EMT Course

[603pharmacy]

Hello,

I was discussing Med School with my pre-med advisor yesterday and we were discussing EMT courses. I'm a sophomore so it would be useless and pointless for me to take an EMT course now, but lets say a senior in high school takes a course before entering college, would this really give him an edge in applying to Med Schools? He obviously would volunteer as an EMT, not just get the certification and do nothing with it. But lets say he does volunteer on an ambulance while in college, would it give him a leg up in applying?

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[plumazul]

Are you asking if being an EMT is seen as a "better" experience than other similar ECs? I don't think so.

 

[Dr Turkelton]

How is it pointless to take it sophomore year?

 

[kyamh]

Hello,

I was discussing Med School with my pre-med advisor yesterday and we were discussing EMT courses. I'm a sophomore so it would be useless and pointless for me to take an EMT course now, but lets say a senior in high school takes a course before entering college, would this really give him an edge in applying to Med Schools? He obviously would volunteer as an EMT, not just get the certification and do nothing with it. But lets say he does volunteer on an ambulance while in college, would it give him a leg up in applying?

Does your campus have a student-run EMT service? If that's the case, you may get some nice and even fun experiences out of your EMT license. If you don't have a similar on campus opportunity, stay away. You won't learn anything in EMT that you won't learn in medical school (I used to volunteer as a patient for the on campus course ) and it is incredibly difficult to find a position with a "real" EMT team - there are many people out there who are going to be picked over you because they want to pursue being an EMT as a career. Getting licensed usually takes a bunch of time and money...you can find easier (and free) ECs.

 

[OCDEMS]

I don't want to discourage you from pursuing something that actually interest you, but taking an EMT course to get into medical school is probably a waste of time. I can't tell you how many students I run into who are "card carrying" members of the "I'm an EMT" club. It's my assumption, based on the prevalence, that this is a fairly well known CV booster and would be seen through by admissions staff. Now, if you were a licensed, practicing paramedic, that is definitely different. The educational differences are considerable and it's pretty hard to maintain the license without active practice. Don't get me wrong: if you were an EMT and showed considerable dedication to a volunteer squad or other EMS service, I think this would be looked at favorably, but only in the same way that any other long-term dedication to service would be.

There are a lot of "EMTs" in medical school and very few practicing prehospital professionals. The difference is stark. It's a real shame because card carriers tend to have a naive view of the profession that then follows them into professional practice. After all, it's very easy to assume that the practice of prehospital emergency medicine is pretty simple when you breeze through a 150 hours EMT course, as almost any competent premedical student could do. Many of these students, who then fail to practice, never get the experience of working with their more qualified and educated paramedic colleagues.

 

[Ismet]

EMT-B's in med school admissions are a dime a dozen. Don't let that stop you from doing it if it's something you're passionate about, but don't do it just because you think it will give you a leg up.

 

[baconshrimps]

Being an EMT is awesome. You should do it anyway. I got my EMT certification my junior year of college. It wasn't something I talked about in my EC's, but the course was offered through my university so it was on my transcript. I was asked a question or two about it on my interview trail. Was a nice conversation piece. Go for it man.

 

[Rulstc]

Hey. It's not pointless to take an EMT course now. I took it as a sophomore in college and I put in a lot of hours volunteering at my squad. It is true that if you get your cert but do nothing with it, then it makes no difference to have it. You still have time to volunteer and put the cert to use. It can look good on your resume, but you also get a great experience in emergency medical care. Honestly, I think its worth it. For some people, I feel it keeps people motivated to continue in the field of medicine.

 

[frosted_flake]

Getting my EMT certification as a senior in high school was the best thing I ever did for myself.
Even if I never get into medical school, it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done and I would have worked as an EMT regardless.
I think it is nice to know how to handle your emotions and know what to do when s*it hits the fan and everyone around you is losing their mind.

 

[GreenBlade]

Everyone gets an EMT cert, but its only the applicants that were prior military (medics, corpsmen, etc) will stand out.

 

[Great White Buffalo]

I got my EMT-B as a Freshman, then used it to be a Red Cross Volunteer for 2.5 years. I loved it, and actually got first hand experience treating injuries at marathons, bike races, warrior dashes, etc. It was a great time, if not long hours on the weekends. Do it if you find that kind of experience worthwhile. I actually got to be on field during a home football game, as I "earned" the right by all the hours I volunteered. There are perks to the right volunteer gig.

 

[styphon]

I also loved being an EMT - I got the cert as a freshman and joined a high volume 911 service and did 12-24 hours a week for 4 years. I even did some shifts during MS1 until I was overwhelmed with studying.

I also disagree with it being a "dime a dozen" EC, that is depending on how you use it. At our service, we had a steady steam of pre-meds come in, do a month so of service and then disappear - likely so they can add it to their EC list. If, instead, you are on a service you are dedicated to I think you could get a lot from it.

For example: You can be a CPR instructor - which is good for EC, if you are a EMT-advanced or EMT-paramedic you could get cert to teach ACLS or PALS or BTLS.

Not to speak of the experience... I had been on >50 calls that were codes/trauma fatalities. I had already built up mechanisms dealing with death even before I saw a gross anatomy lab. I had talked to grieving families, interacted with other services acting as a "team" (which is what medicine is/heading to). I also was able to develop a calm personality during chaotic events that seemed to be very frequent. These experiences really helped me in medical school and prepared me emotionally for what I went thru in 3rd/4th years and as an intern.