is to provide the highest quality education and information for the recognition, treatment, and prevention of wilderness emergencies. Instructors teach courses including: 2-day Wilderness First Aid courses, 10-day Wilderness First Responder courses, Wilderness Upgrade for Medical Professionals courses, 30-day Wilderness EMT courses, and more.

Instructors are expected to provide outstanding, thorough lectures on medical topics and supervise hands-on skills practice for groups of 15-30 students. In addition, responsibilities include: keeping accurate paperwork, collaborating with course hosts (called sponsors), and overseeing course equipment.

Instructors’ teaching schedules may be arranged to fit with other employment. Highest consideration will be given to applicants who are available during NOLS Wilderness Medicine’s busiest teaching months, January through June.  

Courses are located in all 50 states and 40 countries around the world. Instructors are generally regionally centered near their homes, but they may be expected to teach throughout the United States and internationally.
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Instructor Training Courses

To become an instructor, interested individuals need to apply for the NOLS Wilderness Medicine Instructor Training Course (ITC), a 7- or 10-day intensive training in Lander, Wyoming. ITCs prepare new instructors to deliver the NOLS Wilderness Medicine curriculum.
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Wilderness First Aid ITC

Fall Course Dates:
November 3-9, 2024

Fall Application Deadline:
July 12, 2024

This course is designed to train instructors with WFR certifications to instruct NOLS’ 2-day Wilderness First Aid programs.

Additional Requirements:

  • Current WFR certification or recertification within the past two years (includes WFR certifications issued through a Wilderness Upgrade for Medical Professionals (WUMP) course). Does not need to be WFR certification with NOLS
  • Professional Level CPR Certification
WFA ITC Application

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Wilderness First Responder ITC

Fall Course Dates:
November 3-12, 2024

Fall Application Deadline:
May 24, 2024

This course is designed to train instructors with Wilderness EMTs and other advanced medical training (RN, PA, MD, etc.) to instruct  NOLS Wilderness First Responder and Wilderness EMT programs, as well as other types of courses.

Additional Requirements:

  • Current Wilderness EMT (or RN, PA, MD or similar advanced medical training, with current WFR)
  • Professional Level CPR Certification

New in 2024:

3 spots on this year's WFR ITC training program are designated as "WEMT specialist" positions. Each position includes 175 days/year of wilderness medicine coursework. These candidates should expect a few WFRs and WEMTs in year one of teaching and likely 6 WEMTs in year two and beyond. This is a full time, career track position and includes health insurance benefits, retirement, etc. If interested, please apply for the WFR ITC and let us know to consider you for a "WEMT Specialist" position. Contact us with any questions you may have.

WFR ITC Application