Educating and training doctors and other health care professionals is central to University of Iowa Health Care. This education and training extends far beyond the medical students and The University of Iowa campus. Education and training with University of Iowa Health Care falls broadly into seven categories.

1. Undergraduate medical education — Medical students spend four years studying to be doctors. There are about 550 medical students in the UI Carver College of Medicine.

2. Graduate medical education — After a person has received the MD degree, he or she enters a residency program to learn a particular field such as pediatrics, urology, obstetrics and gynecology, surgery, family medicine, and so on. Upon completion of their residency, some elect to train in a sub-specialty. This additional training is called a fellowship. Residency and fellowship training is referred to collectively as graduate medical education. At any given time, there are about 650 doctors receiving graduate medical education at The University of Iowa.

The impact of UI Health Care’s education mission on Iowa is significant. One-half of Iowa’s 5,000 doctors did some or all of their training at The University of Iowa.

3. Other health professionals education – In addition to medical students, UI Health Care offers training in its physician assistant program, physical therapy, dietetics, nuclear medicine technology, perfusion, radiation sciences, radiation therapy, radiologic technology and diagnostic medical sonography.

4. Undergraduate science education – About 5,000 students from all over the University of Iowa take classes in physiology and biophysics, biochemistry, anatomy and cell biology, and other basic sciences taught by UI Carver College of Medicine faculty.

5. Graduate education in science — The College’s research laboratories are the training grounds for the next generation of scientists. Each year, more than 250 graduate students pursue biomedical research under the mentorship of Carver College of Medicine faculty. The University of Iowa grants 60 doctorates each year to graduate students in the basic sciences.

6. Clinical training for health professionals —  University of Iowa Health Care provides professional education and training for a range of health care professionals. Among these are nursing students from the University of Iowa College of Nursing and from local community colleges and UI pharmacy students who gain clinical experience at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

7. Continuing medical education — Because the health care field is changing quickly, it is important for health care providers to continually learn about advances in clinical care. University of Iowa Health Care practitioners present 200 continuing medical education programs annually to more than 5,000 physicians and, often, an equal number of other professionals.

Education takes place well beyond the University campus in Iowa City. University of Iowa Health Care participates in education consortiums in six Iowa cities: Des Moines, Waterloo, Mason City, Sioux City, Davenport, and Cedar Rapids. Medical students fan out across the state to learn from local doctors who serve as the Carver College of Medicine’s 700 community-based faculty.

In addition, Iowans who are interested in health care issues can participate in mini-medical schools, community seminars, and obtain information about diseases, treatments and other topics through programs such as the Cancer Information Service.