Mari Schramm is an experienced educator and medical professional with a diverse background in remote emergency response and outdoor leadership. Their journey into wilderness medicine began with the Forest Service in the Eastern Cascades and expanded during five years in Outdoor Education, where they specialized in risk management and remote care for youth and families. Driven to broaden their community impact, Mari earned their Remote EMT certification and has since worked as an EMT in Leavenworth, Washington, volunteered with Search and Rescue, and instructed courses for Remote Medical Training (RMT). In 2024, they earned a Master’s in Teaching and subsequently taught in one of Washington’s most remote, boat-access-only public schools, where they actively supported village emergency response and training efforts. Today, Mari balances teaching medical courses at the high school level with their ongoing commitment to practicing and instructing wilderness medicine, bringing a unique blend of pedagogical expertise and austere field experience to every class they teach.
The Journey to Remote Medicine
In the words of my first Outdoor Education supervisor, "both mountains and children are notoriously unpredictable." As soon as I was responsible for the health and safety of someone else's kids in the outdoors, I knew I needed to be more prepared. From there, all the "what if" and "why" questions keep me coming back to learn more!
Specialized Industries
Outdoor Education & Youth Trips
Search & Rescue
Risk Management in Remote Communities
I love to travel! I've been to 19 countries (gosh... I guess I really should go to one more to make it 20...)
Teaching Philosopy
I LOVE teaching these courses. I have always found that experiential education is the most effective way to learn, and the most fun to teach. Students often bring a lot of valuable experience with them, so I often aim to serve as a facilitator who connects real-world experience (or scenarios) with text-book and up-to-date medical information.
In these courses, I like to say that we teach skills, information, and decision-making. I do this by facilitating education through a balanced combination of demonstrations, stories, hands-on practice, lectures, whiteboards, readings, scenarios, case studies, and more.
Why I Choose to Teach
I love to learn and I love being part of learning environments. It's really satisfying to help other people build the skills and confidence to manage risks and emergencies, and I always learn new things from students in every class too!
Professional Certifications & Licensures
EMT
EMS Evaluator
Most Memorable Field Experience
My first year of classroom teaching I was the solo teacher in a K-12, one-room-schoolhouse. We were living in a very remote village accessible only by boat and a 10 mile bus ride into the mountains. The community was very small and often very isolated in the winter months. In this setting, we all had to managing the possible risk of injury with the need for self-care and the pull of good skiing... Each week I would take my students on an outdoor adventure in all weather, practicing good risk management and preparedness.
