EC's in college

[UC pre med]

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Hey guys,

I am going to be starting next year as a freshman at UCSD and and pursuing the medical field. I want to start as soon as possible on my clinical experience, but I am not sure how to start or how to get involved with programs that offer volunteer experience. I have the same issue with research programs in that I do not know how to get started or where to look. So if anyone could point me in the right direction, it would be greatly appreciated.

I am thinking that many volunteer opportunites can be achieved by talking to hospitals and such, but if there are any special groups, or an easy way to find this information, please let me know.

Thanks in advance for all of your help.

 

[rHinO1]

It's good you are thinking about these things now, but remember it is a marathon not a sprint. Focus on doing well in your classes once you get to UCSD, your GPA and MCAT will be the most important factors in determining if you get into medical school. So don't overload yourself with EC's too soon. The quarter system at UCSD moves quickly.

Since you seem motivated, consider taking an EMT course this summer. You have the opportunity to do it now, and set yourself up for a nice paid clinical job later down the road. As far as research goes, there are many opportinities available, google academic enrichment programs (aep) UCSD, check out the UCSD undergraduate research website, and you can do a "99" independent research project as a freshman/sophmore, or a "199" as a junior/senior. The best way to do an independent research project is to ask a professor from the undergraduate research site who posted an opening or to ask a professor who you took a class with and did really well.

 

[UC pre med]

thanks so much Rhino1

But what exactly is an EMT course? Will it allow me to work at hopsitals, and is that experience useful for my app to med school in the future?

Thanks for the research tips.

 

[Omni]

Check out your local first aid squad. Plenty of patient interaction. I've been volunteering at my first aid squad since I was in high school, and I love it every bit. But be sure to look at how much commitment you need to put in before signing up.

 

[UC pre med]

Thanks for the tip Omni, greatly appreciated, I will be sure to do that.

 

[BenUstudent]

Check out your local first aid squad. Plenty of patient interaction. I've been volunteering at my first aid squad since I was in high school, and I love it every bit. But be sure to look at how much commitment you need to put in before signing up.

I am full time student at a private university. and I am taking some courses at my local Community College. The C.C. offers a 6 hr EMT-Basic course that gets you your certfication. I know I can't be a paramedic (requires 66 credit hours) but I was wondering should I take the EMT-Basic class, and what can I do with it OR should I become a CNA? I would really apperciate any suggestions

 

[rHinO1]

thanks so much Rhino1

But what exactly is an EMT course? Will it allow me to work at hopsitals, and is that experience useful for my app to med school in the future?

Thanks for the research tips.

EMT= Emergency Medical Technician (basic). In San Diego there are 3 community colleges where you can take the training course (if your not in SD then you should try your local cc). The course is 1 semester long, but they usually offer ~8 week excelerated programs in the summer. With the certification you can work on a BLS (basic life support ambulance) or as a tech in the OR or ER in a hospital. These are good clinical experiences for a medical school application. It is easier to find paid hospital jobs if you have some type of training.

At UCSD there is a pre-medical club called PASS. Look for them on library walk during the first week of school (welcome week). They have lots of information on volunteer opportunities. Also, HMP3 has a shadowing/mentorship program that is awesome. Definitely check that out too.

 

[argonaute]

Hey guys,

I am going to be starting next year as a freshman at UCSD and and pursuing the medical field. I want to start as soon as possible on my clinical experience, but I am not sure how to start or how to get involved with programs that offer volunteer experience. I have the same issue with research programs in that I do not know how to get started or where to look. So if anyone could point me in the right direction, it would be greatly appreciated.

I am thinking that many volunteer opportunites can be achieved by talking to hospitals and such, but if there are any special groups, or an easy way to find this information, please let me know.

Thanks in advance for all of your help.

I don't go to SD, so I don't know SD's specific programs or anything, but in general most clinical volunteering positions you just find local hospitals and contact them to volunteer. Also look to see if your unviersity has like a free clinic or something to that manner.

Non-clinical volunteering you should just find a club or a cause you are really interested in and do it.

The tip about taking an EMT course this summer is really useful. I really wish i took an EMT course before I went to college, because it would definitely help you in getting more clinical experience (and actually getting paid for it!), and now i doon't have enough time to get EMT certification.

For research, your school probably has various research programs, but (at least from my experience at berkeley), these programs are REALLY competitive, and you probably would be better off just contacting professors who you are interested in working with and ask them if they'd be willing to have you work in their lab. Warning: this may take many many many tries before someone will accept you. The key is to not get discouraged and keep trying.

But yeah, since you're still a freshman, I wouldn't worry too much about overloading on your EC's. Your top priority is transitioning well to college, getting good grades, and still enjoying life. That being said, it would be prudent to at least start one or two EC's your freshman year. I just finished my freshman year, and I didn't do ANYTHING except study- no EC's, no research, no volunteering, no clubs even. Now the fact that I didn't decide on going premed until about 3 months ago might have something to do with it..

 

[BenUstudent]

EMT= Emergency Medical Technician (basic). In San Diego there are 3 community colleges where you can take the training course (if your not in SD then you should try your local cc). The course is 1 semester long, but they usually offer ~8 week excelerated programs in the summer. With the certification you can work on a BLS (basic life support ambulance) or as a tech in the OR or ER in a hospital. These are good clinical experiences for a medical school application. It is easier to find paid hospital jobs if you have some type of training.

At UCSD there is a pre-medical club called PASS. Look for them on library walk during the first week of school (welcome week). They have lots of information on volunteer opportunities. Also, HMP3 has a shadowing/mentorship program that is awesome. Definitely check that out too.

Thanks for the info! I'll look into being a ER tech in my area!

 

[Omni]

I am full time student at a private university. and I am taking some courses at my local Community College. The C.C. offers a 6 hr EMT-Basic course that gets you your certfication. I know I can't be a paramedic (requires 66 credit hours) but I was wondering should I take the EMT-Basic class, and what can I do with it OR should I become a CNA? I would really apperciate any suggestions

6 hours?! That's it?! To get the EMT-B, I'm pretty sure you need like 60 hours. You need to be acquainted to ALL of the devices carried by the ambulance, and on top of that, when to use them, but most importantly when NOT to use them.

Anyways, once you get your EMT-B cert and once you're approved by the first aid squad you want to work with, you are pretty much in charge of patient care. Everything from talking to the patient, checking vitals, documenting, is all up to you from the time you meet the patient to transfer of care to the hospital (unless there is a higher medical authority present).
To me, that's like 3 birds with one stone. Patient care/interaction, community service, and volunteering. It really beats volunteering at a library or hospital 🙂

 

[witness23]

san diego has a sea world, right?

I would spend my weekends throwing Nemos at the dolphins and the whales. that would be such a fun activity

 

[rHinO1]

6 hours?! That's it?! To get the EMT-B, I'm pretty sure you need like 60 hours. You need to be acquainted to ALL of the devices carried by the ambulance, and on top of that, when to use them, but most importantly when NOT to use them.

Anyways, once you get your EMT-B cert and once you're approved by the first aid squad you want to work with, you are pretty much in charge of patient care. Everything from talking to the patient, checking vitals, documenting, is all up to you from the time you meet the patient to transfer of care to the hospital (unless there is a higher medical authority present).
To me, that's like 3 birds with one stone. Patient care/interaction, community service, and volunteering. It really beats volunteering at a library or hospital 🙂

I'm pretty sure he meant 6 credit hours. EMT courses in my area are usually 6 semester credits. That translates to ~6 hours a week.

Just to clarify for the OP, San Diego doesn't have "first aid squads." I'm not sure where they do have those, but I'm guessing it's in more rural locations.

 

[rHinO1]

san diego has a sea world, right?

I would spend my weekends throwing Nemos at the dolphins and the whales. that would be such a fun activity

This post reminded me that Sea World does employ EMT-B's to work at first aid stations. I guess you could call that a "first aid squad."

 

[witness23]

This post reminded me that Sea World does employ EMT-B's to work at first aid stations. I guess you could call that a "first aid squad."

haha




was that a joke? sorry, i didn't get it😕

 

[rHinO1]

haha




was that a joke? sorry, i didn't get it😕

If I was making a joke you wouldn't have to ask.

 

[witness23]

If I was making a joke you wouldn't have to ask.

oh i like this response

 

[Narmerguy]

oh i like this response

Me too 😀

 

[UC pre med]

Thanks for all the help guys, its greatly appreciated but I have another question.

I'm take math 20B and 20C at UCSD during the summer, do you guys think that its preferable that I shoudl try to squeeze the EMT-B class into this, or should I just focus on doing well in the classes and then get the EMT-B lisense sometime in the year?

 

[runrunrudolph1]

6 hours?! That's it?! To get the EMT-B, I'm pretty sure you need like 60 hours. You need to be acquainted to ALL of the devices carried by the ambulance, and on top of that, when to use them, but most importantly when NOT to use them.

Anyways, once you get your EMT-B cert and once you're approved by the first aid squad you want to work with, you are pretty much in charge of patient care. Everything from talking to the patient, checking vitals, documenting, is all up to you from the time you meet the patient to transfer of care to the hospital (unless there is a higher medical authority present).
To me, that's like 3 birds with one stone. Patient care/interaction, community service, and volunteering. It really beats volunteering at a library or hospital 🙂

To get certified its a 120+ hour course, not including the ride-alongs you have to do which is usually 2-3 each about 12-14 hours. I would def. suggest taking it, you will see some great stuff, make some good money and of course you can put it on your app.

 

[BenUstudent]

6 hours?! That's it?! To get the EMT-B, I'm pretty sure you need like 60 hours. You need to be acquainted to ALL of the devices carried by the ambulance, and on top of that, when to use them, but most importantly when NOT to use them.

Anyways, once you get your EMT-B cert and once you're approved by the first aid squad you want to work with, you are pretty much in charge of patient care. Everything from talking to the patient, checking vitals, documenting, is all up to you from the time you meet the patient to transfer of care to the hospital (unless there is a higher medical authority present).
To me, that's like 3 birds with one stone. Patient care/interaction, community service, and volunteering. It really beats volunteering at a library or hospital 🙂

rHinO1 was right I ment the EMT-Basic course is 6 semester credit hours. the EMT-Paramedic program is actually ~66 credit hours. Just the part that sucks is that the class is full for the summer and fall So I'll have to wait till next summer. I was also debating on Becoming a CNA anyone have any insight on that.

 

[rHinO1]

Thanks for all the help guys, its greatly appreciated but I have another question.

I'm take math 20B and 20C at UCSD during the summer, do you guys think that its preferable that I shoudl try to squeeze the EMT-B class into this, or should I just focus on doing well in the classes and then get the EMT-B lisense sometime in the year?

Everyone has to decide what they are capable of, but doing well in your classes is much more important than getting an EMT certification. Also, you are unable to judge how much time you will need to study for your summer classes, since you haven't taken any classes at UCSD. Are both possible? Yes. Should you do both? That is only something you can answer.

Just remember that if you don't do well in your classes then it will take a lot of time to repair your GPA.

 

[rHinO1]

rHinO1 was right I ment the EMT-Basic course is 6 semester credit hours. the EMT-Paramedic program is actually ~66 credit hours. Just the part that sucks is that the class is full for the summer and fall So I'll have to wait till next summer. I was also debating on Becoming a CNA anyone have any insight on that.

CNA's do different things in different parts of the hospital. Find out what they do in your area, and in your local hospital. If you can work as an ER tech (or something else comparable) then I would say yes it is worth doing.

 

[cappie]

i just graduated from ucsd last quarter, so i might have a little advice for you. first off why are you taking 20B and 20C? is it for your major or do you just enjoy math, because you only need the 10 series if you're pre-med and i would definitely recommend taking the 10 series instead, especially if you're jumping straight into 20B. but that's just me i finished 10C my first quarter freshman year and was glad i was done. also, if you think the emt stuff might take too much time, try the CCE's (clinical care extenders) you get some really good hands on volunteer work, even if the program is a little disorganized. then you only volunteer 4 hours a weeks, so its not so bad. Also try seeking out some clubs on campus like HMP3 that will introduce you to all the opportunities on campus. I would suggest that your second year get into some research, try trintonlink to look for jobs, people complain about it but i got a few interviews from it and worked at a lab for 2 years. If you have any other questions feel free to ask away, i know there are a lot of ucsd students on here all with different experiences.

 

[WESTSIDE LOC]

I've worked as an EMT for the past four years or so. Worked on a BLS rig in San Diego this past year about 20 hours/week while attending UCSD full time. It's generally a pretty flexible job-you can easily work nights/weekends and still have time to study. However, most of the calls you will run will be mostly non-critical, stable patients (interhospital transfers, dialysis, nursing home to hospital transports, etc). On occasion, you will get calls that allow you to use your skills-I had several stroke patient and one cardiac arrest enroute to a hospital. It's an excellent way to get exposed to the medical system and learn basic life support skills. The main downside is that it does not pay well at all in San diego county-most BLS companies are private and pay around $10/hour. Good luck!

 

[rHinO1]

I worked full time 40+ hours a week as an EMT here in San diego for a year. Then when I went back to school, I used that experience to get a part time job as a tech in one of the local hospitals. Which had better hours and paid twice as much. If you get into the EMT stuff early I would suggest doing something similar. By the time I apply next year I will have ~5,000 hours of solid clinical experience with tons of patient contact.

 

[circulus vitios]

Hey guys,

I am going to be starting next year as a freshman at UCSD and and pursuing the medical field. I want to start as soon as possible on my clinical experience, but I am not sure how to start or how to get involved with programs that offer volunteer experience. I have the same issue with research programs in that I do not know how to get started or where to look. So if anyone could point me in the right direction, it would be greatly appreciated.

I am thinking that many volunteer opportunites can be achieved by talking to hospitals and such, but if there are any special groups, or an easy way to find this information, please let me know.

Thanks in advance for all of your help.

I found my hospital's volunteering department on their website. For research, you could just e-mail some of the professors at your school and be very up front about it.