PA Wild Med 2022 is in the books! PROST!
Mark your calenders for September 15-17, 2023 for the
15th PA Wilderness Medicine & Survival Skills Conference.

PA Wild Med.com

FAQ

Faculty

If you have any questions that have not been answered in this website, please email the course director, Eric at ebowman@wellspan.org and we will add your question below. It’s likely others may have the same question. Thanks.

Q: Who should attend?
A: Actually, anyone!
The main course is designed for the medically inclined, but has been enjoyed by non-medical persons. The pre-conference workshops would be valuable to anyone! The kids’ survival/ outdoor skills course is open to any kids older than 7 yrs old. It is geared towards kids aged 8-16. We found that older teens prefer to sit in on the main course.

Q: What is the Tobacco policy for this event?

A: Our Wild Med Conference is a Tobacco-Free event (this includes no vaping products)

Q: What are the "Facilities?"

A: This is a rustic outdoor event but we will take care of your "creature comforts." We have a "2-hole/ outdoors" men's latrine, 5 portable restrooms (Port-a-pots) and an outdoor sink for washing hands and brushing teeth. We will have 3 outdoor propane-powered showers. You can also use the showers at the Church camp less than a mile away (see Lodging page). We will also have a hose available for anyone wanting to do a quick "military shower." We also have a water fountain to fill up your Nalgene.

Q: Is the weekend physically challenging?

A: You can enjoy the entire weekend with nothing more exertional than walking around. Of course, there are optional activities like the climbing wall that can be a bit challenging. Actually, the most challenging physical activity will be the "Fire Bow," but if you are determined, you WILL start a friction fire (possibly at the expense of a blister or two).

Q: Anything special to bring?
A: If you have room, bring a lawn chair. Keep an eye on the weather and plan accordingly.

Q: If I already paid, but plans change, will I be reimbursed?
A: Up to a predetermined date, there will be a full refund, and then half refunded and closer to the Conference date, no refund. Given that we are non-profit and invest a lot several weeks prior to the course based on number of registrants, we can’t offer a full refund once we make those investments.

Q: If I am on a waiting list, what are my chances that I will get into the course?
A: Most folks on our Waiting list in prior years have made it to the course as registered folks fail to submit payment or cancel. We did have a few folks last year that never came off the waiting list (sorry). We have a finite capacity to this course for many reasons and can not go past a certain limit.

Q: Since this is an entirely outdoor course, what happens if the weather is dangerous?
A: We have a safe location to quickly go in the event of anything dangerous. In the event of thunderstorms, we may have to delay or cancel a workshop time slot, but resume on the normal schedule when the storm passes.