Educational Standards Committee

Description

The Educational Standards Committee has been tasked by the CAWM Board of Directors to create and publish a national set of standards for wilderness medicine courses in Canada.  Once these standards are established, the Committee will be involved in reviewing applications from education providers offering these courses for certification that their courses meet the national standards.

Objectives

  1. Create and publish a national standard curriculum for Canadian wilderness medicine courses.
  2. Collaborate with education providers regarding course content and certifications
  3. Unsure providers are offering courses that meet the national standards 
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Matthew Smith - Committee Chair

CCP/ITT, W-EMT

Matthew holds a  BC critical care paramedic licence, and has been attached to the Infant Transport Team for the last 5 years. He has just taken a Practice Educator position with BCEHS, as well as working as Lead Instructor for the Advanced Care Paramedic program at the Justice Institute of BC. He has worked across Canada and the US, from fixed wing medicine in the far north to rotor based HEMS in large urban areas.

He is passionate about wilderness and austere environment medicine, working as a  part time patroller on Blackcomb mountain in winter and the Whistler Bike Park in summer,  as well as working as a frontline risk manager for many various outdoor sporting events. He has spent 10 summers as a raft guide, and is a certified mountain bike guide; he is also a frontline member of TEAAM.

He lives in Squamish, BC with his family and a rescue pup named Cache, who loves the mountains as much as Matthew does. He is excited about taking on a larger role with CAWM and adding a voice from the perspective of a frontline paramedic, patroller, and educator.

Get in Touch

Contact us by emailing msmith@cawm.ca.