EMT or Phlebotomy??

[Kimbalia]

If my income is not a big concern should I take a class for EMT or Plebotomy? I am a sophomore and would like to apply to DO schools only. I have been told being an EMT will be better, what do you Med students think??

All thoughts are help!! 🙄 🙄 🙂

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[jhug]

i guess a lot depends on what you want to get out of it. Do you want a clinical skill such as drawing blood?-- sticking people can really be a helpful thing to know. From what i was told by a friend, the emt thing is all about patient workups--if they're alive or not & how to physically stabilize a patient-- ie: back and neck-- not too much of a clinical application--unless you take it further. I personally chose phlebotomy for the suposed clinical applications-- if there is an emt that could put in your two-cents that would be great-- i'm not to super sure about all they learn.

 

[PainMan]

EMT Definately. Much more patient interaction. Good variety of hands on, a little atonomy, some H&P and you get to clean up puke from the back of the rig 😀 Your choice of settings as an EMT-stinky apartments(ambulance service) or the ER. If they were ammusment park rides EMT would be a roller coster and Plebotomy would be a merry go round. And EMT is a little higher on the scrotum pole 😛

 

[mistirvr]

I've been an EMT/Paramedic since 1995, so I'm partial to that route. My years as an EMT were helpful because I learned CPR skills (and used them), how to do a physical assessment of a patient, learned how to administer meds such as oxygen and oral glucose and assist pt.'s with their nitro. and inhalers, how to obtain a history, and how to work as part of a team while maintaining a certain degree of autonomy and completing oral/written reports. Plus, you learn life saving skills for both medical and traumatic emergencies.

On the flip side, your experience is limited to the pre-hospital environment. However, in the years that I've been working, I've encountered many different kinds of patients encountering emergent and non-emergent problems. It's been an awesome experience.

-Melissa 🙂

 

[emt30119]

Emt all the way! I am an emt freash out of H.S. I am making my way to D.O. status. Emts dont just check if a pt is alive or dead. Lets take a look Phlebotomist to pt "hi, im going to draw your blood." then draws blood and leaves. Emt to Pt, "Hi, Im with the ambulance, what seems to be your problem today? Hypoxia, I can fix that, Hypotension, I can fix that, Hypoglycemia, I can fix that, In labor with a prolapsed cord, I can save your baby." So think about what will give you better clinical skills drawing blood or treating patients?

You have a great opportunity if you live in small town America. I live and work in a town of 5,000 with a small hospital. This morning "last 4 hours I have worked on the amubulance, in the E.R., on the medical surgical floor, in the labratory, drawn 2 patients blood(we are also the hospitals weekend phlebotomist), respitory theapy, outpatient cast application and made security rounds. We also assist in O.B. and O.R. when needed. If you work as an Emt in a small hospital you will get to do EVERYTHING. When I apply to a D.O. school I will rise above any phlebotomist with similar scores and grades.

 

[drchris33]

Why not do both? I was just accepted to med school last week. I obtained my EMT-B during my undergrad. Then I moved and fulfilled my pre-recs for med school somewhere else (I decided on med school my senior year of college). During a summer, I took a phlebotomy over the internet. So I am licensed to do both.
I think if you have both, you will get more of an aspect of medicine. You will develop patient skills, by reassuring them before you draw their blood. Plus, if you are interested, you can learn the different lab values, components of the tests, etc. Most lab techs will tell you that stuff.
EMT work also is very beneficial. You learn triage, trauma skills, plus skills such as cpr, oxygen administration that you will use later in your career.

My vote would be both....your resume will look better too!!

Chris
Class of 2006 UHS

 

[wsu]

how about just major in nursing? you get many of the experiences that you mention. I was a nursing major and applied to medical school and got in.

the nursing degree gave me a solid background of clinical exposure and opporunties to work in the health care area that other students may not have had. for instance, doing internships during the summer at mayo or hopkins. research at Nih..and stuff..working and actually doing critical care experiences in the icu and other areas of medicine.

but, both are good though in terms of being an emt or phlemobist if that is your interest.

i just graduated for instance, and now working at Hopkins in their surgical intensive care unit/burn tramua before starting medical school this fall..

 

[Kimbalia]

With all of your input I have made my decision to do both - why not? I have to join the EMT class this week...and I can do the Phlebotomy later this summer. While EMT offers a larger array of experiences, Phlebotomy can do nothing but add to those experiences!

You guys are a great help!

 

[Doc Oc]

If you do phlebotomy, I'd recommend getting a job at a hospital. I was a phleb for 5 years before medical school, at a hospital where we drew blood from pts upstairs, in ICU, ER, Outpt surgery, cath lab (in waiting area), and we wait in the area outside the surgical suites (can look through the windows while waiting) while they draw blood for us in there. We also responded to codes, just ran in, got blood, ran out. You may only be in the room for five minutes, but while you are in there the patients often discuss what they like/dislike about their doctors and their care. You also interact with nearly all of the departments, so you get a pretty good sense of how things work in the hospital setting. Finally, you learn alot about lab tests (if you pay attention and depending on if the techs are nice) and what they are used for (if you look up the patient's Dx in the computer). I'm not saying to choose it over EM, but the experience is more than just "hi, I'm going to draw your blood." Like most experiences, you get out what you put in.

 

[Kimbalia]

😕 The local hospital near my home (my mom is a nurse there) does not use Phlebotomists...they have the PCAs or Nurses do the blood drawing. My thoughts are that the EMT exposure could be of use for experience at the hosp., while the Phlb experience could be of great use at a doc office setting. Where else are Phlb used? Also how long does it take to earn EMT, could I be successful while taking 16 cr. hours? (seeing that the program runs at night and my classes are during the day. I know the class has just started, I have yet to talk to the program coordinator) 😕

 

[David511]

Kimbalia,

Stick with the EMT course. Speaking from personal experience, it'll open up many more doors for you and give you valuable experience that will come in handy in med school. For example, I got my EMT-B license and started volunteering in a local level-1 trauma ED shortly after. Because of my license, the staff (docs and nurses) were constantly pulling me in on procedures. I helped with intubations, performed CPR on DOAs (mostly just keeping them alive for the family), and did minor things when the serious traumas arrived. All the while the phlebotomists sat by and watched. Although, I did hang out with those kids when it was slow...they ended up teaching me how to draw fluids/collect specimens. Also, when I did my DO-shadowing, because of my license he allowed me to 'play nurse' frequently...he'd have me draw blood, set up the ECGs, etc in order to give his poor nurse a break. Lastly, now that I'm here in med school there have been countless times when the material I learned in the EMT course and the experience I gained in the ED/Office has given me a step up. Truly, the time and $$ I paid for becoming an EMT has been definitely worth it!!

Oh, and btw, if your course is anything like mine (in MA), it ran 2-3 nights a week (plus some Saturdays) for approximately 3 months (~100 classroom hours).

Good luck to you. Email me with any questions.

 

[Hskermdic]

Do what you think sounds fun. It is my understanding that so many people take an EMT class and do a little EMT volunteer work that it is not even marked on prescreens by admissions committees. So if you choose to be an EMT do it because you want it not to help you get into medical school.

As a paramedic I can see how working as an EMT could be helpful in medical school. I found several years of working as an EMT/Paramedic a little helpful during the first 2 years (not a tremendous amount) but have found it to be an invaluable experience now that I am in my 3rd year. :wink:

 

[Ben01]

Being an EMT does not help you get into medical school...so only do it if you are really interested in it.

 

[Nik]

Hey there,

I took both an EMT class and a phlebotomy class in college, got certified on both, and now I'm in med school. My advice is you really don't need either to get in. Why not just volunteer at the ER/ICU dept, volunteer at a soup kitchen or something of the like. These will all show your compassionate, interested in helping others, and will give you good clinical experience (hospital volunteering). Furthermore, you don't have to get certified! If you must get certification, consider CNA. They are in demand at almost ALL hospitals.

 

[deebird]

I am a licensed EMT and currently more than halfway through a paramedic program, and I'd say go EMT! I actually considered doing phlebotomy as well, but if you elect to go on paramedic, you'll learn all of those skills in that coursework; peripheral IV's (including external jugulars), blood drawing, etc. The experiences I've had are VERY valuable, from learning disease process to familiarizing myself with not only how to treat a patient, but how to make him/her more comfortable/at ease with the treatment process. These skills will be extremely helpful when I matriculate in the fall. Good luck! DB

 

[Medic171]

BEN is wrong, ANY clinical experience can help you get into med school.

 

[Floyd77803]

what exactly are EMT-B's allowed to do?

 

[Kimbalia]

Thank you Medic171. :wink:

 

[mistirvr]

"Duties include but are not limited to, opening and maintaining an airway, ventilating patients, and cardiopulmonary resuscita-tion, including use of automated external defibrillators. Provide prehospital emergency medical care of simple and multiple system trauma such as controlling hemorrhage, treatment of shock (hypoperfusion), bandaging wounds, and immobiliza-tion of painful, swollen, deformed extremities. Medical patients include: Assisting in childbirth, management of respiratory, cardiac, diabetic, allergic, behavioral, and environmental emergencies, and
suspected poisonings. These interventions include assisting patients with prescribed medications, including sublingual nitroglycerin, epinephrine auto-injectors and hand-held aerosol inhalers. The EMT-Basic will also be responsible for administration of oxygen, oral glucose and activated charcoal. "
(Courtesy of: <a href="http://www.faemse.org/job-emt.shtml)" target="_blank">http://www.faemse.org/job-emt.shtml)</a>

-Melissa 🙂

 

[Ben01]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Medic171:
•BEN is wrong, ANY clinical experience can help you get into med school.•••••umm... yeah exactly. Like you said, ANY clinical experience helps you (a little)to get into med school -- including just doing something like volunteering at a hospital. You do not need to become an EMT. Being an EMT is not going to give you an edge over a person that has a different kind of clinical experience. Don't believe me? Call up an admissions office and ask. Becoming an EMT takes a lot of time, effort and dedication and because of this I recommended that someone do this only if they are really interested in it. In my original post I was only suggesting that it doesn't help you get into med school above and beyond the obvious plus of clinical experience (that you can get in many other (easier) ways).

 

[migraineboy]

Kimbalia -
During my undergrad years (way back when) I worked as both an EMT and a phlebotomist. Overall, the experience was terrific. Phlebotomy teaches good manual skills, plus you get good exposure to a wide variety of patients in the hospital setting. Not to mention the fact that it gives you a little head start on understanding lab values. Being an EMT gives you a head start on physical diagnostic skills, initial patient management, and learning to "keep your cool" in tough situations. My employment history as a phlebotomist and as an EMT came up often during medical school interviews, and has even come up during the majority of my interviews for residency (I'm a fourth year now). So, I say go for it. I know that some will encourage you to only volunteer in a hospital. In my experience (I volunteered in a burn unit), you don't get to see / do near as much. MOST IMPORTANTLY, working in health care early on gives you an appreciation for EVERYONE in the hospital. You will learn that everyone plays an important role in health care. I guess what I am trying to say is, sometimes it is better to climb to the top rather than land on it. One word of caution, however, make sure that your studying (classes, MCAT) comes first ALWAYS. Experience does you no good if admission committees cut you because of poor grades / MCATs. Hope this helps some.

 

[tlh908]

I have an idea - why not do what you find interesting and will enjoy. I took the EMT courses and thought about the phlebotomy course. But then I decided I really did not want to walk around a hospital drawing blood all night. It is a matter of what you enjoy.