Improvised Medicine or Medicine of Fortune!
Faculty: Darryl Macias MD
Sunday Sept.21, 8:30am-9:15am
45 minutes
This will be a continuation of "MacGyvering in the Mountains," where additional practical tips for improvised medicine will be given, using the MARCH algorithm. "Tried and true methods" will be examined under the scrutiny of the literature, to determine whether techniques used for the initial stabilization of a patient is fact, or fiction.

Altitude Physiology and the Limitations of Textbook Algorithms: Altitude Physiology, Diagnosis and Management
Faculty: Tom Murphy, MBBS FRCA
Sunday Sept.21, 8:30am-9:30am via Zoom
60 minutes
Altitude exposure poses a range of medical risks, from mild symptoms to life-threatening illness. While clinicians may recognise the syndromes of high-altitude illness, a deeper understanding of the underlying physiology can improve timely diagnosis and management. Furthermore, real-world decision-making at altitude often requires balancing medical, logistical, and human factors. This talk will illustrate these complexities through practical examples.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the underlying physiology of high-altitude illness.

2. Apply core principles of altitude illness management in clinical and expedition contexts.

3. Recognise how non-medical factors (e.g. logistics, human behaviour) may influence management decisions at altitude.

Psychological Safety & Resilience in the Wild: Thriving Under Pressure in the Austere Environment
Faculty: Kim Furry MD
Sunday Sept.21, 9:30am-10:30am
60 minutes

• 50 min for presentation and small group sessions with 10 min for Q&A

• Define psychological safety and resilience in the context of wilderness medicine.

• Recognize barriers to psychological safety in austere settings.

• Practice situational tools that promote resilience before, during, and after high-stress events.

• Leave with 2–3 practical, low-resource strategies for maintaining team cohesion and mental wellness in the field

Backcountry Comms
Faculty: Shane Baird EMT-P
Sunday Sept.21, 10:45am-11:30am
45 minutes
Communications are mission critical for any operations in the backcountry. However, the austere environment also poses unique challenges to communication. In this course, we will examine the fundamentals of communications, explore the primary tools used, and cover several different paradigms to improve operational communications in the backcountry.

How to build your Career in Wilderness Medicine – My Story from A to Z...
Faculty: Will Smith MD
Sunday Sept.21, 11:30am-12:30pm
60 minutes
Paramedic Physician Will Smith describes how his career has progressed over the past 30 years from becoming an EMT in High School to now having practiced medicine on 6 continents from ‘Baghdad ER’ to Easter Island. He shares his experience and tips that have created many opportunities to practice medicine in unique places and strategies for networking and advancement within the wilderness medicine community.