BS in EMS worth it for med school?

[masterwares]

Hello everyone,
I am a worried and doubleminded student who is currently double-majoring in Biochemistry and Emergency Health Services. Also Premed. My advisor states that I need to decide between the two before the Fall 2010 semester. I need help deciding which major will allow me to get into medical school better. I am aiming for MD schools strictly.

I am a freshman who will have completed 1 year of undergraduate studies.
I have a GPA of 3.83.

If I choose to do biochem, I will gain research experience and take more science classes, thus demonstrating my scientific talent to the med schools to which I apply.

If I choose to go the route of EHS, I will become a non-traditional premed graduate, also a NREMT-Paramedic, and I will have tons of clinical hours working with patients.

I am trying to get into some of the top schools such as Hopkins and etc etc..

I was thinking that to further show my medical schools my interest in the sciences, I would complete a minor in chemistry as part of my major in EHS. However, this may lead to me doing 5 years of undergraduate studies before graduating.

PLEASE HELP AND REPLY SOON!

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[mspeedwagon]

Pursue whichever route will allow you to gain the higher GPA (and MCAT) and that you enjoy more. Major does NOT matter. Most people I know from my undergrad who are now in medical school where majors in fields such as: Philosophy, Math and one was even an English major. Also, going either route, you will NOT be a non-traditional student (non-traditional refers to a person that has had another career and has decided to pursue medicine as a second career). Working as a paramedic while enrolled as an undergrad does not make you a non-traditional applicant. This post is probably most appropriate for the pre-allo forum.

Hello everyone,
I am a worried and doubleminded student who is currently double-majoring in Biochemistry and Emergency Health Services. Also Premed. My advisor states that I need to decide between the two before the Fall 2010 semester. I need help deciding which major will allow me to get into medical school better. I am aiming for MD schools strictly.

I am a freshman who will have completed 1 year of undergraduate studies.
I have a GPA of 3.83.

If I choose to do biochem, I will gain research experience and take more science classes, thus demonstrating my scientific talent to the med schools to which I apply.

If I choose to go the route of EHS, I will become a non-traditional premed graduate, also a NREMT-Paramedic, and I will have tons of clinical hours working with patients.

I am trying to get into some of the top schools such as Hopkins and etc etc..

I was thinking that to further show my medical schools my interest in the sciences, I would complete a minor in chemistry as part of my major in EHS. However, this may lead to me doing 5 years of undergraduate studies before graduating.

PLEASE HELP AND REPLY SOON!

 

[masterwares]

I will move this post to the allopathic thread.

 

[masterwares]

Hello everyone,
I am a worried and doubleminded student who is currently double-majoring in Biochemistry and Emergency Health Services. Also Premed. My advisor states that I need to decide between the two before the Fall 2010 semester. I need help deciding which major will allow me to get into medical school better. I am aiming for MD schools strictly.

I am a freshman who will have completed 1 year of undergraduate studies.
I have a GPA of 3.83.

If I choose to do biochem, I will gain research experience and take more science classes, thus demonstrating my scientific talent to the med schools to which I apply.

If I choose to go the route of EHS, I will become a non-traditional premed graduate, also a NREMT-Paramedic, and I will have tons of clinical hours working with patients.

I am trying to get into some of the top schools such as Hopkins and etc etc..

I was thinking that to further show my medical schools my interest in the sciences, I would complete a minor in chemistry as part of my major in EHS. However, this may lead to me doing 5 years of undergraduate studies before graduating.

PLEASE HELP AND REPLY SOON!

 

[masterwares]

I have a question for you though. The people you described as not being science majors, do you know which specific medical schools they were accepted to?

 

[mspeedwagon]

Yes... I'll give you first names and schools admitted to:
Jenny - English major - attends Tufts Med School
Josh - Philosophy - also Tufts Med School
Carolyn - Political Science - Yale Med School
Lakshmi - English major - Harvard Med School
Rudy - History - Howard Med School

Those are the five I remember off the top of my head. I did go to an Ivy undergrad with the avg. MCAT of those applying being a 33. I think the stats at my school were that about 50% of those who matriculate were NON-Science majors.

I have a question for you though. The people you described as not being science majors, do you know which specific medical schools they were accepted to?

 

[lord_jeebus]

In my experience, when I say that "major doesn't matter," that's within the realm of liberal arts, science, and engineering degrees. A degree that is more vocational in nature - nursing, EMS, allied health fields - will not be advantageous and may work against you. They are seen as less intellectually rigorous, and although I haven't seen recent data, the data I did see about 5-7 years ago showed lower acceptance rates for individuals with such degrees. Particularly with schools of the Hopkins-caliber, I doubt that they take many if any people with such degrees, at least directly out of college.

The aspects of medicine that you need to know as a physician, you will learn in medical school. It is the preference of medical schools to see you develop depth in more intellectual pursuits as a premed.

(I was on an adcom in the past)

 

[the duck]

In my experience, when I say that "major doesn't matter," that's within the realm of liberal arts, science, and engineering degrees. A degree that is more vocational in nature - nursing, EMS, allied health fields - will not be advantageous and may work against you. They are seen as less intellectually rigorous, and although I haven't seen recent data, the data I did see about 5-7 years ago showed lower acceptance rates for individuals with such degrees. Particularly with schools of the Hopkins-caliber, I doubt that they take many if any people with such degrees, at least directly out of college.

The aspects of medicine that you need to know as a physician, you will learn in medical school. It is the preference of medical schools to see you develop depth in more intellectual pursuits as a premed.

(I was on an adcom in the past)

👍this.

 

[masterwares]

In my experience, when I say that "major doesn't matter," that's within the realm of liberal arts, science, and engineering degrees. A degree that is more vocational in nature - nursing, EMS, allied health fields - will not be advantageous and may work against you. They are seen as less intellectually rigorous, and although I haven't seen recent data, the data I did see about 5-7 years ago showed lower acceptance rates for individuals with such degrees. Particularly with schools of the Hopkins-caliber, I doubt that they take many if any people with such degrees, at least directly out of college.

The aspects of medicine that you need to know as a physician, you will learn in medical school. It is the preference of medical schools to see you develop depth in more intellectual pursuits as a premed.

(I was on an adcom in the past)

So what you are saying is that EMS is a more vocational field and thus finishing a BS in it is considered less worthy than finishing a BS in Biochem. However, do you think I could show my "intellectual" status by completing a minor in chemistry at the same time? I am interested in both science and EMS.

 

[LizzyM]

lord_jeebus is on the money.

In particular, if you want to go to a top research med school you'll need plenty of research experience in undergrad, ideally with a summer (or more) of research funding (usually summer after sophomore yr-- funding will pay you a stipend to cover living expenses) and a presentation or publication of your work sometime before you apply (so get that underway early in Junior yr).

If you were going to be a paramedic, be a paramedic and then do the pre-reqs and apply to medical school after a few years in the field. It seems ass backwards to decide at 18 or 19 that you'll wait until you are 25 before applying to medical school though.

 

[masterwares]

lord_jeebus is on the money.

In particular, if you want to go to a top research med school you'll need plenty of research experience in undergrad, ideally with a summer (or more) of research funding (usually summer after sophomore yr-- funding will pay you a stipend to cover living expenses) and a presentation or publication of your work sometime before you apply (so get that underway early in Junior yr).

If you were going to be a paramedic, be a paramedic and then do the pre-reqs and apply to medical school after a few years in the field. It seems ass backwards to decide at 18 or 19 that you'll wait until you are 25 before applying to medical school though.

I mean, I already have one published abstract and have went to a poster session at the NIH. I will definitely do a few more summer's of research.

 

[LizzyM]

In my experience, when I say that "major doesn't matter," that's within the realm of liberal arts, science, and engineering degrees. A degree that is more vocational in nature - nursing, EMS, allied health fields - will not be advantageous and may work against you. They are seen as less intellectually rigorous, and although I haven't seen recent data, the data I did see about 5-7 years ago showed lower acceptance rates for individuals with such degrees. Particularly with schools of the Hopkins-caliber, I doubt that they take many if any people with such degrees, at least directly out of college.
The aspects of medicine that you need to know as a physician, you will learn in medical school. It is the preference of medical schools to see you develop depth in more intellectual pursuits as a premed.

(I was on an adcom in the past)

This is absolutely the bottom line.

If you were applying as a paramedic with several years experience, perhaps in the military or the inner city, then doing pre-med as a post-bac, you'd have a shot but given your current gpa & research experience you'd be nuts not to go right through in 4 yrs, come out with a BS in biochem and go to med school. Every year you dither is one year less that you'll be working as a doc.

 

[mspeedwagon]

Listen to LizzyM... I actually realized after I posted that EMS is not a conventional degree. You can major in anything, liberal arts, science, engineering; however, I have never known any one with an EMS major to get into medical school (it was not even an option at my school). If you like biochem then go for it.

This is absolutely the bottom line.

If you were applying as a paramedic with several years experience, perhaps in the military or the inner city, then doing pre-med as a post-bac, you'd have a shot but given your current gpa & research experience you'd be nuts not to go right through in 4 yrs, come out with a BS in biochem and go to med school. Every year you dither is one year less that you'll be working as a doc.

 

[randombetch]

In my experience, when I say that "major doesn't matter," that's within the realm of liberal arts, science, and engineering degrees. A degree that is more vocational in nature - nursing, EMS, allied health fields - will not be advantageous and may work against you. They are seen as less intellectually rigorous, and although I haven't seen recent data, the data I did see about 5-7 years ago showed lower acceptance rates for individuals with such degrees. Particularly with schools of the Hopkins-caliber, I doubt that they take many if any people with such degrees, at least directly out of college.

The aspects of medicine that you need to know as a physician, you will learn in medical school. It is the preference of medical schools to see you develop depth in more intellectual pursuits as a premed.

(I was on an adcom in the past)

QFT. This is correct.

 

[EMS5]

As a student in the same state, I know which school and program you are involved in. My personal advice would be to study whatever you would do if you don't get into medical school. I'm completing biology program requirements at my school, and my electives will be planned so that if I don't get in I can transfer to the school you attend and finish my B.S. in EHS...

so if you see yourself going into research/science/bio or chemical sciences, i would stick to the biochemistry program and drop the EHS major. If you plan on going into EMS, vice versa applies.

As a last note, I would NOT double in biochem and EHS, both are demanding enough in their own right. Paramedic clinical coursework is very time consuming between the hospitals and amount of labs you will have to attend, and you don't have much other time to work on your upper level biochem work. I am speaking from experience, I have been through the NREMT-I coursework at a community college level and it alone is time intensive...feel free to pm me if you would like to discuss it more

 

[riverjib]

Hello everyone,
I am a worried and doubleminded student who is currently double-majoring in Biochemistry and Emergency Health Services. Also Premed. My advisor states that I need to decide between the two before the Fall 2010 semester. I need help deciding which major will allow me to get into medical school better. I am aiming for MD schools strictly.

I am a freshman who will have completed 1 year of undergraduate studies.
I have a GPA of 3.83.

If I choose to do biochem, I will gain research experience and take more science classes, thus demonstrating my scientific talent to the med schools to which I apply.

If I choose to go the route of EHS, I will become a non-traditional premed graduate, also a NREMT-Paramedic, and I will have tons of clinical hours working with patients.

I am trying to get into some of the top schools such as Hopkins and etc etc..

I was thinking that to further show my medical schools my interest in the sciences, I would complete a minor in chemistry as part of my major in EHS. However, this may lead to me doing 5 years of undergraduate studies before graduating.

PLEASE HELP AND REPLY SOON!

Are you saying you're going to double major? Or are you just trying to choose between the two?

 

[lord_jeebus]

So what you are saying is that EMS is a more vocational field and thus finishing a BS in it is considered less worthy than finishing a BS in Biochem. However, do you think I could show my "intellectual" status by completing a minor in chemistry at the same time? I am interested in both science and EMS.

I don't think a minor is a substitute for a Bachelor's Degree.

If you like EMS so much, I imagine you can find ways to get involved in that without sacrificing your ability to get the BS in biochemistry. Do you really need a BS in EMS to do what you enjoy?

 

[masterwares]

I don't think a minor is a substitute for a Bachelor's Degree.

If you like EMS so much, I imagine you can find ways to get involved in that without sacrificing your ability to get the BS in biochemistry. Do you really need a BS in EMS to do what you enjoy?

It seems like I might just do a major in biochem, since it will give me a better chance of getting into Hopkins and UMD SOM, and then do EHS as a minor or as a "hobby" on the side. I can take advanced training through my firestation during the night and take my biochem classes in the morning. This way everything will sort of work out for premed, I'll be able to graduate in 4 years, and I'll be able to study for the MCAT during my junior year instead of being swamped by paramedic stuff.

 

[EMS5]

I would even check into a campus student run EMS organization or interest group...we have one at my school and it is a great to stay involved with fire/ems through college

 

[masterwares]

Thank you all for helping me make my decision. I have decided to pursue a BS in Biochemistry with a minor in EHS. I will continue to be an EMT and take additional training through my firehouse. Thanks again, SDN Members.

 

[EMS5]

No problem, good luck in your studies. Stay safe in the field.