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Did any of you have prior experience in healthcare, be it an aide, nurse, medic, or any other and did it help in your current role...or did it not matter at all?
Does Experience Help?
- Thread starter zenman
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It's too early for me to answer the question properly, since I'm not yet in grad school... but I can tell you that I shadowed a PA for about 10 weeks, and he told me I knew more stuff, and knew more about how to approach questions, than many of the PA students he supervises on their rotations.
From my perspective, all it is is being comfortable with the material and the environment. And that comes directly from my experience as an ER tech. I know how to talk to people. I know a little about what to notice and watch for. I know a little about what to ask about, and how. I'm no genius, but as an EMT, I have a basic-level understanding of medicine.
So, yes. I'd say it definitely matters. The clueless people my preceptor talks about are kids who did fine in undergrad and the first part of med or PA school, but have a hard time making hang it all together. That's because medicine isn't only an academic discipline, or a collection of facts organized by subject. It's a thing you do. Thus, it's only half what you know; the other half is how you use it. People with previous experience might lack all but a sliver of the info, but have the ability to use that sliver well.
From my perspective, all it is is being comfortable with the material and the environment. And that comes directly from my experience as an ER tech. I know how to talk to people. I know a little about what to notice and watch for. I know a little about what to ask about, and how. I'm no genius, but as an EMT, I have a basic-level understanding of medicine.
So, yes. I'd say it definitely matters. The clueless people my preceptor talks about are kids who did fine in undergrad and the first part of med or PA school, but have a hard time making hang it all together. That's because medicine isn't only an academic discipline, or a collection of facts organized by subject. It's a thing you do. Thus, it's only half what you know; the other half is how you use it. People with previous experience might lack all but a sliver of the info, but have the ability to use that sliver well.
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I was an EMT/Firefighter and an ER tech before med school. It does help because you don't lose ou head in codes and so on. You also are better able to tell sick from not sick which is really important.
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I'm finishing up my EMT-B class. I hope to get a job in an ER and do some volunteer work for a 911 service. I started the class in order to get over a fear of sick people. Seriously. I'm scared to death of people. Not a good fear should one want to become a doctor. 😱 No kidding, if someone screamed in pain, I ran out the door like a raped ape. After thinking about it, I realized it was because I didn't know what to do. I wanted to help them, but I'm scared to make matters worse.
Even with the small amount of info (as compared to what a doctor learns), I'm able to get more out of volunteering. I can overhear conversations between doctors and nurses, or doctors and doctors, and understand them better. I can follow their train of thought as far as how they're prioritizing with greater understanding.
On clinicals, I'm seeing how I react to chaos (*choke*) and will be able to work through that before I start med school. In fact, I'm hammering out a bunch of things I'm glad I'll be through while trying to learn all of that information. My stethoscope and I will be more acclimated than a student that has never put one to their ears.
I learned CPR is not as nice and pretty as my CPR instructor (who had never done CPR) made it out to be.
Patient assessment, patient assessment, patient assessment. It doesn't matter who you are, how smart you are, or what level of training you have. If you can't properly assess your patient, you can't help them. Better to get started on fine tuning that art as soon as possible.
I'm having a lot of fun. I'm scared to death most times, but I love it and wouldn't trade it for anything 😀 (except for being completely level headed while the feces hit the centrifugal ceiling devices and able to recall every piece of information needed while Careflight helicopters are buzzing over your head. Seriously on my first run ever as a student, we flew three patients to trauma I centers 😱 ).
Even with the small amount of info (as compared to what a doctor learns), I'm able to get more out of volunteering. I can overhear conversations between doctors and nurses, or doctors and doctors, and understand them better. I can follow their train of thought as far as how they're prioritizing with greater understanding.
On clinicals, I'm seeing how I react to chaos (*choke*) and will be able to work through that before I start med school. In fact, I'm hammering out a bunch of things I'm glad I'll be through while trying to learn all of that information. My stethoscope and I will be more acclimated than a student that has never put one to their ears.
I learned CPR is not as nice and pretty as my CPR instructor (who had never done CPR) made it out to be.
Patient assessment, patient assessment, patient assessment. It doesn't matter who you are, how smart you are, or what level of training you have. If you can't properly assess your patient, you can't help them. Better to get started on fine tuning that art as soon as possible.
I'm having a lot of fun. I'm scared to death most times, but I love it and wouldn't trade it for anything 😀 (except for being completely level headed while the feces hit the centrifugal ceiling devices and able to recall every piece of information needed while Careflight helicopters are buzzing over your head. Seriously on my first run ever as a student, we flew three patients to trauma I centers 😱 ).
