Anyone....

[freebyrdy]

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any suggestions...comments....critisisms....etc.....
I'm very much non-trad...35, divorced, 3 kids (17,14,10 -- one handicapped) I've been a volunteer FF/EMT for about 7 yrs. (Paramedic for nearly 4 years, I have 911 and private EMS experience. Hoping to take the critical care medic course soon.)
I've been out of school for about 1.5 yrs due to a parents health I withdrew from classes (Do those lovely "W"s hurt when applying to med school? The one I withdrew because of had a CABG shortly afterwards and is doing much better healthwise.) My current GPA is 3.69, science GPA is 4.0 @ 57 credits (around 20 are from my medic...I have no idea what will transfer and what won't. Anyone know?)
I have an MD and a DO who I can shadow or work with (doing pt assessments and such) Will that help out...both with the applications and with expanding my knowledge base?
I am drawn more towards the OD programs versus the MD. I just really want to do the best possible preparing myself for the process of applying as well as for the rigors of school itself. Any ideas? Have any of you taken electives that you would recommend as having been helpful in your studies? Any activities you have taken part in that seem to have helped? (Not just looking good on your aps...I mean given you a better insight on what you are doing.)

 

[scpod]

I just really want to do the best possible preparing myself for the process of applying as well as for the rigors of school itself. Any ideas?

I wish I couls say that it will be really easy and fun as well, but that's probably not the case. You have to do the same prereqs, take the same tests, and compete with the same people as everyone else. BUT, you have a lot of outside issues to deal with that a lot of others might not have. In your situation, one of the best things that you can have is a support group. Friends and family can the best things in the world (although sometimes the worst too 🙁 ). I can be your cheerleader. Go...Go...Go...Freebyrdy...Go!!!!

Of course, I would look pretty silly in one of those little cheerleader skirts, so I guess I'll just say Good Luck!!! 😀

 

[njbmd]

any suggestions...comments....critisisms....etc.....
I'm very much non-trad...35, divorced, 3 kids (17,14,10 -- one handicapped) I've been a volunteer FF/EMT for about 7 yrs. (Paramedic for nearly 4 years, I have 911 and private EMS experience. Hoping to take the critical care medic course soon.)
I've been out of school for about 1.5 yrs due to a parents health I withdrew from classes (Do those lovely "W"s hurt when applying to med school? The one I withdrew because of had a CABG shortly afterwards and is doing much better healthwise.) My current GPA is 3.69, science GPA is 4.0 @ 57 credits (around 20 are from my medic...I have no idea what will transfer and what won't. Anyone know?)
I have an MD and a DO who I can shadow or work with (doing pt assessments and such) Will that help out...both with the applications and with expanding my knowledge base?
I am drawn more towards the OD programs versus the MD. I just really want to do the best possible preparing myself for the process of applying as well as for the rigors of school itself. Any ideas? Have any of you taken electives that you would recommend as having been helpful in your studies? Any activities you have taken part in that seem to have helped? (Not just looking good on your aps...I mean given you a better insight on what you are doing.)

Hi there,
Courses that are helpful for a medical career:

Any course in American studies. The better you know your fellow citizens, the better physician you will be.

Logic and Critical Thinking: Medicine is all about problem-solving. I can have a high school student look up lab results, write them down and bring them to me. I have very few medical students or interns for that matter, who can evaluate data and come up with a plan to treat the patient. Most folks coming out of medical school today are focused on facts and less able to critically think and problem solve.

Conversational Spanish: The largest and most rapidly growing minority in this country is the Latino population. The better you can communicate with your patients, the more effective your care.

If you are looking for specific science courses that will help you with medicine, I cannot recommend any. There are no undergraduate courses that are particularly helpful for medical school beyond the pre-med courses. If you have a particular interest in a scientific discipline (for me it was theoretical math), then take those courses but nothing at the undergraduate level even comes close to what you will absorb and study in medical school.

njbmd 🙂

 

[Static Line]

any suggestions...comments....critisisms....etc.....
I'm very much non-trad...35, divorced, 3 kids (17,14,10 -- one handicapped) I've been a volunteer FF/EMT for about 7 yrs. (Paramedic for nearly 4 years, I have 911 and private EMS experience. Hoping to take the critical care medic course soon.)
I've been out of school for about 1.5 yrs due to a parents health I withdrew from classes (Do those lovely "W"s hurt when applying to med school? The one I withdrew because of had a CABG shortly afterwards and is doing much better healthwise.) My current GPA is 3.69, science GPA is 4.0 @ 57 credits (around 20 are from my medic...I have no idea what will transfer and what won't. Anyone know?)
I have an MD and a DO who I can shadow or work with (doing pt assessments and such) Will that help out...both with the applications and with expanding my knowledge base?
I am drawn more towards the OD programs versus the MD. I just really want to do the best possible preparing myself for the process of applying as well as for the rigors of school itself. Any ideas? Have any of you taken electives that you would recommend as having been helpful in your studies? Any activities you have taken part in that seem to have helped? (Not just looking good on your aps...I mean given you a better insight on what you are doing.)

Hi there
I was a Pmedic in EMS for 10 yrs. I am MS1 now in DO program. Your EMS credits will not transfer unless you can find an EMS program that awards a BS degree and then complete that program while completing your med school pre reqs. Its hard to find a program like that. I basically had to start from scratch because most (not all) EMS credit is awarded as con-ed.

As far as the DO/MD thing goes. I wouldn't be to worried about which philosophy to study. They study the same basic sciences and you learn the same thing. You may increase your chances of entry into school DO school based on your experience because many DO schools consider your experience as well. The best thing to do is keep your GPA high and do well on the MCAT and you increase your chances everywhere. There isn't one course that will really prepare you in undergrad. I would have taken an immunology course had I known how immuno heavy this has been but the best thing you can do for yourself is to learn your basic sciences in undergrad the best you can and you'll be ok in med school.

That is just my take on it though.

 

[freebyrdy]

I guess I should have included more....
as far as my classes go, the school I was in didn't offer a degree in paramedicine (no emergency medicine degree either. You could get Gen Ed with an emphasis in emergency medicine). I was working towards an AS. I need my speech, a humanities one more science and math for my associates.....
So I'm still hoping credit will transfer. I had some classes I absolutely loved....logic & psych were awesome and I would love to delve further into those type classes. I'm a science geek to the core...always have been. I would like to take more writing courses but I'm not sure where they fit in.
I have an awesome support system.....parents, sibs, kiddos, etc... Actually there isn't anyone in my family who isn't willing to help out when needed right down to study buddies. (Even the kids have been there done that.....the oldest can recite as much if not more about the meds I carry as I can lol)

I love what I do....I love a good challenging call that makes me think and have to put my mind into figuring out what is going on with my patient...but I want more...I want to be able to do more for them than I currently can....I want to be able to follow my patients longer and be more involved in their care. That is my biggest incentive for going further into medicine.

 

[kimmcauliffe]

any suggestions...comments....critisisms....etc.....
(Do those lovely "W"s hurt when applying to med school? The one I withdrew because of had a CABG shortly afterwards and is doing much better healthwise.) My current GPA is 3.69, science GPA is 4.0 @ 57 credits (around 20 are from my medic...I have no idea what will transfer and what won't. Anyone know?)
I have an MD and a DO who I can shadow or work with (doing pt assessments and such) Will that help out...both with the applications and with expanding my knowledge base?
I am drawn more towards the OD programs versus the MD. I just really want to do the best possible preparing myself for the process of applying as well as for the rigors of school itself. Any ideas? Have any of you taken electives that you would recommend as having been helpful in your studies? Any activities you have taken part in that seem to have helped? (Not just looking good on your aps...I mean given you a better insight on what you are doing.)

Answer to your first question: I don't believe that W's hurt. You should have a chance to explain it once you are interviewing. I have one from a class that it turns out I didn't need, so it's not like I dropped it like a bad habit because of a bad grade. It's case by case.

#2: Shadowing will definitely help you gain perspective on the medical field outside of EMT activity. I would suggest to pick thier brains as much as you can about school, the field, and anything else you can think of.

#3: There's a lot of international and stateside volunteering experiences out there for people like you and I. I just recently joined AMSA and they have a whole slew of opportunities out there.

Good luck to you!