A WILDERNESS MEDICINE COURSE FOR PEDIATRIC RESIDENTS

Objective: To design a structured curriculum to teach pediatric reside nts about wilderness medicine. Background: An increasing number of chi ldren are involved in more rigorous and potentially risky outdoor acti vities. Despite the breadth of exposure characteristic of most pediatr ic residencies, me are aware of no formalized syllabus that prepares r esidents to both treat injuries sustained in outdoor pursuits, and hel p parents and children to prepare safely for such activities, Methods: The first half of the course was designed to teach a broad range of t opics in wilderness medicine through a series of readings, lectures, a nd field trips. The second half of the course involved a six-day cours e in wilderness skills. Results: Over a three-week period, the major t opics of wilderness medicine were thoroughly covered. The three reside nts involved in the planning and execution of the course felt that the course succeeded in filling an important gap in their pediatric resid ency training. Conclusions: The addition of a structured wilderness me dicine elective to pediatric residencies, with or without a field comp onent, may pro,ide a valuable opportunity for pediatric residents to b roaden their skills and knowledge base to include these increasingly i mportant topics.