Mountain Medicine

The course takes place over four, one-week long blocks in December, March, May and September.

• 1 week is based in Coniston in the English Lake District
• 1 week is based in the Welsh National Outdoor Centre, Plas y Brenin in North Wales
• 1 week is based in Fort William in West Scotland
• 1 week is based in Arolla, Switzerland

Delivery is a combination of practical sessions in small groups, much of which is on the mountainside, accompanied by lectures from subject experts and small group tutorials. This is supported by content delivered online in the course virtual learning environment that includes discussion forums, quizzes and pre-module reading.

The Postgraduate Diploma course can be completed in a 12 month period but the majority of candidates choose to complete the course over 2 or 3 years. Extension to MSc will usually take a further 12 months.

Where will your Diploma in Mountain Medicine take you? Past alumni and holders of the Diploma in Mountain Medicine have gone on to work as expedition and travel medics in a wide range of wilderness and high-altitude areas and many also provide services giving general medical advice on travel to these areas.

You’ll be taught by an experienced team of academic staff, clinicians, qualified mountain guides, leaders and managers. We’ll aim to give you the theoretical and practical knowledge to manage the specific illnesses and diseases that may occur in the mountain environment.

Through this programme, you can expect to gain an understanding of the physiological changes associated with exercise and with living at altitude; an appreciation of the mountain environment; and the environmental factors that may lead to illness or injury.

You’ll develop your knowledge of aspects of travel medicine that are important to mountain travel; gain proficiency in the practical skills of survival and mountain rescue; and undertake training in the management of altitude-related disease and the specific problems of managing illnesses and injuries that occur during a journey to the mountain environment.

This flexible blended learning programme combines an online virtual learning environment with face-to-face teaching, creating a unique and challenging programme that combines mountaineering and medicine. It provides a range of interesting learning opportunities, encompassing theoretical knowledge and practical mountain skills.

You’ll be able to access the online component of the course at your own pace. It includes reading and collaboration with tutors and other students via the online discussion forum. Face-to-face teaching is delivered in blocks, so weekly attendance on campus is not required.

You’ll be assessed using various methods. These are likely to include case study presentations, case-based demonstrations, practical demonstrations and written assessments.

In order to achieve the full MSc qualification, you’ll be required to complete either a dissertation or professional project.

The course starts in September with individual and collaborative tasks set in our virtual learning environment (VLE).

For the Postgraduate Diploma, there are four modules of face-to-face learning lasting one week each that take place in December, March, May and September. These are also supported by learning in the VLE. Study can be completed within 12-months, but many students choose to fit these modules around their work over a two or three year period.

Completing the MSc takes an additional 12 months once the Postgraduate Diploma has been achieved.

This programme has been developed through working closely with the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh) Faculty of Pre-hospital Care, the UIAA, ICAR and ISMM to ensure that it meets requirements of organisations seeking medics to work on expeditions to mountain environments across the world.

You have the option of exiting with a Postgraduate Diploma in Mountain Medicine or continuing the course to gain the full MSc Mountain Medicine.

On successful completion of the Postgraduate Diploma you will be awarded the International Diploma in Mountain Medicine (DiMM) from the UIAA/ICAR/ISMM – a widely respected and internationally recognised qualification.

If you would like to find out more about this course, please contact our team.