Course overview: This active 5-day medic programme encompasses 2 exploratory mountain training days and a one-day Canadian canoe expedition on Ullswater wrapped up and interspersed with practical fieldcraft sessions, core medical lectures, medical cases and tutorials, practical medical training and evening keynote illustrated faculty career lectures. The course basecamp is a fully equipped village hall with adjacent camping included. All meals are provided including sumptuous homecooked evening feasts (see more below). A good level of walking fitness and proper hill walking kit is needed to comfortably participate but prior camping or expedition experience is not required. Comprehensive pre-course advice in provided.
Consider this great course an educational, adventurous and career enhancing staycation!
2024 dates are 3-7 July and 24-28 July and are live to book below.
SAVE up to £200 by choosing WMT (instead of WEM’s Keswick course).
See this post-course SPECIAL REPORT OF PHOTOS & FEEDBACK. All welcome – med students, nurses, doctors, paramedics, OHPs and non medics. Read this course review on The Adventure Medic website.
Here’s what recent course delegates said about their WMT experience:
- Absolutely amazing week! Super glad I came on this course.
- As a 54 year old female GP, I have struggled to find anything like this before – outdoor activities with medics, pitched at a level accessible to anyone + brilliantly taught.
- Really good fun. Easy way to learn + become confident in new skills.
- Briliant instructors – very knowledgable, inspiring and approachable.
- Thank you for an amazing, inspirational and motivational week!
- This course and format really has something “special” about it.
- This course covers everything you would want to know that isn’t written in the books… and is a must if you wish to feel comfortable working outdoors.
- By far the best medical course I’ve been to.
- This course far exceeded my expectations. I had no idea how much I was to learn from both a clinical & wilderness perspective. The stories & experiences of the leaders were inspirational & added even more value to the trip.
- A great course. Lots of learning and fun. So well organised. WMT is a great company you can put your trust in. Thank you everyone involved.
| Course | Dates | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure Medicine Click the ARROW beside the calendar to select date options and prices (3-7 July or 24-28 July). This is a jam packed 5 days of expedition medical education and adventure in the mountains and on Lake Ullswater from a comfy basecamp supported and taught by a diverse, expert team of expedition medics and outdoor professionals with decades of experience. | Pick a date to see course details... |
Arrival & departure times
Arrive from noon on day 1. Lunch provided at 1pm. The course kicks off at 2pm. We conclude with lunch on day 5. Depart by 1pm.
Daily course outline
We have a plan but that plan may get modified according to weather.
Day 1 – 2pm kick off. Training, teaching and practical sessions on site, indoors and out.
Days 2 & 3 – Mountain walking expedition (emphasis on honing navigation skills) and canoe expedition (half of course group on each activity)
Day 4 – All course group mountain expedition in small teams to climb a local mountain via a weather appropriate route with the emphasis on group automy and applying skills learned. Final mountain-side rescue scenario to apply medical and mountain skills acquired.
Day 5 – Training, teaching and practical sessions on site, indoors and out. Close and depart after lunch by 1pm.
Evenings: post-dinner faculty illustrated career talks, games, pub visits, rest and chill, chat and network, wild swim.
Expedition medicine content
The medical content will be delivered at basecamp or on the lake and mountain expedition days focussed on these core topics and practical skills:
- Patient packaging – moving, straightening, lifting, moving
- Approach to the trauma patient
- Fracture management – improvised splinting
- Rescue scenario
- Expedition planning
- Expedition medical kits – where to start?
- Water purification
- Mental well-being in remote places
- Fever case – malaria rapid test kits
- Thermal injury – hypothermia, frostbite, heat
- Acute mountain sickness – prevention and treatment & demo of a PAC (portable altitude chamber)
Technical mountain skills
- Mountain navigation theory
- Security on steep ground – simple rope work that will get you out of trouble
- Classic map & compass navigation
- The role of smartphone maps and apps
- Route planning
- GPS navigation
- SOS beacons
- Party leadership in the hills
Other fieldcraft skills & sessions
- Fire lighting with a fire striker
- Wild bread making & use of gas stoves
- Tarp erection and specialised knots
- Jungle hammock use
- Evening inspirational lectures from the teaching team
- How to pimp your expedition medic CV
Ullswater canoe expedition
We’ve teamed up with trusted WMT Explorer course alumni at The Adventure Element to offer an introduction to lake canoeing. This is an exciting first on any WMT course. After running courses in the Lake District for many years, it’s about time we added an initiation to paddling a Canadian canoe – a wonderful journeying watercraft. We’ll explore majestic Ullswater, her small islands and bays and stop for shore-based medical training and perhaps a wild swim. On this journey afloat you’ll learn:
- a variety of paddle strokes
- water safety
- waterproofing equipment
- rafting up (to safely cross choppy water)
- how to rescue a swamped boat
- how to manouver the boat and padddle in a straight line!
WMT teaching teams
Our team consists of veteran expedition medics and expedition leaders, guest speakers, expert canoe staff and mountain instructors.
CPD & certification
We estimate this programme is valid for at least 15 hours CPD. WMT issues an attendance certificate. Read more about claiming CPD points here.
2024 dates, venue & travel
2024 dates are 3-7 July and 24-28 July. The course basecamp is Glenridding Public Hall CA11 0PA in Glenridding Public Hall with camping at Gillside campsite a few hundred metres away. Glenridding is about 14 miles from Junction 40 on the M6 (Penrith/Keswick junction). There’s a train station in Penrith and local buses to Glenridding. There’s a Whatsapp group so that delegates can liaise with each other to ride share.
What’s included in the fee?
- all instruction
- all meals from lunch day 1 to lunch day 5
- comprehensive 200+ page A5 Medic manual
- use of all specialised teaching equipment, canoes/lifejackets, maps
- 4 nights’ camping with parking (at the camp or hall)
- use of village hall (with wifi & toilets) and campsite amenities (toilets). Showers 20p!
- extensive pre-course reading bundle
- pre-course DOSSIER with kit advice and more
- VAT @ 20%
What’s not included?
- personal clothing and equipment
- personal tents and related camping equipment (we can provide tents for hire for £30 and sleeping bags with a liner and basic mattress for £20)
- alcohol
- any additional charges for camper vans
- your favourite trekking snacks – BYO
- personal cancellation insurance
- anything else not expressly mentioned
Terms & conditions – personal cancellation insurance
Be sure to read WMT’s terms and conditions of booking. You are agreeing to them if you make a payment. Delegates are urged to purchase personal cancellation insurance you have to cancel. One such policy with Campbell Irvine Direct Travel Insurance
Course catering
All catering is done in-house by WMT (with welcome help from delegates with chopping, prepping and washing up!). We are thrilled that the 2024 course catering will be managed by Dr Marion Leighton who has a vast amount of group catering experience (she was a 2023 course participant). See Marion’s website MARIONATED for an idea of the tasty and healthy wholefood dishes she produces. Vegetarians, vegans and gluten free diets can be accommodated but please contact WMT to discuss your needs in good time or have any concerns so we can prepare.
What to bring
We will issue a detailed, mandatory kit list with advice. In broad terms, you’ll need full mountain wet weather walking clothing, suitable footwear and a small backpack and a personal tent, sleeping bag and mattress.
Course manual
We issue our comprehensive Medic course manual on all WMT Medic courses. This includes additional material not covered on this course such as dentistry, diving medicine, swift water rescue and other useful and interesting topics.
Downloads
Download the WMT PARTICIPANT DECLARATION here and bring it on day 1 of the course.
The pre-course dossier includes a kit list and more essential logistical informationfor each course and is provided when you register online.
Other Medic course coming up
Please see this summary page for provisional dates and locations.