EMT 2 medic 2 MD

[lakerzfan36]

hey everyone

I have a little dilemma, and I need advice badly...I talk to my counselors and academic advisors but nobody really has a definitive suggestion, so hopefully some of you can throw your suggestions at me!

I am a sophomore, premed of course, finishing my first semester of year 2 in 2 weeks...I am at a state school mooching off my parents for tuition which they pay 100% of

I love emergency medicine, and became an EMT to get experience, serve as a job in undergrad, and to motivate myself by seeing the light at the end of the tunnel by seeing what EMS is all about while I do my premed (of course the EMT is just a side thing)

I recently was hired by the local volunteer fire department, after becoming an EMT I learned all about FIRE/EMS, and how they are combined and fell in love with the combination, but my goal is still, to go to med school. My parents arent exactly supportive of me working at the fire department as a firefighter/EMT, because they think that I am sidetracking from my ultimate goal, which is not at all the case. I love fire/EMS to death but like i said, my ultimate goal is still, to be a doctor. The volunteer fire department is an amazing oppurtunity, as it allows me to gain experience and do what I beecame an EMT to do...it also provides us with a firefighter 1 cert after about a year with on the job training, an excellent plus, (just incase i decide to work at a fire department while in med school or anything, for those of you that dont know, you have to have your firefighter cert to work on a 911 unit even if all you want to do is EMS) and since this department is volunteer, they provide us on the job training and the cert

The main dilemma is, I want to upgrade from EMT to medic. We have a few medic schools around here, but my school (california state university sacramento) just started a paramedic school, which I thought would be a Godsend since the other institutions were a little far. The problem is, I will have to schedule my premed classes on tuesday thursday only because the medic school is full time M/W/Fr 8 AM - 5 PM

here is my schedule for fall 2010: chem 2, bio 2, stats totalling 15 credits
I know what you are thinking, paramedic school is no joke, plus premed?? forget about it...

true...but the good thing is medic school is not overlapping my regular spring 2010 semester to much, our spring 2010 semester starts january - march 22...medic school starts april 4 - sept. 17
overlapping last ~1.5 - 2 months of the spring 2010 semester and 2 weeks of fall 2010 semester, with the majority of medic school in the summer.

problem #2 medic school is ~9500$ and I have no money to my name at the moment. loan? break it to my parents and ask them to loan me a few thousand, and try to persuade them to help me in my endeavours from emt to medic to md? get a 2nd job on a private ambulance company since i have monday wednesday friday free until medic school starts and try to get as much money collected as i can? rob a bank?

My fire department job may only help me gather maybe 1 - 2000$ max...working 1 24 hour shift on the weekends...4 shifts per month, 75$ per shift...

the private ambulance idea isnt to bad of an idea, as it will help me gain further experience in EMS and help me get accepted into the paramedic program, they want to see as much experience as an EMT as possible and working 1 24 hr. shift with a volunteer department might not cut it, plus I will be able to punch a larger dent in that 9500$ tuition with that job working 2 days per week with the private amb. company and 1 shift a week with the department...

I know what your thinking, you ARE getting sidetracked from your goals. how do you find time to study?? well, if any of you have any experience working at a firehouse, it's just like a regular house, I sit down and study instead of watching the football game waiting for a call, and we only avg. ~2.5 - 3 calls per day...so that is a LOT of time for me to study...

paramedic school is something I REALLY want to do...as an EMT, we arent trained to do much but help out the paramedics, paramedic is where its at thats where I will REALLY gain the experience and understanding of medicine that I wntd...I wnt the REAL taste of prehospital medicine, not just taking blood pressures =]

Please let me know any suggestions or anything helpful at all, to any of my problems here. Much appreciated! thanks!

PS. heres a little timeline of my classes and show where paramedic school and the semesters actually overlap, so you can get a better understanding of what i am talking about..
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c304/lakerzfan36/timeline.jpg
(I know on the timeline it says parameidc school may to october/nov...disregard that, it is fromapril 4th to september 17)

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[Compass]

I hear medic school is a beast. It's like getting a second degree. I would honestly stay EMT. Remember, once you go to medical school and become an MD, you really can't consider yourself a medic anymore.

 

[lakerzfan36]

true, but like i said the majority of medic school will be during the summer, meaning it wont interfere with my regular premed studies except for those 2 months it overlaps...which is the end of the semester anyways...


the possibilities and the doors open up so much for me when i get my medic...my uncle is an ER doc in houston and said he can get me into the ER to do shifts whenever i come down there but i need my medic first, imagine the possibilities! the networking ,the experience, etc...

 

[salinger]

As an undergraduate student volunteering as an EMT-B, I understand where you are coming from. I myself have entertained the notion of becoming an EMT-I.

Becoming an EMT-P is a HUGE time commitment. How is the class you mention so short? Are you an EMT-I? I know the path where I live from Basic to Paramedic is 2 years or more. Plus, you'll have to get clinical experience in an emergency department as well as the added pressure to run more calls to get the required practice for your class.

Does your station not pay for your upgrading to P? If not, and if your parents won't pay for it, there's even more time taken away from your primary objective. I know that EMS is amazing, but can you not enjoy it as a BLS provider? In reality, you'll be learning everything in paramedic school and more once you get to med school.

As for working during med school...I get the impression that not many med students work, preferring instead to study/enjoy whatever free time they have.

If your uncle is an ER doc...ask to shadow him. This will get you networking without all the trouble of becoming a medic.

Hope this helps a little bit. Just my thoughts

 

[apumic]

Dude, stay an EMT. Medic school is more of a career decision. If you're going for med school medic school makes little sense. Additionally, you say it "only overlaps 6-8 weeks." What you're forgetting is that those 6-8 weeks are the toughest part of the semester!!! You don't want to do that. Finally, you can get some great ER Tech positions w/o the paramedic. Heck, most EMT-P skills won't even be usable in the hospital environment anyway b/c of hospital policies (at many places). Considering that EMT-Bs in a hospital environment can often perform quite a few "advanced" skills (blind intubations, ECGs, IVs), I don't really see how the EMT-P would help you get better clinical experience. On the streets, you could certainly do more but once again, I don't think it's worth the 2 year commitment a good EMT-P program requires (you don't want to try and do an entire EMT-P program in 6 months as it will mean insane levels of intensity and a lack of retention). Just stick with the Basic (at most, you could do I/85 or some special Basic approval/cert courses). You don't want to go to a "medic mill" nor do you want to be a "zero-to-hero" medic. Good luck!

 

[lakerzfan36]

thanks for the input guys

the didactic portion (classroom, lecture) is that 6 months, the clinical time is ~4 months plus paramedic internship another 4-6 months, but those are not a problem at all, its actually one of the main reasons i wanted to do medic because of the internships

but those internship and clinical portions i am not worried about at all, just the didactic portion and the $

 

[lakerzfan36]

this is not an accelerated paramedic course or anything, just full time

 

[FIREitUP]

+1 for don't waste your time.

 

[swimdude600]

Hey Lakerzfan,

I am a pre-med applying to medical schools right now. I am a student at a top 20 institution with good grades and a decent MCAT. While attending all of my undergraduate classes, I was able to attend EMT-Paramedic courses at the same time and gain my license. Remember, Paramedic class will challenge your confidence and clinical decision making, but is by no means academically harder than say molecular biochemistry or organic chemistry. I would definitely recommend the upgrade from B to P for several reasons.

1: During the clinicals you will have to do you will gain irreplaceable experience as an undergrad that no other applicants will have. For instance, as a paramedic I have delivered 5 babies and have done Neonatal Resuscitation on 2 of them.
2: You acquire the skills to become comfortable with autonomous clinical decision making. As one of only several paramedics in the area where I work, when I am on scene I am essentially the EMS director. You have it right, as opposed to an EMT who is many times just a taxi, your job as a paramedic is to create field impressions and diagnoses and treat patients accordingly.
3: Also remember that many of the people that become paramedics do so to increase their rank within the fire department. If you become a paramedic as a sole EMS provider, you have opportunities to create large impacts in your community. For instance, I was integral in establishing the first of several ALS transport pieces in the community I live in.

If you have any questions, let me know.

 

[ShinyDome19]

I had a similar situation. I was working full time as an EMT-B while attending school full-time. Loved my EMT work so much, i signed up for EMT-I course and was just getting started with it, when I realized, that by the time I finish EMT-I, go through medic course and test for it, I will have about 1 year or so left before I applied to medical school...which meant I was going to have to study for the MCATs and do all the other stuff, while keeping up volunteering and what not, while trying to work full time and go to school that last year...figured it wasnt worth it and would actually hinder my chances of getting into medical school since I wouldnt be able to dedicate myself to my studies as much.

 

[sgtbrushes]

You're finishing your second year of undergrad right around the time this training starts, and it sounds like you won't actually be certified as a paramedic until you have 1 year or less to work as a paramedic. It's not even close to worth it. You don't need the clinical experience to get into med school, the cost/ income repayment isn't worth it, and your time commitment isn't worth it. Get As in undergrad, Ace the MCAT, and most importantly, have fun. Med school and residency will take over your life. You do not want to take 15 credits and do paramedic school, even if there isn't much overlap.