What: This 10-day intensive course is for anyone wanting to get intensive, hands-on wilderness medicine and off-grid herbalism experience along with wilderness and tactical-medicine-related certifications. This is a ‘must have’ if you are working in remote environments, doing medical outreach missions, prepping for grid down situations, working with expeditionary medicine, or working in post-disaster locations. Upon completion of this course, students will receive a 100 hour certificate for the Austere Immersive Medicine course as well as a Wilderness First Responder, and BLS CPR/AED, Stop The Bleed, and TECC (Tactical Emergency Casualty Care) certifications. Licensed EMTs will receive W-EMT certification.
When: This will be held June 5 – 14, 2025. There are 20 initial student spots available.
Where: This course will be offered in Northern New Mexico (less than 10 minutes from downtown Taos, NM) at our campus, with free limited camping (up to 10 spots) available for students enrolled in the course
Who is this for? There are 20 open spots for this course for students who have completed the prerequisite Austere Medicine course materials.
What Does This Course Cover?
Austere Immersive Medicine and Herbalism Intensive Downloadable Overview
Phase 1, Wilderness First Responder certification: The WFR phase, from Thurs., June 5th – Sat June 7th, is also open to students who are not taking the full HOME course, but are finishing their WFR through us (or are re-certifying a current WFR through us or another school). This 3-day WFR certification is the final step for all students who have completed their online (or on-site) WFA and AWFA prerequisites through our school. The 3-day WFR includes skills reviews, hands-on testing stations and several different scenario-based tests which pull together all of the skills and knowledge gained over the full WFA/AWFA/WFR set of courses.This phase wraps up by mid-late afternoon on Saturday June 7th. This phase also includes BLS/CPR/AED and Stop the Bleed certifications.
Phase 1 Course Prerequisite(s): Students must pass the Online (or on-site) Wilderness First Aid and Advanced Wilderness First Aid Certifications OR be renewing an existing current WFR certification from us or another school.
Phase 2 (Tactical Emergency Casualty Care – TECC): This one-day TECC certification course is also open to students who may not be taking the full HOME course. During this phase (Sunday, June 8th), students will learn and practice Hot (Direct Threat), Warm (Indirect Treat) and Cold (Evac) Zone patient care and zone management in the case of civilian threat emergencies (e.g. active shooter). This class involves a large amount of scenario-based training along with some combat modifications of basic trauma skills that were practiced and tested during phase 1 (WFR).
Phase 2 Course Prerequisite(s): None
Phase 3 (Austere Herbalism, Alternative Care and Clinic Infrastructure): Phase 3 of the HOME course immerses students into two and half days (Monday through Wednesday noon, June 9th – 11th) of hands-on training that includes making and using activated charcoal, plant walks and wildcrafting, creating various types of concentrated herbal extracts and formulas in the field using water, alcohol and heat, intro to field-clinic setup and infrastructure (i.e.water purification, clinic structure, communications and more), Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) manual therapy concepts such as ear seeds and acupressure, non-pharmaceutical pain management and more.
Phase 4 (Advanced Austere Trauma Care): Phase 4 of the HOME course immerses students into two and half days (Wednesday noon through Friday, June 11th – 13th) of hands-on training with Dr. Steve Pehrson MD that includes starting and maintaining IV lines, fluid resuscitation, suturing, stapling and advanced wound closure, chest tubes, needle decompression, cricothyroidotomies and airway management, gunshot and other wound debridement and more.
Phase 5 (Live Community Herbal Clinic and Graduation): On the final day of the HOME course (Saturday, June 14th), students prepare and run a free herbal, community clinic that is directed by Sam and Suchil (for both clinic and apothecary). The clinic normally runs for 4 hours during which time students will prepare herbs, perform intake, prepare SOAP notes, work in the clinical apothecary and more. Following the clinic, there is a short graduation ceremony.
Phase 3 – 5 Course Prerequisite(s): Students must pass the following online austere prerequisites. Prerequisites can all be taken on-demand only for students preparing for the HOME course – please contact us for information on how to organize this.
Wilderness First Aid Certification (can be on-site or online, options below)
- Wilderness First Aid Certification Hybrid Online Course – Online certification begins on February 17th, 2025 with 60 days of access. Registration closes on March 3rd, 2025.
Advanced Wilderness First Aid Certification (options below)
- Advanced Wilderness First Aid Certification (WFR Part 1) – Online certification begins on April 7th, 2025, with 60 days of access. Registration closes on April 21st, 2025. **Prerequisite: Standard WFA Certification
Frequently Asked Questions
Our second campus is located 4 miles (a 9 minute drive to the main plaza) from beautiful Taos, New Mexico. Our mountain campus is surrounded by national forest land and bordered by the Rio Fernando River. This includes outdoor classroom areas, amazing, pristine training areas in the mountains, natural and cultivated medicinal plants and a rich history.
Our Taos, New Mexico campus is located approximately 4 miles east of the Taos main plaza. Access can be via Hwy. 64 from both the west (Taos) and east (through Angel Fire). Taos Air flies directly into Taos Regional Airport [TSM] from Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver and Dallas. There are also an international airport in Albuquerque [ABQ] as well as a regional airport in Santa Fe [SAF]. Rental cars are available at all airports and locations in those major cities.
Rideshares or shuttles may be available, and will be announced closer to the course.
There will be a certain number of free student tent camping, hammock, and car sites on the campus grounds, and available first come, first serve. These are available only to students enrolled in the course. It is recommended to reserve your camping spot in advance. Additionally, there are both camping and RV hook-up sites less than a half mile away. There are Airbnbs and hotels throughout Taos and Angel Fire and along the valley between those destinations.
Rental cars are readily available at all airports and students can also coordinate together for a group rental if desired. Airport transfer/shuttle options are also available online. Depending on student’s transportation and size of the group, the school may be able to offer shuttle assistance as well.
Students are responsible for their own meals. The school has a field kitchen and refrigeration options available for those who want to cook their own food. We encourage group meal planning, but there are also numerous food options in and around town as well.
Our mountain campus has student facilities to include bathrooms, hot showers for those staying on-site, fresh running water for drinking, a field kitchen with refrigeration, dining and gathering areas, a field washing machine (and clothesline), access to WIFI and electricity for charging devices and a designated number of tent camping, hammock, and car camping sites.
We will also have an indoor student space in case of inclement weather and a student store for basic gear and herbal supplies. A self-serve first aid station will be available on campus, and the school has a student store with herbal formulas, camping items and supplies.
Yes, you do not need to camp at the school campus unless you would like to!
This varies slightly, depending on what part of the course you are in. Generally assume that classes will start no later than 9 am and finish no earlier than 5 pm; but there will be sections that may run a bit later in the evening than that. The final day will wrap up by approximately 2 pm on Saturday June 14th.
There is hands-on training that includes walking, carrying, lifting to some extent. While not required, it is suggested that students be able to lift 40 pounds and walk up to 2 miles without undue physical fatigue. The elevation is 7,500 ft above sea level.
Camping is available the day before and the night after the course is completed at no charge. Camping, hammock and glamping spots are first come, first serve. Students must reserve a camping spot in advance, as spots will be limited. Students may stay overnight Saturday night but must be packed up and have departed the campus no later than 10AM on Sunday, June 15th.
Wild bears and mountain lions are part of the eco-system as a whole, however it would be very unlikely to encounter them on this campus. We have several large and friendly dogs and take proper care of all garbage disposal and maintenance to prevent bear visits. Other wildlife include elk, bobcat, deer, turkeys, raccoons, foxes, and coyotes.
The campus is reserved for students enrolled in the course only during the course. The school priority is to ensure minimal distractions during this intensive training. And while we absolutely love dogs, and have our own that live on the campus, the school can not allow students to bring pets, sorry.
The Taos area is rich with art, cultural and outdoor activities for family members and friends that may want to take the trip with you!
During summer months, Taos Canyon is very pleasant. The high temperatures range in the low 80s and lows of low 50s. The average days of precipitation during August June will vary in the event of a rain shower, the school has a covered area an indoor space for students) Generally, June August weather is mild and very pleasant.
As with any of our courses that are outdoors or involve camping, always prepare for rain and cooler temperatures both in shelter and clothing layers.
For all students: Items will include a day-pack, water bottle or camelback, a camping knife (preferably a 3-4″ fixed blade, but folding is ok), 50-100′ of paracord, poncho or other wet-weather gear, comfortable hiking footwear and layered outdoor clothing (to include long sleeved shirts and long pants), compass, a mess kit, personal first aid kit, a lighter, headlamp (or flashlight) and bug spray.
For students camping: personal camping gear should include a waterproof tent or tarp, sleeping bag or hammock, towel or washcloth and bio-degradable soap. If you plan to wash clothes, bring a bio-degradable laundry soap.
If you want to cool down in the Rio Fernando or visit local hot springs, bring a bathing suit!
Our school store will have some basic camping gear, herbal formulas and other items!
A full comprehensive list will go out the month before the course.
The regional Taos airport [TSM, also known as SKX] is 14 miles (@25 minutes) to our campus.
The regional Santa Fe airport [SAF] is 82 miles (@1 hour, 45 minutes) and the international Albuquerque airport is 138 miles (approximately a 2.5 hour drive).
The school will have an on-site store for last-minute items or basic gear supplies. Students will be able to pick up basic camping supplies like headlamps, ponchos, mess kits, extra pairs of wool socks, a spare knife, bug spray, etc.
Our apothecary will stock herbal formulas for students for everything from high altitude adjustment to sleep, allergy, and immune support. The store will also have salves, liniments and other topical items.
Resource books, guides, notebooks, spare device chargers and other items are also stocked in the store as well for student convenience.
