Burned out pre-med?

[marydee]

I would like to hear some honest opinions from those pre-med/ undergrads who have taken on themselves to become CNA's and EMT's. Tell me your honest stories of this scut work. I have a friend in my undergrad who has rec'd both of these certifications
between his fresh and soph year of college to get a feel for med school. He has had wonderful firsthand opportunities all over the hospital. He has told me stories of having 9-10 patients for his shift and having responsibility to their needs. Also stories of 24 hour shifts as an EMT doing "code" calls and actually saving lives. On the other hand, he sounds burned out and is comparing CNA work as the lowest of all jobs. He admits it has opened many doors for him?like observing surgery, working in ER, working in ICU, and continuously being challenged. But he also seems burned out and thinks CNA work is the pits. This guy is a very humble and compassionate guy so it's hard to understand this preliminary line of work. Is it true? Those of you that have taken this on-hands approach to clinical experience?do you agree?

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[riley290]

I'm an EMT and absolutely love it. I worked as an ER Tech for a while and didn't really enjoy that as much. In the ER it was a lot more little tasks, but as an EMT I really enjoyed going to work. Every now and then I had to take a break because 24 hour shifts can become overwhelming at some point, but overall I had fun. Codes are the best to work because it puts some pressure on you to perform at your best. But some of the trauma calls we get are just as interesting. As long as you give yourself some time off and away from the job you should do fine. Hope this helps some.