Basic Course A/2026

Basic Courses at UMIT

In recent years, alpine and high altitude medicine has developed sustainably. It is no longer just a few individuals who venture to the world’s highest mountains, but due to the growing market for trekking offers, several hundred thousand people visit mountain regions outside the Alps every year. In addition, there is European mountain tourism with an estimated 5-10 million hikers and 500,000 climbers per year. It is therefore understandable that a new branch of medicine has inevitably developed in recent decades. The introduction of the ÖÄK Diploma for Alpine and High Altitude Medicine represents a sensible expansion of offerings for physicians who wish to intensively engage with all aspects of alpine and high altitude medicine. Through the generated clinical-interdisciplinary specialist knowledge and its practical implementation with the alpine sports courses offered in the new ÖÄK Diploma, the medical advisory competence of physicians is to be improved and their diagnostic-therapeutic skills in high altitude medicine trained, so that they can apply these in clinical practice.

Details on the diploma can be found as follows:
www.arztakademie.at/alpinmedizin

The target group includes general practitioners, specialists of all disciplines, and licensed physicians. A prerequisite for earning creditable continuing education hours for the ÖÄK Diploma is a doctorate.

We would like to point out that, if there are remaining places available, the basic courses can also be completed by non-Austrian physicians.

Medical students can participate in the basic courses at a reduced price if there are remaining places available.

Within the UMIT Academy, the 4 basic courses of the ÖÄK Diploma A – D are conducted under the professional leadership of the Austrian Society for Alpine and High Altitude Medicine (ÖGAHM). The scientific director of the basic courses and the person responsible for the diploma at the Austrian Medical Chamber is Univ.-Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schobersberger, Institute for Sports, Alpine Medicine & Health Tourism (ISAG; UMIT). Ms. Alexandra Peskoller, UMIT, is responsible for administrative matters.

Basic Courses A and B (each comprising 13 teaching units of 45 minutes) focus on high altitude physiology – internal medicine – pediatrics, while Basic Courses C and D (each comprising 13 teaching units of 45 minutes) are dedicated to alpine medical orthopedics/traumatology – emergency medicine – avalanche medicine.

All basic courses are approved by the Austrian Medical Chamber for continuing education hours in general medicine and sports medicine.