Frequently Asked Questions

What are the fellowship opportunities available?

Currently: Sports Medicine, Critical Care Medicine, Emergency Medical Services, Toxicology, Ultrasound, and Palliative Care are available. Associate Scholar Fellowships are available in Education, Social Emergency Medicine, and Research.

Where is Iowa City?

Iowa City is 220 miles directly west of Chicago on Interstate 80. It’s also within a 4-5 hour drive to Milwaukee, Madison, Minneapolis, Omaha, Kansas City and St. Louis. It has the cultural, educational, social, and political opportunities of a bigger city with the values and ambiance of a Midwestern town. It’s clean, safe, nothing is farther than a 15 minute car ride, it has a great city bus system (with bike racks!), wonderful parks, sports, schools, and even sailing. Those who have lived here and left frequently return because what they were looking for was in their own back yard. But we’re not the only ones who think Iowa City is great: 

What’s the weather like in Iowa City?

It depends on what you like. For about two weeks every winter it’s very cold and windy and for two weeks every summer it’s really hot and humid. The rest of the time it’s pretty nice. We have a lot of sunny days even in the winter – 200 per year. Our average snowfall is 28”, average rainfall is 35”, average temperature in the summer is 85 and in the winter, 24. We consider our weather character building.

What is there to do in Iowa City when you’re not working?

There are many different festivals and art fairs, concerts and race events throughout the year. There are many music venues, sports events and neighborhood street fairs and garden walks. Iowa City is home to over 60 parks, trails, and natural areas. There are 12 golf courses within 15 minutes of Iowa City are, , six public pools, some lakes with trails, camping, and boating. There are bike trails, some famous bookstores, a ton of galleries and excellent museums. There are half a dozen or more performing arts venues including Hancher Auditorium. There's always something going on. Find more information from the Iowa City/Coralville Convention and Visitors Bureau at https://thinkiowacity.com/.

What’s Iowa City like for kids and families?

There’s ice skating, bowling, organized sports, 60 public parks, golf, a great public library, a toy library, fun centers, swimming pools and three beaches, nine museums including a children's museum, dance companies and public recreation centers that feature many activities for kids and families at little or no cost. The Iowa City schools are perennially ranked among the top schools in the nation. Iowa City is unique in the facilities and services available for individuals with disabilities. Many families who have a family member with a disability are reluctant to leave Iowa City because they cannot duplicate those services in other locations.

Is it possible to do an international elective in your program?

Yes! Our residents have traveled to Haiti, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, and Tanzania to name a few.

Is this a family friendly program?

Yes! We love children and support residents in their efforts to balance work with family life. We have several dual physician resident and faculty families and understand the stresses. Residents receive up to 6 weeks of paid parental leave.  We also offer a newborn elective to our residents during PGY2 and PGY3 in order to better support their transition to parenting and residency. The house staff health insurance policy provides full coverage for spouses and children. There are several childcare facilities near the hospital and one on-site. The training program also has activities during the year where all family members are invited. 

Is there sufficient patient volume so that I can have multiple exposures to a variety of diseases?

Currently, the UI Health Care - University Campus EM Department sees > 60,000 patients per year. Of these, approximately 82% are adults, and 18% pediatrics. Trauma patients represented approximately 22% of our patients, surgical non-trauma 8%, medical 58%, obstetric 5%, and psychiatric 8%. Of the patients seen in the ED, 30% are admitted to the hospital with approximately 4% being admitted to an intensive care unit.

If you have additional questions please contact our program coordinator at nicole-hansen@uiowa.edu