Please see also Landmark Learning Expanded Practices for COVID-19 Student Agreement Form and Vaccination Policy details.

Vaccination Requirement

  • All students are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 on all U.S. based NOLS Wilderness Medicine courses beginning in November 2021. Any COVID-19 vaccine approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) is an acceptable vaccine for the purposes of this policy.

  • Compliance will be on the following timeline:

    • Students on courses that begin on or after November 12, 2021 need to be two weeks or more past receiving the final vaccine dose prior to arrival at their course.

    • Wilderness Medicine instructors will review student vaccination cards at the start of the course.

  • Students seeking an exemption from this policy due to a medical reason, or because of a sincerely held religious belief, must submit a completed NOLS Vaccination Exemption Form to wilderness_medicine@nols.edu to begin the review process. Requests must be submitted not later than 28 days prior to the course start date.

    • If granted an exemption, students will need to submit a negative PCR or antigen test taken within 72 hours before the course start, and students will be required to wear a KN95 mask at all times during the course. On Wilderness Medicine classroom courses longer than five days, students will need to submit a rapid COVID test taken on day 6.

  • Click here to view and download the NOLS Wilderness Medicine COVID-19 Disclosure, Practices and Expectations for Students document to read more.

Health & Safety Expectations

  1. Please note that an assessment will be made at 30 days and at 14 days prior to the course to assess whether the rate of COVID incidence in the area poses too great a risk to hold the course. If any cancellation or postponement is required on the part of organizers, registered students may receive a full refund of the course fee.

  2. In addition to prioritizing outdoor spaces for the training and requiring mask-wearing, widely used surfaces in the instructional and common areas will be sanitized at least twice daily. Bathrooms with soap and sinks will be easily accessible for frequent hand-washing.

  3. Students are required to wear KN-95 masks and safety goggles or glasses, and bring personal hand sanitizer. (Please see above Student Agreement Form and Gear List for more detailed guidance.)

  4. We HIGHLY RECOMMEND minimizing unnecessary contact with persons outside of your household in the 14 days leading up to the course dates. Students are asked to monitor their health for two weeks prior to the course and then not attend if they have any signs of sickness. Students are asked to follow best safety practices while traveling to the course, in order to limit the possibility of exposure to disease.