The goal is twofold

1.⁠ ⁠To expose medical students to the field of wilderness medicine.

2.⁠ ⁠To help students practice the skills they’ll use in residency, where journal clubs are a regular part of training.

Format

Introduce your article – Start with the title, authors, and publication details.

Summarize the article – Briefly review the background/introduction, study design and methods, main results, and the authors’ conclusions.

Critically appraise – Highlight the strengths and limitations of the study. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklists are a great resource to structure your appraisal, but feel free to adapt them to your style. You can integrate it into your summary above or appraise the article after your summary – whatever you see fit. Link to the CASP checklists here:https://casp-uk.net/casp-tools-checklists/

Lead the discussion – Wrap up with your own thoughts on the article’s relevance to Wilderness Medicine and invite group discussion.

Supervisor Requirement

Presenters are responsible for finding their own supervisor to help select and approve the article or guideline. This person does not need to be an MD—we encourage interdisciplinary collaboration whenever possible (e.g., PhD’s, paramedics, physiotherapists, nurses, researchers, or other allied health professionals). Supervisors provide guidance on article choice and support the presenter in preparing their critical appraisal.

Additional Information

While we encourage you to follow the above structure, Journal Club is meant to be interactive and low-pressure. The focus is on learning together, sharing ideas, and exploring topics we’re passionate about. Feel free to make it your own, keep it engaging, and don’t be afraid to go off-script if discussion flows naturally.

Sessions will not be recorded so that everyone feels comfortable contributing openly.

Articles presented at each Journal Club are available HERE.

We encourage in-person “watch parties” with your local wilderness medicine club—half the fun is the camaraderie.

So grab a snack, a drink, and join in on a fun way to learn more about wilderness medicine!