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About CU Boulder EMS
Redefining campus
emergency care
CU Boulder EMS is bringing professional, university-integrated emergency medical services to campus—joining a small but growing movement transforming collegiate EMS in the West.
For two decades, CU Boulder students passionate about emergency medicine have trained, educated, and prepared. Now, that foundation is becoming something more. In partnership with the Division of Public Safety, CU EMS is transitioning from student organization to operational emergency medical service—with paid EMT positions embedded within the university's public safety infrastructure.
While collegiate EMS has long thrived on the East Coast, programs like ours remain rare west of the Mississippi. We're proud to join institutions like the University of Arizona in proving that professional campus-based EMS belongs in the West.
Our story
From classroom to
campus response
CU EMS traces its roots to 2004, when a group of students founded Students for Education, Medicine, and Service (SEMS)—a club dedicated to fostering interest in emergency medicine and providing continuing education for aspiring healthcare professionals.
For nearly a decade under the SEMS name, and since 2012 as CUEMS, we've trained hundreds of students in Basic Life Support, hosted clinical lectures, and built a community of future physicians, nurses, paramedics, and first responders.
In summer 2025, that vision became reality. Working with university leadership, CU EMS officially joined the Division of Public Safety— transitioning from student organization to operational emergency medical service.
“CU EMS remains student-led. Professional standards and institutional backing, powered by student initiative and leadership.”
What we do
Our mission
in action
CU EMS provides professional emergency medical coverage for campus events. When our community gathers, we're there: trained, equipped, and ready to respond.
Our EMTs deliver on-site Basic Life Support care, medical evaluation, and coordination with Boulder Fire-Rescue and other emergency services. We bridge the critical gap between an emergency and the arrival of advanced care—reaching patients in minutes when every second counts.
Breaking new ground
Collegiate EMS in the West
60%
of campus EMS organizations are in the Northeast
250+
campus-based EMS organizations nationwide
<6%
operate west of the Rockies
By integrating into the Division of Public Safety with paid positions and physician oversight, CU EMS is proving that professional campus-based emergency care isn't just an East Coast tradition—it belongs here too.
Our values
What drives us
Excellence in care
We hold ourselves to the highest clinical standards. Every patient deserves the same quality of care, whether it's a minor injury or a life-threatening emergency.
Student leadership
Students run this organization—scheduling shifts, leading trainings, mentoring new EMTs, and shaping our future. Professional oversight enables us; student initiative drives us.
Service to community
We don't do this for résumés. We do it because this is our campus, these are our people, and showing up when it matters is who we are.
Continuous growth
Medicine evolves. So do we. Through ongoing training, quality improvement, and a culture of feedback, we're always working to be better than we were yesterday.
Join the team
Become part of CU EMS
CU EMS is always looking for dedicated students ready to serve their community. Whether you're already a certified EMT or interested in becoming one, there's a place for you here. And yes—this is a paid position.