The Yellowstone EMS elective offers WMed M-4 Medical Students an opportunity to have an immersive experience learning about wilderness and austere EMS within Yellowstone National Park (YNP) through a unique partnership between WMed and YNP. Students must be approved by the Elective director(s) prior to applying and due to popularity of the elective, a lottery system will ultimately be used to select students for participation in the elective.

Students will need to provide their own travel to/from YNP, but will have transportation provided within the Park. YNP-provided housing is subject to availablity. During the elective, students will receive an orientation to the YNP EMS System and tour components central to the operation of the prehospital system, including Base Stations, Fire Departments, ambulances and winter rescue vehicles, clinics, and training facilities/classrooms. Students will ride along with ambulance crews while responding to 911 calls and transporting patients to clinics or hospitals. Students will also respond to technical and backcountry rescues. Students will be involved in teaching and facilitating didactic sessions for prehospital providers. Students are directly supervised by YNP EMS Providers, on-site WMed faculty, fellows, and senior residents. Students will have indirect supervision by the YNP EMS Medical Director and WMed EMS faculty members at all times.