Career decisions.........

[Glorified]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

How the hell do I decide between PA or MD or paramedic? Got it narrowed down to three and the pros and cons are even for me right now. Only reason I need to choose soon is so that I can try to figure out where and how to get my education. Currently enrolled in classes as a first year at a community college. Just finished my EMT-B cert waiting for my state license in the mail.

MD would be the most difficult route

PA would be the second most difficult

Paramedic would be challgening but really fun but I just can't decide.

Help me decide!

 

[Law2Doc]

How the hell do I decide between PA or MD or paramedic? Got it narrowed down to three and the pros and cons are even for me right now. Only reason I need to choose soon is so that I can try to figure out where and how to get my education. Currently enrolled in classes as a first year at a community college. Just finished my EMT-B cert waiting for my state license in the mail.

MD would be the most difficult route

PA would be the second most difficult

Paramedic would be challgening but really fun but I just can't decide.

Help me decide!

Until you can answer the "why medicine?" question, med school probably shouldn't be one of your choices. I would try to get a good general education that will put you in shape to try any of those options until you know for sure.

 

[Meatwad]

I guess just keep making that pro's and con's list longer and longer until you can find some areas that differ greatly in each field. Then you should have an easier time deciding. I can see how PA and MD is a common dilemma because of similarity, but an EMT isn't really even close to an MD. Are you really that stuck between an MD and an EMT?

 

[Divine Furor]

How the hell do I decide between PA or MD or paramedic? Got it narrowed down to three and the pros and cons are even for me right now. Only reason I need to choose soon is so that I can try to figure out where and how to get my education. Currently enrolled in classes as a first year at a community college. Just finished my EMT-B cert waiting for my state license in the mail.

MD would be the most difficult route

PA would be the second most difficult

Paramedic would be challgening but really fun but I just can't decide.

Help me decide!

Dear Internet, please decide my fate....

I agree with Law, you need to decide why you would pursue any medical career overall before narrowing, but I'm curious about what you mean by "where and how" right NOW. You're in your first year of undergrad: perhaps you should concentrate on where you want to go for a four-year accredited institution before lining up your postgrad.

 

[momtwo]

How the hell do I decide between PA or MD or paramedic? Got it narrowed down to three and the pros and cons are even for me right now. Only reason I need to choose soon is so that I can try to figure out where and how to get my education. Currently enrolled in classes as a first year at a community college. Just finished my EMT-B cert waiting for my state license in the mail.

MD would be the most difficult route

PA would be the second most difficult

Paramedic would be challgening but really fun but I just can't decide.

Help me decide!

I think what you need to do is work awhile as an EMT and then decide if you want to invest the time etc to become a Paramedic or a PA or MD. My daughters both worked as EMT's from the age of 16. One went on to PA school and one is in medical school. Both of them saw the life of a paramedic and decided they didn't want to do that for their entire lives - it's very difficult! Both met a lot of people in EMS that were working toward PA or MD schools. They got to learn a lot about both processes and what it takes to attain both degrees. That is how they were able to make their choices and be happy with what they choose. I think if you are just getting your EMT certification and haven't worked as an EMT it's too early for you to decide now. Best bet probably is to aim for both MD and PA in terms of your resume - and then if you decide to be a Paramedic that'd be fine too. Rather than saying now you want to be a paramedic and then finding yourself missing something on a resume when you later decide you want to apply to MD or PA school. I agree with the previous posters that said I think you can narrow it down to Paramedic or EITHER MD or PA at some point. PA and MD take generally the same early prep work. And those that are Paramedics usually were EMT's (or whatever the title is in their particular state) for a good long time before making that decision too. I don't think you could make that decision til after you've worked for a good long while.

 

[realitybias]

Dont do paramedic...

They get paid worse than nurses, and it will never change.

 

[apnea]

You shouldn't even be thinking about medicine unless it's one of those nagging things that doesn't go away no matter how many times you induce vomiting. If you can be happy doing ANYTHING but medicine, DO THAT.

i don't want to dissuade you from being a doctor if it turns out that you just can't shake yourself loose from the idea. But medicine just isn't worth it if you don't HAVE to be a doctor to be happy.

PAs can make some pretty crazy money doing just about everything, in practice, that a physician could do. If you have that need to understand the human body on a cellular level...welcome to medicine. But if you just want to make sick people better, there are a ton of ways you can do that without sacrificing the next 8-12(+) years of your life in school.

 

[ColinHay]

My five year plan was become a paramedic, get a BS, go to med school. - so far so good.

The way this works is you get your paramedic first thing so you can do shift work while going to UG. It is true medics make very little money but for a college student its not bad (better than being a waitress). This will also give you an insight into medicine and help you decide what you want to do (MD or PA). And at that point you will have had all this experience to help you get in to either program (I believe you are required to have some medical experience when applying to PA school).

Paramedic is not a career, it’s a stepping stone.

 

[Glorified]

"You shouldn't even be thinking about medicine unless it's one of those nagging things that doesn't go away no matter how many times you induce vomiting. If you can be happy doing ANYTHING but medicine, DO THAT."

I can only really imagine myself in the medical field. I understand that you have to KNOW you want to be a doctor to get into med school and graduate, but I know I want to be in the medical field.

Anyways, I already figured out where I am going to undergrad. Two years of CC because I love the campus and can pay my way through it without taking out loans, and then two years at a 4 year school nearby. I am hoping to work as an EMT-B, possibly EMT-I, graduating, and then deciding from there. The only reason I needed some guidance was because of courses I may need to take. It is not the internet spitting out advice, you are actually real people.

I agree momtwo that working as an EMT will help my decision on whether or not to stay in EMS or the medical field.

I disagree that paramedic can't be a career, and think it could be quite a fulfilling one.

Thanks for the replies

 

[Glorified]

I guess just keep making that pro's and con's list longer and longer until you can find some areas that differ greatly in each field. Then you should have an easier time deciding. I can see how PA and MD is a common dilemma because of similarity, but an EMT isn't really even close to an MD. Are you really that stuck between an MD and an EMT?

Yes, because the educational requirement vary greatly. The only good program in my area for paramedics is a 9 semester AAS degree.

 

[momtwo]

I disagree that paramedic can't be a career, and think it could be quite a fulfilling one.

My daughters have many friends that are paramedics and love their jobs. Very happy with their choice to be paramedics. Also, these very paramedics were very supportive of my daughters in their journies to PA and Med School. They taught them very much and encouraged them every step of the way. One even wrote a LOR for my daughter's med school application.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

How the hell do I decide between PA or MD or paramedic? Got it narrowed down to three and the pros and cons are even for me right now. Only reason I need to choose soon is so that I can try to figure out where and how to get my education. Currently enrolled in classes as a first year at a community college. Just finished my EMT-B cert waiting for my state license in the mail.

MD would be the most difficult route

PA would be the second most difficult

Paramedic would be challgening but really fun but I just can't decide.

Help me decide!

🙄

 

[Meatwad]

Yes, because the educational requirement vary greatly. The only good program in my area for paramedics is a 9 semester AAS degree.

Exactly, that's pretty much the point I was making. For me personally, I find it strange to compare something that takes 9 semesters with something that takes at least 8 semesters of undergrad + 4 years professional school + a minimum of 3 years of residency. If reaching a goal in a certain time limit is an important factor, MD and EMT, hell even MD and PA, are not really similar to each other and your decision should be much easier.

 

[Glorified]

this isn't a one dimensional decision. The fact that they are different makes it hard to decide. If they were strikingly similar it wouldn;t be that hard to make a choice. Deciding between MD and PA isn't all that hard. Deciding between MD and EMT is.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

*starts countdown timer*

 

[Meatwad]

this isn't a one dimensional decision. The fact that they are different makes it hard to decide. If they were strikingly similar it wouldn;t be that hard to make a choice. Deciding between MD and PA isn't all that hard. Deciding between MD and EMT is.

Hm, guess our brains are just wired differently.

For example, if I'm comparing two very similar Ferrari's, there are many different dimensions that need to be considered, although many of them are similar (MD and PA); this makes it more difficult to discriminate between the two. Comparing a Ferrari with a 350Z, though, is much easier; if price, reliability, practicality, and all these other factors come into play where the F430 and the 350Z are so incredibly different, makes my decision much different.

You don't see things the same way?

 

[Glorified]

No, I don't. That barely makes any sense.

 

[apnea]

It might have made sense if you knew anything at all about badass cars...

Zolar, try using visual aids. Or scrap the car idea and maybe use vegetable metaphors instead. Everyone knows about vegetables! You've got yummy, smashy, warm, buttery mashed potatoes, then you've got...uhm...a french fry...or a brussel sprout.

Or you could use burritos. Beef burrito...bean burrito..........taco bell.

 

[OncoCaP]

Get the education for an MD (the pre-med part). If you fall down or succeed in that, it will help with your decision and also be suitable for lots of other things you might want to do. You will see what your interests and strengths are as you go through your coursework. Shadow doctors, volunteer in hospitals, work in a hospice, try a variety of medical related jobs (research, phlebotomy, EMT, maybe even Medical Assistant). Lurk on SDN. Explore several options and talk to physicians, PA's, nurses, EMT's, etc. Make it fun! Try to get a broad exposure to the healthcare field so that when you do finally make a decision, it will be an informed one.