Clinical Experience:
The Iowa EM-PA residency curriculum is modeled after the physician residency curriculum.  As a PA resident, you will rotate through core clinical services that will help prepare you to manage the most critical and complicated patients.  These rotations will include clinical time with services in trauma, internal medicine, surgical ICU, orthopedics, and the burn unit.  Additionally, you will be able to tailor your educational experience towards your own interests by helping to develop selective rotations.

Approximately two-thirds of the rotations are devoted to Emergency Medicine and Pediatric Emergency Medicine, providing you with the extensive experience necessary for successful placement after graduation.    You will begin your residency experience in an Introductory Emergency Medicine month that will help ease you into the department, connect you with classmates and physician residents, equip you with essential knowledge and skills to begin working in the Emergency Treatment Center (ETC) and social events including an Outdoor Wilderness Medicine race.

Didactic Experience:
Five hours of didactic conferences are held every Thursday morning with the EM-PA and physician residents.  Not only do the two groups work clinically together, but they learn together as well.  All residents are released from clinical duties and given this protected time for their education.  Conferences are focused around monthly topics presented by emergency medicine staff, other University of Iowa Health Care specialists and distinguished visiting faculty.  Dynamic, interactive learning between residents and faculty is a key component to conference.  Case-based presentations, simulation lab, small groups, journal club, procedural workshops, Code Red drills are examples of learning modes that help engage our learners and promote ‘real’ learning situations.

Current monthly conference schedules