The world’s leading provider of education, conferences, consultancy, & medical cover in extreme medicine.
Every year we help thousands of medical & healthcare workers push the boundaries of their abilities & enable them to thrive & deliver in remote, & hostile environments. Born out of a campfire discussion in the Namib Desert, with one aim – to bring the most adventurous medical training to healthcare workers. Over 20 years later, we have grown to provide a range of services that have supported humanitarian agencies, charities, government organisations, and film & TV networks around the globe. All while staying true to our adventurous roots. It’s our mission to continue to widen the access to extreme medicine, by providing the best experiences and training so you can unlock new opportunities to positively impact individuals and communities. Your clinical skillset could become your passport to a life of adventure. Join us on the side of a mountain or deep in the rainforest and start pushing boundaries on what you thought was possible.
27/12/2025
A little WEM26 heads up đź‘‹
Early Bird pricing is coming to an end, and demand for World Extreme Medicine 2026 in Edinburgh has been strong.
Student Early Bird tickets are now sold out, but Medic and Intermediate Early Bird tickets are still available and discounted until 2026.
Three days of learning, discussion, and practical insight with clinicians and faculty from across the world, all focused on medicine beyond traditional environments.
Wishing our entire Extreme Medicine community a very Merry Christmas 🎄
This time of year gives us a chance to pause and reflect on the year that’s passed. On the learning, the challenges, the growth, and the impact you’ve had, whether that’s in remote environments, clinical settings, or somewhere in between.
We’re incredibly grateful for a community that continues to share knowledge, support one another, and push for better care in extreme and resource-limited settings around the world.
However you’re spending the festive season, we hope it brings rest, connection, and a moment to reset before the year ahead.
Thank you for being part of World Extreme Medicine.
23/12/2025
When peripheral access fails, how do you save a patient who’s bleeding out?
In this episode of the World Extreme Medicine Podcast, we’re joined by Paolo Pallavicini from London’s Air Ambulance and the Centre for Trauma Sciences to discuss a major new study examining central venous trauma lines in pre-hospital haemorrhagic shock.
We explore:
Why IV and IO access can be insufficient in exsanguinating trauma
How trauma lines double blood delivery rates in the field
What the data tells us about ROSC, survival, and real-world feasibility
When hours or even days stand between injury and definitive care, clinicians need skills that go beyond standard prehospital training.
The Prolonged Field Care Course is a five-day residential programme at Muncaster Castle, Cumbria, designed to prepare you for prolonged casualty care in austere and resource-limited environments.
Shaped by frontline lessons from Ukraine, the course covers:
→ Managing casualties over extended periods
→ Trauma patterns seen in modern conflict
→ Decision-making under pressure with limited resources
🗓️ 2nd - 6th February 2026
đź“Ť Cumbria, UK
🎓 CPD pending
All profits from this course directly support the WEM Fund’s humanitarian medical work, including training, trauma care, and the delivery of medical equipment in Ukraine.
Advance your skills, support humanitarian medicine, and join a course where every decision truly counts.
APPLICATIONS CLOSED - due to unprecedented response. As a small company, we don’t have the capacity to answer every application individually, but we would like to thank you all for applying.
Nurse / Paramedic – TV Production (Fiji) | 16 Feb – 10 July
A well-established TV production is seeking an experienced Nurse or Paramedic to join the medical team on location in Fiji from 16 February to 10 July.
Requirements
• Relevant remote/expedition/field medical experience
• Strong clinical background (acute care/ED/prehospital preferred)
• Comfortable working in a dynamic production environment
• Professional, calm, team-oriented, and adaptable
To apply
Please email Dr Joe Rowles with a brief CV biography (summary of experience, qualifications, and remote work history).
Last-minute contract opportunity in Norway (3 months, likely extension).
Gibb Group are looking for a GWO Enhanced First Aid (EFA) Instructor (ideal, but not essential) to deliver training in Norway, starting immediately / very short notice.
This is an initial 3-month contract with a high likelihood of extension, plus potential future opportunities across Europe, the UK, and globally.
Essential requirements include:
- EU passport holder (including UK citizens if dual passport holders)
- Fluent English
- Paramedic, nurse, or equivalent
- Level 3 Teaching Qualification
- Comfortable delivering training in a professional environment
- Available to start immediately / short notice
Disclaimer: World Extreme Medicine is not affiliated with Gibb Group. Any questions about this role must be directed to Luca via luca.alfatti@gibbgroup.global
17/12/2025
A quick festive update 🎄
Our last merch dispatch before Christmas and New Year is at 12pm (GMT) on Thursday 18th December.
Any orders placed after this time will be sent once we’re back in the New Year.
Thanks for bearing with us over the festive break.
Last week, Niels found himself supporting a very unexpected visitor: a two-week-old grey seal pup from the Norfolk coast, discovered unresponsive with severe hypothermia.
Niels is legally exempt under marine medic transport guidance using a former WEM Landrover, which meant he could step in to support British Divers Marine Life Rescue with a relay to the nearest open rehabilitation centre in Sussex.
With local centres full across Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex, every safe handover matters.
The pup was warmed, fed via oral-gastric tube with fish soup, and stabilised before her journey. She’ll spend the next few months receiving specialist care until she reaches release weight.
Huge thanks to Niels for letting us share this moment, and to his mum Gem Aldridge, one of our brilliant faculty members for sharing this story.
Niels' calm, capable approach sums up everything we stand for across the Extreme Medicine community.
Wishing this little seal all the luck in the world on her road to recovery.
14/12/2025
New for 2026: Adventure Travel & Expedition Medicine in Morocco!
Join us for 8 days of hands-on training across the High Atlas Mountains and Agafay Desert.
You’ll build the skills and confidence to manage group health, environmental illness, and resilience in remote settings.
Couldn’t make it to WEM25? You can still dive into the learning.
The WEM25 Digital Session Bundle gives you unlimited access to 37 recorded sessions from the Biosphere and Salisbury stages: covering expedition medicine, humanitarian response, space medicine, polar environments, leadership under pressure, and much more.
It’s the perfect way to stay connected to the WEM community, explore new areas of extreme medicine, or preview the conference before booking WEM26.
Watch on your schedule and learn from global experts.
If you already attended WEM25: check the app or your emails – you already have access at no additional cost.
Thinking about applying for the MSc in Extreme Medicine and missed our last update?
You’re invited to join our FREE live Q&A session on Wednesday 21st Jan at 7:30pm GMT — the perfect chance to get honest insight before you apply.
Here’s what you can expect:
→ Meet the course leaders
→ Ask your questions in real time
→ Understand whether the MSc is the right next step for you
🎓 Delivered in partnership with The University of Exeter
đź“Ť Live online via Zoom
đź’¬ Open Q&A throughout
In this new episode of the World Extreme Medicine Podcast, host Eoin Walker is joined by Elsa Afonso and Marcus Wootton from the Royal College of Nursing’s International Academy.
Together, they bring decades of experience in:
→ Humanitarian response and conflict care
→ HIV & AIDS programs across Africa
→ Neonatal intensive care
→ Global nursing education and capacity-building
It’s an honest, inspiring discussion on the realities of nursing in humanitarian contexts and why nurses are the backbone of health systems under pressure.
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World Extreme Medicine, formerly known as 'Expedition & Wilderness Medicine'​, is the leading provider of expedition, wilderness and remote medicine training courses for medical professionals, both here in the UK and also in a number of carefully selected overseas locations.
WEM organises the renowned World Extreme Medicine Conference; showcasing all the latest in remote medicine and where inspiring medical minds meet, share experiences & promote cross-disciplinary working.
Partnered with the University of Exeter WEM is proud to offer the world’s most Extreme International Diploma/ MSc in Extreme Medicine encompassing Expedition Medicine, Disaster & Humanitarian Medicine and Pre-Hospital care. The MOST adventurous degree in the universe!
WEM also provides event medical support and its customers have included the BBC, ITV2, Ginger Productions and the Commonwealth Games to name but a few.
WEM was founded by expedition leader Mark Hannaford FRGS and expedition medic Dr Sean Hudson MBE and supported by change maker David Weil.
