Alaska WWAMI Equips Future Doctors for Wilderness Medicine in Girdwood

By Lindsay Lodis

Alaska WWAMI Medical Education

First-year Alaska WWAMI medical students gathered in Girdwood for a day of intensive wilderness medicine training earlier this month. 

“I think it’s important for Alaska WWAMI students to gain wilderness medical experience simply because we all live and recreate here, and many of us plan to have our careers based here,” said Rya Berrigan, who grew up in Palmer, AK. “As we train to become physicians in Alaska, it is an added responsibility to be knowledgeable and comfortable treating patients either while we are in the wilderness ourselves, or if we see patients come in with injuries or illnesses sustained while out in the wilderness," she said.

Alaska WWAMI is a 52-year partnership between the University of Alaska Anchorage and the top-ranked University of Washington School of Medicine. Made possible by the Alaska Legislature, the partnership allows Alaskan residents to attend medical school in their home state at an in-state tuition rate while gaining excellent education and training in a wide variety of medical settings: from wilderness medicine in Girdwood to a busy Level I trauma center in Seattle.

Alyssa Randall (left to right), Maille Moriarty and Erica Stewart, first year AK WWAMI medical students, treat a volunteer victim's fictitious bear attack wounds during wilderness medicine training. (Photos by Vicki Nechodomu, UAA)

“The morning session of the training focused on foundational skills to provide immediate to care individuals injured in remote environments,” explained Kathy Young, M.D., Alaska WWAMI’s Foundations Assistant Dean at UAA. “The students learn a basic head to toe patient assessment, then rotate through hands-on stations to learn hemorrhage control, splinting and packaging of patients to get them out of the wilderness without aggravating injuries.”

The afternoon brought an element of surprise as volunteer actors simulated two emergency scenarios - a bear attack and the aftermath of a downed plane - that afforded students to apply the morning's acquired skills while in a heightened state. 

“The retreat has only been possible through the help of local partners including the Alyeska Ski Club, Alyeska Resort, Alaska Coastal Safety and Lifemed,” said Tonya Leinicke, M.D., an emergency medicine physician who, as an Alaska WWAMI faculty member, created the training several years ago. “These organizations have donated space, time and expertise to help teach our next legion of Alaska physicians.”

Alaska WWAMI medical students including Azzam Azzam, Jack Sedwick, Chanmi Joo, and Marisabel Ramirez watch as Instructors demonstrate medical procedures to stabilize patients in remote and challenging environments.

Learning from EMTs and Paramedics who have experience providing healthcare in the wilderness also helps lay the groundwork for interprofessional interactions as the students progress in their careers. 

"My main takeaway from the WWAMI wilderness medicine training is the sense of community among healthcare providers,” Berrigan shared. “Whether you work as a first responder or in a hospital, everyone is on the same team, using their strengths and training to provide the best care possible at each stage.”

While the annual retreat equips students with clinical skills they’ll use throughout their education and career, it also helps to build trust and camaraderie within the 25-student cohort.