Wilderness medicine is the practice of medicine where definitive care is more than one hour away, and often days to weeks away. The practice of wilderness medicine is defined by difficult patient access, limited equipment, and environmental extremes. The development of wilderness medicine has paralelled the evolution of pre-hospital care in the urban setting, beginning with the Napoleonic Wars.

Today, wilderness medicine is practiced by Wilderness First Responders, Wilderness EMTs, Remote/Offshore Paramedics and Physicians on expeditions, in outdoor education, search and rescue, mountain rescue, remote area operations including research, exploration, and offshore oil platforms, as well as tactical environments.

The Wilderness Medical Society is an organization dedicated to wilderness medicine education and research, and they conduct multiple conferences annually in this area.

Training in wilderness medicine is specialized, involving advanced practices and protocols due to the distance from hospitals and physicians. Common certifications include Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness First Responder, and Wilderness EMT.

Wilderness Medicine training providers include: Remote Medical International, Wilderness Medicine Training Center, WMI of NOLS and others.