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The University of Iowa Health Care EMSLRC Paramedic Program is designed to educate individuals currently certified and licensed at the EMT or AEMT level to provide advanced emergency medical care and transportation to victims of serious illness or injury. This course is nationally accredited and follows the 2009 National EMS Education Standards. Successful completion leads to eligibility to sit for the national certification examinations and subsequent state licensure as a Paramedic.
This three-semester program consists of two semesters of classroom training with a minimum of 284 hours of supervised hospital clinical time. Following completion of the classroom and clinical experience, there is a minimum of 360 hours of supervised paramedic internship. The fire schedule-based Paramedic program is offered twice per year starting in January and August; while based on a fire service scheduling model, enrollment is not limited to fire service personnel.
Requirements for our program include:
- Valid Iowa EMT License with no restrictions** needed to apply to program
- Proof of completion of an anatomy & physiology course prior to orientation; we do have some online options for those who have not gone the traditional school route. Please email kari-horton@uiowa.edu if you have questions regarding this requirement.
- Clean drug and background checks
Application and Interview process
The program admission process occurs over three days and includes: an hour-long virtual meet and greet, ride along with an EMS service and a formal in-person interview process which includes examinations and a panel interview. Applicant will need to choose one of the three listed sessions for their interview process:
Interview sessions
June 29-July 1
July 29-31
August 5-7
Interview format:
Day 1- Virtual meet & greet 1500-1600
Day 2- Ride along with an EMS service - applicants will be assigned a service to determine if they would be a good fit for our program.
Day 3- In person, formal panel interview and entrance examinations (0830-1230)
Class start date is August 24, 2026.
If accepted into the course, there is a MANDATORY orientation on August 17 and 18, 2026 from 0830-1630. Orientation is a requirement of the program; please ensure you are available for those dates. Again, attendance is REQUIRED.
Applications to this program close on 7/31/2026.
(319) 356-2597
