Participants should be medical doctors registered with professional health care bodies of their respective countries. Applications will also be considered from interns or foundation year doctors and final year medical students who will be awarded the diploma once they graduate from their medical school. Majority of our applicants are internists, trauma and emergency medicine doctors, orthopedic surgeons, anesthesiologists, neurosurgeons etc.
So far we have trained only medical doctors and a few highly qualified final year medical students. To maintain the uniformity of training we have not accepted nurses and paramedics to our courses. For developing international collaborations and developing mountain medicine training we may accept highly qualified nurses and paramedics to our course, but this will be determined on an individual basis.
For an international candidate, the cost of the course is USD 8000.
This includes:
Course Fees
Accommodation and food (except dinners in Kathmandu) for the entire course duration
All transportation to training sites
Trekking permits and guides fees
National Park entrance fees
Basic group climbing gears
Welcome package
Registration and graduation certificates
Exam fees
Nepalese candidates are encouraged to inquire with the MMSN DiMM team at mmsndiploma@gmail.com regarding the total course fee and what it covers. Accommodation in Kathmandu is not offered to Nepalese candidates.
Our course fee is heavily subsidized to Nepalese participants so that they are able to afford and undertake the training of international standard in their home country. The course fee is subsidized to NRs 1,00,000 for Nepalese candidates which include all the expenses as above except for the accommodation and dinner costs in Kathmandu.
In addition, deserving and qualified Nepalese candidates can apply for full or partial scholarships and should include in their application and motivation letter why they would want to be considered for additional scholarships. Please click this link to visit the scholarship page for more details.
Nepalese candidates can apply for scholarships for the training. On top of the highly subsidized course fee, we provide full scholarships to a few deserving and qualified Nepalese applicants. You should include in your application and motivation letter on why you want to be considered for full scholarships.
Participants will be provided with a list of personal gear and equipment that they need to bring.
Evenings in Kathmandu will be kept free to explore the city and participants can travel around the city and try the local cuisines. Dinners on those occasions will not be covered except for a few formal dining occasions sponsored by MMSN.
If the weather conditions prolong the course duration by more than 2 days, participants will have to pay for the accommodation and food expenses for the extra days.
Participants should have active personal medical and accident insurance that includes evacuation coverage(helicopter rescue and repatriation for the duration to be spent in Nepal). Also, participants are required to get recommended vaccines for travel in Nepal.
We have a good mix of international and local instructors who deliver the course. Most faculty are from Nepal, the UK, US, Switzerland, and Italy. Many of our instructors have been joining us for several seasons. Each year we try to add internationally renowned speakers to our pool. Also, we encourage our alumni, previous DiMM graduates, to join the team of our faculty.
The technical component of the course includes summer and winter skills covered by highly experienced Nepalese mountain guides that are seasoned Everest summiteers.
Completion of various assignments is a prerequisite for being awarded the Diploma. As a part of the course, you will be required to complete two pre-course assignments, two assignments during the course, and a final assignment after the course. These could be in the form of essays, presentations, and group work. To be awarded the diploma, you will have to sit for an MCQ examination. Also, mountain guides will verify that you have gained the required skills during the glacier training and provide this information to the organizing team. Candidates will be required to repeat the assignments, or sit for a viva exam if necessary. If it is ascertained that any candidate failed to sufficiently demonstrate glacier skills he/she will be asked to repeat the glacier component of the training with a subsequent cohort at an additional cost.
We have collaborated with International Porters Protection Group (IPPG) for one Nepalese applicant who would be awarded with the Rachel Burke Scholarships to complete the Nepalese DiMM and in return the participant is expected to volunteer at the IPPG Machhermo High Altitude Aid Post for 6 weeks in Gokyo region of Nepal. Diploma in Mountain Medicine is awarded only after completing the course and spending required time at the Aid post.