Health Sciences Career Exploration

Explore the many exciting career opportunities available at our Adult Day Health Centers where we serve a variety of people age 18 and older!  Our social workers assist with care plans, funding, and problem solving every day community needs.  Nurses monitor medications, work with community physicians, and complete health assessments.  Patient Care Assistants do many of the same tasks as a CNA such as, safety awareness/fall prevention, bathing, activities, and meal assistance.  Program and activity specialists, and our habilitation staff, engage our participants in programming, outings, special events, and individualized programming that helps them meet their goals. Our dining staff make sure we are following special diets and honor personal choice.  We would love to have you join us and show you not only what it takes to do their work day to day, but how roles interact to meet the needs of our participants!

Here is your opportunity to learn everything you need to know about a variety of athletic careers!  You will have the opportunity to visit with an athletic director, athletic trainer, and a couple of coaches. You will learn what the daily tasks are in their jobs along with the education required. You may also have the opportunity to observe a basketball practice to see some of these individuals in action!  Held December 4, 2025 from 12:00-3:00pm.

Would you like to be involved in sports and athletics with high level athletes in a college atmosphere on a daily basis? If you love to compete and to be around competitive individuals striving to be the best version of themselves, then please join us at Mount Mercy University to explore career paths as an athletic trainer, athletic director, sports information director, and college coach. Held Spring 2026.

Do you have a passion for sports and athletics?  Learn more about careers in athletics such as coaching, sports marketing and athletic training. Held April 2026, 3 to 5 pm.

This interactive, hands-on session will allow students to experience the field of dentistry and how each dental profession works together. You will learn about the careers of a dentist, dental assisting, dental hygiene, and dental technology from knowledgeable faculty and staff, as well as, current Kirkwood Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene students. You will also have an opportunity to hear from professional experts currently working in various dental fields. A question-and-answer session will be held, providing the opportunity to hear personal experiences, stories, and responses to your questions about Kirkwood’s programs and the dental industry in general. Held either in late February or early March 2026.

Learn about a career in healthcare that is outside the four walls of a hospital. A career in EMS as an EMT or Paramedic is a rewarding profession. Receive an inside look at this potential profession from current ground and flight EMS providers. Along with getting hands-on experience with life-saving skills such as airway management, bleeding control, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR. Held Spring 2026.

Johnson County Ambulance Service provides an exciting experience for those interested in a public safety career. If you’d like to learn about the skills and education it takes to be a paramedic and EMT, then this is the event for you! Paramedics from Johnson County Ambulance Service will give you all the details regarding what a typical day looks like on the job.  They will demonstrate a medical emergency call scenario and the teamwork it takes to work in this field.

The Cedar Rapids Fire Department is a dynamic and diverse organization that provides an outstanding opportunity for those interested in a public service career. If you’d like to learn about the skills and education it takes to be a firefighter/paramedic, then this is the event for you!  Individuals in these careers will give you all the details regarding what they do, plus provide some training exercises to show you first-hand what it feels like to be in this career field. Held January 2026.

Experience a day in the life of a medical student at the University of Iowa. Learn how to care for and diagnose a patient with our simulated patient program, meet with current medical students for a tour of the medical school and Q&A session, practice physical exam skills and go through patient cases with our medical students and learn how to prepare yourself for application.

Come explore the world of laboratory medicine with phlebotomists, laboratory assistants, medical technicians, and pathologists! The laboratory team will share testimonials on how they got into the field. You will also learn about the education requirements and advancement opportunities within laboratory medicine. You will receive a brief tour of the laboratory and then you will be paired up one-on-one with a laboratory team member. During the job shadow, you will have an opportunity to observe laboratory professionals in Specimen Collection and Processing, Transfusion Medicine, Chemistry, Hematology, and Microbiology. If you are interested in the medical field but you aren’t sure you want to work in direct patient care, then this event may be for you! Held Spring 2026.

Interested in helping people live better lives? Through small group, round table discussions you will have the opportunity to hear and ask questions from individuals in a variety of career disciplines, including social work, counseling, psychology, and social services.  Held December 2, 2025 from 8:45-11:30am.

Learn about what qualities are important for therapists to have, possible environments you may work, duties and responsibilities you will have as a therapist, and the difference between mental health counselors and social workers. 

Learn about the profession of music therapy. You will attend a music therapy class, talk with music therapists who work in different clinical settings, take a tour of the beautiful Voxman School of Music, and observe a music therapy session in the on-campus clinic. Discover what it takes to be a music therapist! Held in the fall & spring. Cap of 10.

Join us for an exciting opportunity to explore how WesleyLife is transforming the aging experience at Halcyon House! WesleyLife, a leader in health and well-being for adults 55+, offers rewarding career paths for those passionate about serving older adults, including nursing, certified nursing assistants, and well-being roles. During the event, you will tour Halcyon House, get a behind-the-scenes look at the different levels of living, and see our dedicated team members in action. You will witness firsthand how our team provides care and engages residents in meaningful activities to enhance their well-being and pursue joy. Afterward, you will participate in a hands-on activity with our team and residents, followed by lunch! This is a great opportunity to see how careers in healthcare can make a real impact in people’s lives. Cap of 20.

The Iowa City VA Health Care System provides Veterans with world-class health care and services. Please join us at the Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Iowa City to participate in a simulation-based Nursing Day that will highlight the “Art of Nursing.” You will observe a professional nurse completing daily tasks, procedures, and activities. You will also observe staff interactions, patient interactions, and witness a nurse responding to a simulated emergent medical condition.

Kirkwood Community College’s nursing program is rated top-notch in the state of Iowa. You will have the opportunity to meet with current nursing students and faculty members, practice hands-on nursing tasks, challenge your nursing knowledge with a few fun games, learn more about a career in nursing, and how you can begin this rewarding career at Kirkwood! Join us for injections, heart sounds, facility tours and trivia fun! Held February 14, 2026 from 10am-12pm.

Learn about the nursing career, the different levels of education and pathways one can take to become a nurse, and the growing need for nurses in the healthcare field from current nurses who work at the University of Iowa.  Go through hands-on activities and simulations with patients or equipment commonly used.  Learn about the University of Iowa Nursing Program from the admissions team.

Learn about the variety of pathology careers from faculty and staff at the University of Iowa.  Visit labs, perform hands-on pathology activities, and participate in Q and A sessions with our faculty and staff.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go to pharmacy school?  You will learn about the admissions process for pharmacy school, take a virtual tour of the brand-new University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, and talk to current UI pharmacy students about their experiences. Cap of 19.  

This interactive, hands-on session will allow students to experience the fields of occupational therapy and physical therapy and to better understand how therapists and assistants work together and with their clients to create goals and therapeutic treatment plans that enhance movement and transform their quality of life. Students will learn about the careers of an occupational therapist (OT), occupational therapist assistant (OTA), physical therapist (PT), and physical therapist assistant (PTA) from knowledgeable faculty, as well as, Kirkwood students currently in the OTA and PTA programs. You will also have an opportunity to hear from professional experts currently working in various settings such as healthcare facilities, schools, or client’s homes. Held Spring 2026.

Join a physical therapist at Team Iowa Physical Therapy to learn all you need to know about this exciting and rewarding career!  They will share information about what their job is like on a day-to-day basis, the skills it takes to do this job and the education needed.

Learn about the Physician Assistant career from students and faculty at the #2 PA program in the country!  Take a tour of the PA school, learn how to splint with PA students, participate in a Q and A with current students, and learn about the program and career with our Director of Administrative and Student Services here at the University of Iowa!  Cap of 35.

Learn about the different careers in radiation sciences and the application process for the corresponding programs from our admissions team.  Take a tour of the radiation sciences department, meet with current students and staff, and explore the many machines and technologies that are commonly used such as: X-ray, CT, MRI, PET, Ultrasound, Nuclear Medicine and more! Cap of 20.

Learn about day-to-day life as a research scientist. Visit labs such as neurology, genetics, pathology, women’s health and more to learn about the types of equipment used, experiments being tested and the many different types of careers that make a research lab run.

Do you see yourself working in a fast-paced environment where you're needed by patients of all ages, from premature babies to pediatric and adult patients? As a respiratory therapist, you'll become an expert in helping people breathe, working closely with nurses and physicians to provide life-saving care. This job shadow experience offers a glimpse into this dynamic healthcare career through a tour of the respiratory therapy lab, hands-on simulation scenarios in the Simulation Center, and insight into the education and training required to enter the field. Cap of 15. Held Spring 2026.

Learn about many careers that support a successful surgery.  Learn from surgical technicians and nurses, as well as from those who work in lesser known medical careers who also impact surgery.  Participate in hands-on learning around various surgical equipment and procedures.