What Wilderness Medical Associates International does

Wilderness Medical Associates International (WMA International) is a private, for-profit medical training company headquartered at 1 Forest Avenue, Portland, Maine. Founded in 1984 per third-party firmographics (1990 per company self-description), the firm specializes in wilderness and remote medical education, delivering a curriculum that includes Wilderness First Aid (WFA), Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA), Wilderness First Responder (WFR), Wilderness EMT (WEMT), and Wilderness Advanced Life Support (WALS) certifications, alongside bridge and recertification courses.

The company distributes its curriculum through a global network of Licensed Training Companies (LTCs) and certified instructors present in more than 25 countries, supported by sub-brands WMA Brasil (established 2011) and WMA Japan. Students access registration, certification cards, and a co-branded book store through an online portal at courses.wildmed.com. WMA trains 8,000+ students annually across individual enrollees, universities, government agencies, outdoor recreation organizations, and search-and-rescue teams, with curriculum accredited by CAPCE for continuing education credit.

Revenue is generated through per-student course registration fees, certification card issuance, and book store sales. Pricing on visible course listings spans roughly the $300 to $1,000 range per course, with certification cards priced at $7.95. The business model is fundamentally transactional and seat-based rather than enterprise-contract-based, with private course hosting available for organizational clients. The headcount range of 251–500 employees suggests a sizable instructional and administrative organization, though many of these roles are likely part-time instructors tied to course delivery.

Name

Wilderness Medical Associates International

Legal name

Wilderness Medical Associates International

Website

https://wildmed.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Wilderness Medical Associates International provides accredited wilderness and remote medical training (WFA, WFR, WEMT, WALS) to 8,000+ students annually across 25+ countries, serving individuals, universities, government agencies, and outdoor organizations via a global Licensed Training Company network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wilderness Medical Training

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Certification & Training Providers (Wilderness First Aid, Lifeguard, Guide Training) (THAAAOAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Outdoor & Wilderness Education Schools (Field-Based Learning) (THAAAOAA), Outdoor & Survival Skills Lessons (Bushcraft, Navigation, Foraging) (THAJAKAM), Outdoor Recreation & Adventure Programs (Trips, Climbing, Rentals) (EDALAIAG)

Keywords

• Wilderness medical training
• First aid certification
• Wilderness first responder
• Remote medical education
• Search and rescue training

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Course Registration Fees: Revenue from Wilderness First Aid, WAFA, WFR, WEMT, WALS and other course registrations
2. Certification Cards: Sale of replacement certification cards for $7.95
3. Book Store Sales: Sale of textbooks, field guides, and training resources including The Field Guide of Wilderness & Rescue Medicine ($24.95) and SOAP Notes ($5.95)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Wilderness Medical Associates International designs, owns, and delivers standardized wilderness medicine certification courses ranging from entry-level Wilderness First Aid (WFA) to advanced Wilderness Advanced Life Support (WALS) for licensed medical professionals, search and rescue practitioners, and outdoor recreationists. Courses are taught worldwide by a network of licensed training companies and independent instructors using a proprietary, scenario-based curriculum. The company also sells supporting educational products including textbooks, field guides, SOAP notes notebooks, and replacement certification cards.

Product overview

Wilderness Medical Associates International provides wilderness medical training through a portfolio of certification courses ranging from entry-level Wilderness First Aid (WFA) to advanced Wilderness Advanced Life Support (WALS) for medical professionals. The company operates as a single unified training organization with regional divisions including WMA Brasil, offering standardized curriculum delivered by licensed instructors worldwide. Course delivery includes Standard Courses, Specialized Courses, Recertification options, and Continuing Education. The company also sells supporting educational products including The Field Guide of Wilderness & Rescue Medicine, SOAP Notes documentation notebooks, and replacement certification cards. Curriculum is CAPCE-accredited and regularly updated annually to maintain current wilderness medicine standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 8,000+ students trained annually worldwide

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and regional.

• Licensed Training CompaniescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal network of independent companies licensed to deliver WMA curriculum. Examples include Beyond Limits Education (led by Brigitte Denton), First Aid Outdoors (led by Katie Woods), Global Emergency Medics (led by Gavin Dawson), and others across multiple countries.
• WMA Brasil Partners (Brazilian Organizations)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Brazilian organizations including INEA (Instituto Estadual do Ambiente), Parque Nacional da Tijuca, ABP (Brazilian Mountaineering Association), Centro Excursionista Brasileiro, and others for course delivery in Brazil since 2011.
• WMA JapanregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerWMA Japan operation led by Isamu Yokobori and Tatsuya Terada for course delivery in Japan.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• National Ski Patrol: Provides outdoor emergency care and ski patrol training programs. Overlaps with WMA's WFR/OEC-style credentials for alpine and backcountry patrollers.
• Rescue 3 International: Specialist in swiftwater, technical rope, and water rescue training. Adjacent competitor for SAR and guide training programs that bundle rescue and medical certifications.
• Desert Mountain Medicine: Provides wilderness medicine training for guides, outdoor programs, and SAR teams. Smaller, niche peer in the same wilderness medical certification space.

Direct peers

• Remote Medical International: Provides wilderness and remote medical training and medical support services to industry, government, and NGOs. Comparable in course offerings and in serving remote-operations professionals.
• NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School): Long-established wilderness education organization offering outdoor leadership and wilderness medicine courses. Direct peer in field-based outdoor medical and rescue training for guides and expedition professionals.
• Aerie Backcountry Medicine: Offers wilderness EMT, WFR, and WFA courses primarily in the US Mountain West. Direct peer competing for outdoor professional and guide certifications.
• SOLO (Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities): Specialist provider of Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness First Responder, and Wilderness EMT certifications. Closest direct competitor to WMA's core certification ladder.
• Wilderness Medical Training Center (WMTC): Provides wilderness medical certification courses (WFA, WFR, WEMT) for outdoor professionals. Competes with WMA in the same certification categories and end customer segments.

Broad incumbents

• American Red Cross: Large incumbent in first aid, CPR, and basic life-support training. Overlaps with WMA's entry-level WFA audience but does not focus on wilderness-specific scenarios.
• Outward Bound International: Global outdoor education provider that also serves as a WMA course host. Comparable customer base in outdoor expeditions; partial overlap in wilderness medical training needs for instructors and students.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wilderness-medical-associates-international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wilderness Medical Associates International