Aerie Backcountry Medicine
(406) 542-9972

Wilderness Medicine Essentials (WME):

  • Original Certification Duration: Two years (if certification was gained entirely online during Covid, online-based certifications are valid for one year)
  • Recertification Requirements:
    • There is no WME recertification course.

Wilderness First Aid (WFA):

  • Original Certification Duration: Two years
  • Recertification Requirements:
    • There is no WFA recertification course.

Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA):

  • Original Certification Duration: Two years
  • Recertification Requirements:
    • 16-hour WFR refresher course or standard Wilderness First Aid course will recertify WAFA (see the section below if recertifying with another company)
    • Current Heartsaver CPR or equivalent
  • Other: We recommend WAFAs retake an entire WAFA course every six years.

Wilderness First Responder (WFR):

  • Original Certification Duration: Two years
  • Recertification Requirements:
    • 16-hour WFR refresher course (see the section below if recertifying with another company)
    • Heartsaver CPR or equivalent
  • Grace Period: At the conclusion of two years, WFRs will have a one-year grace period, during which time their certification is inactive until the completion of a recertification course. After the one year grace period, WFRs will need to retake the entire course to regain WFR certification. 
  • Other: We recommend WFRs retake an entire WFR course every six years.

Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (WEMT):

  • Original Certification Duration: Two years for Aerie Wilderness EMT. State licensing and NREMT certifications will vary, please check with each respective entity.
  • Recertification requirements:
    • 8-hours of Wilderness EMT refresher course
    • Current Healthcare Provider CPR or equivalent
    • Wilderness EMTs must have a valid EMT certification from their respective state or from the NREMT in order to hold a valid Wilderness EMT certification from Aerie.  Those requirements may vary from state-to-state and from the NREMT.  Some potential requirements may include (subject to change):
    • 24-hour refresher course
    • 40-hours of continuing education (The EMT National Continued Competency Program (NCCP))
    • Recertification by exam (NREMT)
    • State and national recertification requirements can be difficult to complete at the last minute
  • Other: Although we hope WEMTs can maintain their certifications, if they decide they do not want to complete the recertification requirements, they can earn Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification by taking a WFR recertification course (16 hours) rather than their EMT recertification classes. This needs to be done before their WEMT expires. It is an option that will allow them to maintain significant wilderness medicine certifications without having to complete the additional hours necessary to maintain a WEMT.


Recertification Through Another Company 

If you have taken a course through a different company and would like to use that training to recertify through Aerie, you must provide the following items to Aerie. Once we have all requested documentation we will review what is provided and decide if it meets the criteria for recertification. 

For us to evaluate what education you received, please submit the following to info@aeriemed.com:

  1. A syllabus for the course that includes topics and the time (minutes/hours) of each topic, and  (this should be made available by the company you took the class from.)
  2. Who taught the material (the instructor(s) and the company), and
  3. The dates and location of the education, and
  4. A certification card or course completion letter.

Let us know if you have any questions; we’ll be happy to assist you with your recertification process.  

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