EM Major?

[Blue128K]

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Hey i have a question, Did anyone do this? and if so how did it turn out?

I think i'm changing my major from Neuroscience to Emergency Medicine. I'll remain premed but instead of going through the Neuroscience major I will go through the Emergency Medicine program in which you get a ton of certifications and your NREMT-Paramedic. A ton of clinical experience is also included in the major. I have heard both sides of doing this....one says that the major has nothing to do w/ gettin into med school....the other says that they really don't like to see this major when you apply. Anybody do it?

 

[dopaminophile]

The only reason I can think of for not liking an EM major on an application is that it doesn't allow for a breadth of education. The reason we moved to a post-grad medical education was so that people would have some diversity in their classes and experiences. If you're majoring in EM, then you're basically getting an 8 year medical education by the time you're done with it. ADCOMs, as I understand them, like to see people with lots of different classes.

Then again, I really don't know more about it than you do, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

-dope-

 

[jhugti]

becoming a paramedic right before you begin school to become a physician seems a little counterproductive doesn't it? Why get a degree that is going to be totally eclipsed in 4 years?

Also, this is the last time you'll get to study somethign that doesn't have to do with patient care for the rest of your life. Enjoy it... we all have plenty of healthcare school ahead of us anyway. Just my $0.02

 

[beanbean]

If EMS was something you want to major in - go for it! Don't major in something just because you think it will look good on your application. Majoring in EMS requires many classes other than just medical ones, just as bio majors take more than bio classes.

One advantage of getting you NREMT-P is you can often find good part time work that pays a somewhat decent wage while in undergrad or med school. Some companies are quite flexible with hours.

As a medic you will have a slight advantage over some of your classmates when learning clinical skills. Being used to getting histories and examining patients, starting IVs and EKG interpretation, ect. However, this difference is very minor and it takes some adjusting to move from a medic's way of assessing a patient to the physician's way.