The EMS Division is heavily involved in the College of Medicine’s medical student curriculum.  Each first-year medical student is trained as a Physician Medical First Responder through a two-week course conducted by the Division of EMS with a focus on general medical emergencies in the public and clinical settings. The second year is training in Mass Casualty Incidents (MCI) Triage and Natural Disasters.  Third year students will receive training in emergency preparedness which is comprised of Chemical, Biological, Radiologic, and Nuclear Disasters. Year four is composed of an online course focusing on Disaster Medicine. The EMS Division provides a minimum of ten hours of lectures and disaster training to the Emergency Medicine Residency each year, with additional resident interactions during resident electives.

Medical Student Education

Residency Training

The Department of Emergency Medicine has a long-established reputation as a leader in research, and the EMS Division is developing a strong portfolio. The Division is currently in collaborative trials through the Neurological Emergencies Treatment Trials (NETT) group, Critical Care Transport Collaborative Outcomes Research Effort (CCT-CORE), and Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES). The Division is supported by the NIH and Department of Defense. Current lines of research include traumatic brain injury, oxygenation/ventilation of trauma patients, and cardiac arrest. The robust research environment provided by the Department makes for fertile ground for development of Fellow research projects.

The EMS Fellow will serve as a flight physician for UC Health’s Air Care and Mobile Care air medical transport service. This Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) accredited program has been in service since 1984 and was the Association of Air Medical Services Program of the Year award winner in 2013. Air Care has the unique distinction of featuring an emergency physician or advanced nurse practitioner is on every flight since its inception. Three dual-engine aircraft, 2-EC145s and 1-BK117 are utilized in our service offering 24/7 coverage. A minimum of two flight shifts per month will be required with additional opportunities available.

Air Care and Mobile Care

The EMS Fellowship is supported by the Cincinnati Fire Department (CFD), the nation’s first fully paid professional fire department, founded in April of 1853. The EMS Fellows will participate in administrative duties, continuing education, continuing quality improvement, and field supervision. CFD responds to 55,000 medical calls each year. Experiences with CFD are the foundation of this EMS Fellowship training.

The Cincinnati Fire Department (CFD) operates 26 stations strategically situated throughout the city, employing eight hundred firefighters, of which over 200 are paramedics. The EMS response system is dual-tiered, including basic and paramedic first response engine companies, basic first response ladder companies, and 12 Medic (Advanced Life Support Transport) units. These units respond to seventy-seven square miles within the City of Cincinnati and also provide response coverage to 25 miles of Ohio River shoreline.

The department also provides Heavy Rescue, HazMat and an Explosives Ordinance Disposal Unit. The fire department is the focal point of weapons of mass destruction planning for the Cincinnati region.  

The EMS Fellow's duties in the fire department are flexible and can include continuous quality improvement of the EMS Service and the communications center, continuing education programs, field observation, administrative meetings, and medical director shadowing.

Cincinnati Fire Department

Cincinnati Fire Districts

The Division of EMS provides medical direction for more than 30 EMS agencies in the Southwest Ohio Greater Cincinnati area.  EMS Fellows will serve as Associate Medical Directors for a suburban agency, greatly expanding this experience.

EMS Faculty oversee the paramedic training program through the Cincinnati Fire Department.  EMS Fellows have the opportunity to participate in planning & oversight meetings, curriculum development, and education.

Many of the region’s EMS agencies share common protocols and oversight by the Academy of Medicine’s Prehospital Care Operations Committee.  EMS Fellows are active participants in this committee, author evidence-based protocols, and participate in administrative meetings.

The Division of EMS shares hosting duties for the US Air Force's C-STARS (Center for Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills) program, with a multi-bed, state-of-the-art simulation facility housed within our suite of offices. EMS Fellows will have the opportunity to participate in the use of this powerful educational tool.

EMS Fellows will participate in training with the Hamilton County Urban Search and Rescue team, being eligible for call-outs. Additional opportunities exist with the Cincinnati Fire Department's heavy rescue units and Ohio Task Force 1 (FEMA) USAR team.