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I am considering training as an EMT, I thought perhaps someone out there who has had experience in this field could share their experiences/thoughts/suggestions/warnings in this area. Thanks a lot!
EMT experiences? + or -?
- Thread starter gotigers
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I am getting an EMT certificate too. It will give you a chance to experience primary care at its most stressful. What could be better? 🙂
After Med school starts you might be able to volunteer as an ER tech at your hospital one afternoon a week.
After Med school starts you might be able to volunteer as an ER tech at your hospital one afternoon a week.
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It works well when you have a company that is happy to take you on, knowing that you will be asking for free training (certification? On the job training?) and have the goal of going to medical school. The company I signed onto was at that time very focused on producing EMTs, and they were very biased against pre-medical students. Of course, I signed on hoping for free training (I am disadvantaged and could not put out the extra $600 it cost for EMT-B in my state), and they renegged on their offer.
The same advice holds true for research labs. You need to find one that is interested in giving you training knowing that you want to become a physician and not a researcher.
Part of this is that pre-meds have a bad reputation. There's alot of cases where they get what they need (a LOR, some training, whatever) and then leave. There will be an investment placed in you, so hopefully you'll be able to use that investment.
The same advice holds true for research labs. You need to find one that is interested in giving you training knowing that you want to become a physician and not a researcher.
Part of this is that pre-meds have a bad reputation. There's alot of cases where they get what they need (a LOR, some training, whatever) and then leave. There will be an investment placed in you, so hopefully you'll be able to use that investment.
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i found one that said they would be glad to hire me for a year, knowing full well that i was a premed and probably wouldn't work for them after the year. they even offered to pay 1/3 of my certification tuition if i promised to work full time for a full calendar year, but i don't want to be too locked in when the medschool application process gets crazy...but the jobs are out there. look for the private ambulance companies, as they seem to be easier to get into as a premed for a shorter amount of time...
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Private companies are the way to go in my opinion. I had to shell out for the course from my own pocket but I made it back in a week and a half working 45hr weeks. It a very cool experience and I recommend it.
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If you are interested in it, go for it. I'm taking my emt class final tonite, and state exam next week, and I think I've gotten a lot out of it - for instance, you learn a lot of valuable communication skills and even some cool medical tricks.
I do recommend, however, that you do the training when you aren't in school - the summer would be the best time. There isn't that much studying involved with the class, but it is a major time commitment (class time is probably 8 hrs a week and you have a lot of ride time requirements and such), so you'd be a little strapped for time in a normal semester.
I don't see any negatives, even if you don't use the training after certification, it's still good experience.
I do recommend, however, that you do the training when you aren't in school - the summer would be the best time. There isn't that much studying involved with the class, but it is a major time commitment (class time is probably 8 hrs a week and you have a lot of ride time requirements and such), so you'd be a little strapped for time in a normal semester.
I don't see any negatives, even if you don't use the training after certification, it's still good experience.
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Generally, i would only recommend taking this route if you have some time before med school and have some time to really use the cert. and get something out of it.
A lot of my students ask me about this, and I have to remind them that there's a huge diff btwn the EMT basic, intermediate, and paramedic. The role of the basic is extremely limited, and when all the cool things are going down in the back of the truck, you're going to be stuck driving.
That being said, no matter what you do, you're going to get good experience. The company that I worked for (AMR, which i heartily do not endorse) made my life difficult with work/school schedules, and I got 'held over" many MANY times when I needed to be in school. It takes a lot of time to become what a medic will consider to be a "reliable" partner, and if you just can't put the time into it to become very profficient, I'd pick something else to do.
A lot of my students ask me about this, and I have to remind them that there's a huge diff btwn the EMT basic, intermediate, and paramedic. The role of the basic is extremely limited, and when all the cool things are going down in the back of the truck, you're going to be stuck driving.
That being said, no matter what you do, you're going to get good experience. The company that I worked for (AMR, which i heartily do not endorse) made my life difficult with work/school schedules, and I got 'held over" many MANY times when I needed to be in school. It takes a lot of time to become what a medic will consider to be a "reliable" partner, and if you just can't put the time into it to become very profficient, I'd pick something else to do.
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I think EMS experience is an excellent thing to have on your application. You get used to dealing with difficult patients in difficult settings. However I would be mindful of just a few things.
1. Be careful about how you express yourself. Many times I know of EMS workers who speak of their experiences as if they were already physicians. They speak of their responsiblities as if they were already in residency, which of course adcoms don't like. 😡
2. Be sure to couple it with more traditional research. It is a great thing to do just so long as it isn't the ONLY thing you do.
3. Consider (if you are not pressed for cash) joining a volunteer squad. It is an altruistic thing to do and there are many communities that heavily rely on volunteers in EMS. In fact on Long Island, 911 EMS is made up (mostly) of volunteer EMTs, Critical Care Techs, and Paramedics.
4. For those of you considering jumping up to the ALS (advanced life support) level, make sure you have the time to devote to it. EMT class is a few weeks, medic class is 12 months. The trade off is that as a medic you will be given quite a bit of independence concerning patient care. You will be able to administer not so benign drugs (without anyone telling you what to do) to really sick patients, which can make for an awesome personal statement.
1. Be careful about how you express yourself. Many times I know of EMS workers who speak of their experiences as if they were already physicians. They speak of their responsiblities as if they were already in residency, which of course adcoms don't like. 😡
2. Be sure to couple it with more traditional research. It is a great thing to do just so long as it isn't the ONLY thing you do.
3. Consider (if you are not pressed for cash) joining a volunteer squad. It is an altruistic thing to do and there are many communities that heavily rely on volunteers in EMS. In fact on Long Island, 911 EMS is made up (mostly) of volunteer EMTs, Critical Care Techs, and Paramedics.
4. For those of you considering jumping up to the ALS (advanced life support) level, make sure you have the time to devote to it. EMT class is a few weeks, medic class is 12 months. The trade off is that as a medic you will be given quite a bit of independence concerning patient care. You will be able to administer not so benign drugs (without anyone telling you what to do) to really sick patients, which can make for an awesome personal statement.
If you expect to have the time to work/volunteer, I highly recommend EMT certification. The opportunities to develop pt. care skills, operate under stress, and interact with nurses/physicians can not be matched by any other extracurricular.
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I highly recommend getting an EMT certification. You should check into some of the volunteer organizations. Many of those will pay (or train you themselves) for your class after a number of hours as a dispatcher or ambulance driver. Even volunteers can see a number of different medical and trauma calls. However, for the really juicy (no pun intended) calls, you should join a volunteer (or paid) service that handles 911 calls. Many paid services will not let newbees do 911 until after they have had their turn at transport and nursing home runs.
