Nadia Kimmel founded Desert Mountain Medicine in Colorado in 1998. As executive director, she teaches wilderness medicine, trains instructors, develops course curriculua, and consults with outdoor recreation organizations concerning wilderness risk management. Nadia has 22 years of experience as an outdoor educator for Colorado Mountain College, Colorado Outward Bound and the Wilderness Education Association. In addition to being an outdoor professional, she continues to stay current in the field of emergency medicine as an ER nurse.
Desert Mountain Medicine (DMM) is an active member of the Wilderness Medicine Educators Coalition (WMEC), responsible for developing and updating the scope of practice (SOP) for various wilderness medicine courses.

Wilderness Medicine Courses
Wilderness First Aid (WFA) - 16 hours
Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA) - 40 Hours
Wilderness First Responder (WFR) - 80 Hours
Wilderness Recertification Course (WRC) - 24 Hours
W-Upgrade for EMT’s - 54 Hours
Expedition Medicine - 54 Hours
Wilderness Anaphylaxis Training - 2 Hours
Note: All of our wilderness medicine courses include CPR (adult/child/AED) and
Wilderness Anaphylaxis Training (WAT) completion cards.

Teaching Philosophy
Desert Mountain Medicine was started with the premise that wilderness medicine instruction should not be limited to classroom lectures. We are driven to develop a
creative, experiential based curriculum; one which effectively addresses the dynamic nature of a wilderness environment and the rapid advancement in emergency care,
as well as supports and addresses multiple learning styles. Our teaching approach heavily favors hands-on, scenario-based practice taught in an outdoor setting while
simulating real-world examples. The completion of scenarios plays a powerful role in self-reflection and allows for inquiry-base learning so each student can relate his or her experience to the real world. We believe students should be physically involved in the learning process so that intensive learning outcomes are experienced as challenging, fun, and applicable to all aspects of life. Throughout the wilderness medicine learning process, we know that our teaching philosophy is successful when students have mastered the material; attained personal growth; and expanded awareness of self, others, and environment. We believe that repetition and practice of increasingly complex scenarios helps students develop an in-depth and personalized approach to patient assessment where the learning is ingrained and can be accessed and applied rapidly in an emergency situation. Our teaching approach develops the students’ abilities to immediately retrieve and utilize the skills needed to treat individuals in the event of a real wilderness emergency. Our teaching focuses on developing high levels of expertise, teamwork, and leadership while stimulating communication, facilitating critical-thinking, and refining students’ decision-making skills. Desert Mountain Medicine instructors pride themselves on the dynamic delivery of course curricula using innovative educational techniques and integrative scenarios. We strive to deliver courses that are rich in quality, consistency, and effectiveness in an energizing and engaging classroom environment. We take the responsibility of teaching very seriously.