Students will learn human anatomy and physiology at the University of Montana cadaver lab. They will have instruction from local, traditional healers from the small village where they will live in Costa Rica. Optional evening instruction will include Spanish Immersion and homestays with local families. Students will participate in an overnight survival exercise and orienteering training, taught by members of the Costa Rican endurance team, and then travel to Montana where they will be trained in winter survival and Search and Rescue from experts in mountain medicine. Swiftwater Rescue training will be taught by instructors from Rescue III International on the famous Pacuare River.

Course Locations: Students will live in two of the most beautiful locations possible. The first month in Costa Rica will primarily be held at Rancho Mastatal, a sustainable-living organic farm and education center located eight miles from the Pacific Coast. Class in Mastatal will focus on wilderness and travel medicine, traditional healing, local flora and fauna, and survival in a tropical environment. They will participate as EMT students in a free health clinic that Aerie offers to residents of Mastatal. They will then travel together to Missoula, taking a night there to meet at the cadaver lab and review anatomy and physiology. The following day, students will travel to the Northwest Connections facility in the Swan Valley, located between the Bob Marshall and Mission Mountain Wilderness areas and just South of Glacier National Park. In the Swan, students will be in a mountainous, winter environment and we will complete the WEMT curriculum, focusing on altitude, hypothermia, avalanche rescue, winter survival and Search and Rescue.

Certifications: Successful students will receive certifications in

• Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician
• National Registry Emergency Medical Technician – Basic
• State of Montana Emergency Medical Technician – Basic
• Rescue III International Swiftwater Rescue Technician
• American Heart Association Healthcare Provider CPR
• Level 1 Avalanche

Additional Training:

• Vehicle Extrication with Missoula City Fire Department
• Helicopter rescue with LifeFlight in Missoula
• Search and Rescue Training with Missoula County Search and Rescue
• Program and outdoor risk management
• Human anatomy and physiology at the University of Montana cadaver lab
• Organizing and offering community health clinics

15 credits are offered through the University of Montana Department of Health and Human Performance.

Instructors: Aerie´s instructors are leaders in the wilderness medicine, rescue and risk management fields. For this course, they will include:

• David McEvoy, Critical Care Paramedic, Co-Founder and Director of Aerie
• Fernando Giaccaglia, Costa Rica resident, Wilderness EMT, Guide for Coast to Coast Adventures
• Tony Cate, Firefighter-Paramedic, Assistant Director of Aerie Emergency Medicine
• Peter Anderson, RN, Wilderness EMT, Aerie Training Officer and Senior Lead Guide for Rainier Mountaineering Incorporated (RMI)
• Jay Satz, Former National Director of Risk Management for the Student Conservation Association
• Mike Johnston, EMT, Rescue III International Instructor
• Steve Karkanen, EMT and Director of West Central Montana Avalanche Foundation

Room and Board: All room and board is covered while in Mastatal and Montana.

Costs: TBA