Wilderness Medicine Within Global Health: A Strategy for Less Risk and More Reward

Abstract

A Case Study of Integrating the 2 Disciplines at Weill Cornell Medical College Over the last decade, there has been a growing interest in global health among medical students. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, 45 US medical schools offer a Global Health component, with 29.9% of graduating students stating they have had “global health experience.” With an emphasis on self-reliance and the delivery of medical care in austere and unpredictable environments, we advocate that wilderness medicine (WM) skill sets are an integral component of global heath, mitigating risk to students and empowering them to be safe as they participate in this rapidly evolving field. Our objective was to examine ways in which WM topics can be incorporated into global health coursework, and the benefits that come from this integration. In 2008, Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC) students and faculty designed a 4-year Global Health Curriculum (GHC). The core competencies of GHC are intended to complement and expand upon required pre-existing global health lectures. In designing our “Clinical Skills for Resource-Poor Environments” elective offered to 4th-year medical students, the aim was to prepare students for going abroad by instilling skills that would reinforce self-sufficiency and well being. Approximately 15% of the WM curriculum was incorporated into the 2-week, 40-hour Clinical Skills course through lectures, hands-on labs, workshops, and skills-based assessments taught by over 25 faculty members throughout New York City. The course has been offered twice since February 2010. Evaluations of individual lectures and labs provided helpful qualitative and quantitative feedback. All participants would recommend the course to others. Many claimed that the course offered hands-on skills training that was not otherwise addressed in their medical education. The Weill Cornell GHC elective, “Clinical Skills for Resource-Poor Environments,” demonstrates an innovative way to apply wilderness medicine skill sets to global health education in medical school in order to best prepare students to work effectively in resource-poor settings.