Through Emergency Medical Services, fellows will have the opportunity to participate in medical direction and field response in several wilderness EMS systems, work on local ski patrol, as well as to fly with our aeromedical transport service AirCare. Through collaboration with regional fellowships, our fellows have ample opportunities to train with the fellows and faculty from other programs as well. We have several ongoing international relationships that offer fellows the chance to fly with a Canadian retrieval medical service, train raft guides in Costa Rica and Colombia, teach wilderness medicine in Peru, and work with the development of an EMS system in Tanzania.
 
Fellows have the opportunity and flexibility to explore special interests in wilderness medicine with mentorship in many areas including:
  • Research
  • Wilderness EMS
  • Expedition medicine
  • Education
  • Conference/CME expedition planning
  • International wilderness medicine
  • Dive medicine

Program Goals

The goal of the program is to prepare fellows for success a career in wilderness medicine. The program is designed to provide all fellows with a strong foundation in the principles of wilderness medical care, while developing a focus in a particular area of expertise, of the fellow’s choosing.

Expectations

Fellows are required to attend didactic sessions, all of which are primarily hands-on and performed in the field. They will also be expected to help with the organization and planning of a regional student conference, as well as teach at a national resident and student elective.Fellows will develop an individual plan to blend training and experiences to cover the wilderness medicine core content curriculum, develop skills in scholarship, and Fellows must maintain their primary board skills during the fellowship with an expectation to work six to eight clinical shifts each month. Clinical shifts will occur at Lexington Medical Center, Catawba Valley Medical Center, or Watauga Medical Center.

Fellows may elect to live either in Winston-Salem, NC and the surrounding communities, or in Boone, NC- a small mountain town, known for its access to outdoor recreation including several ski areas, world-class rock climbing, whitewater, hiking and mountain biking. Boone is also the home of Appalachian State University.

Moonlighting is available in our clinical community sites for fellows who desire additional clinical time.