Educational Standards
Standardising the educational approach and integrity of Austere Medicine Courses
IAES Educational Standards for Austere First Aid Programs
The Institute for Austere & Emergency Sciences (IAES) sets globally recognised standards for first aid training in environments where traditional emergency services are limited, delayed, or unavailable. Our Austere First Aid (AFA), Austere Advanced First Aid (AAFA), and Austere First Responder (AFR) courses are grounded in evidence-informed practice and field relevance—preparing learners to respond effectively in remote, resource-constrained, or crisis-affected settings.
IAES educational standards define clear competencies, instructional hours, and hands-on requirements, ensuring participants develop the clinical, ethical, and decision-making skills necessary for austere care. These standards serve as the foundation for accredited training programs worldwide and reflect IAES’s commitment to operational excellence, practical realism, and professional readiness in the most challenging environments.
Austere First Aid
The Austere First Aid (AFA) certification prepares individual enthusiasts, community responders, and entry-level rescuers to recognise and respond to life-threatening conditions in remote, resource-limited, or delayed-access environments. The AFA programme builds a solid foundation of practical and decision-making skills for the accidental or occasional rescuer.
Austere Advanced First Aid
Austere Advanced First Aid (AAFA) prepares learners to manage complex medical and traumatic emergencies in environments where resources are limited, evacuation is delayed, and professional care may be hours or even days away. Sitting between basic first aid and first responder-level training, AAFA deepens clinical understanding, introduces more advanced field skills, and prepares individuals to act as competent assistants or occasional lead responders in remote or resource-constrained situations.
Austere First Responder
Austere First Responder (AFR) training prepares individuals to take the lead in medical emergencies occurring in remote, resource-depleted, or operationally unstable environments. Designed for expedition medics, remote team leaders, field health officers, and designated primary caregivers, the AFR programme develops the skills, clinical reasoning, and leadership needed to deliver extended, autonomous patient care when definitive medical support may be days away or entirely unavailable.
Austere Medic
Austere Medic training prepares experienced responders to operate as clinically capable, field-based medical providers in remote, resource-scarce, or unstable environments. Designed for wilderness EMTs, NGO medical staff, rural health providers, expedition clinicians, and tactical medics, the Austere Medic programme develops the skills, protocols, and judgment required to initiate, sustain, and transfer complex patient care in settings where advanced support may be delayed by days or indefinitely unavailable.