EMT Pre-Meds

[gxfiles919]

My friend and I have a long running debate. I am an EMT for my school's rescue core and have done some outside work with several 911 agencies. One day I was talking to my friend about my EMT work as being a "plus" come med-school application time and she disagreed. I think that my extensice EMT experience in the field will be a valuable point on my resume (even though my resume will lack research experience). My friend thinks that "tons of med school applicants" are EMT's and that without the research experience I am at a disadvantage.

Any thoughts? Oh, and any other EMT's out there?

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[abeybaby]

Hate to admit it but everyone is an EMT. I am sorry but I totally agree with your friend.

 

[Keberson]

I'm an EMT-I. I"m in the same boat I guess...and I think its a plus. Not EVERY premed is an EMT. It costs money and takes a lot of time to take the EMT course so I doubt everybody has done it.

 

[47534]

Being an EMT by itself will not set you apart from every other applicants. I am an EMT-B and I know many other pre-meds who also are. The things that will set you apart though are the amount of time and committment you put into it and any leadership roles with your college rescue squad. Having some sort of clinical experience is a positive thing and medical schools won't look down upon it.

EDIT:
For those of you who are interested in reading more about it, there was a study done in Prehospital and Disaster Medicine on this topic.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/...ve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=12357566

 

[jlee9531]

how can it be a disadvantage? doing anything worthy for a significant period of time is something to be proud of and noted on your application. if your emt experience has given you this, then you are good to go.

i am not an emt, but i had other very meaningful experiences that my interviewers wanted to talk about and it allowed me to show them a more complete picture of myself, which eventually resulted in acceptances.

 

[47534]

EDIT:
For those of you who are interested in reading more about it, there was a study done in Prehospital and Disaster Medicine on this topic.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/...ve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=12357566

The actual article is located at http://pdm.medicine.wisc.edu/pipas27-9.pdf. I didn't realize that I just linked the abstract to it above.

 

[Agent Splat]

Being an EMT by itself will not set you apart from every other applicants. I am an EMT-B and I know many other pre-meds who also are. The things that will set you apart though are the amount of time and committment you put into it and any leadership roles with your college rescue squad. Having some sort of clinical experience is a positive thing and medical schools won't look down upon.

I agree...there's a huge difference between having the training and actually using it and gaining something from it. It's been invaluable for me in developing skills at handling everything from the frail grandmother to the drunk jerk that flipped his car. Not only am I a more confident person and healthcare provider because of this work, but it's something I enjoy. In fact, as far as priorities go, I've steadily kept EMS and school near equal whenever possible. I've been actively involved in my hometown volunteer squad, take duty whenever I can, and have a great time working with some fine folks and meeting my neighbors in need.

Whether or not that makes me a stronger applicant, I don't know. But being an EMT is much more to me than a resume and application builder, and that's what matters. Forgive me if my point was lost somewhere between my brain and the keyboard, it's a tad late. Or early, I guess.

 

[subtle1epiphany]

I agree...there's a huge difference between having the training and actually using it and gaining something from it. It's been invaluable for me in developing skills at handling everything from the frail grandmother to the drunk jerk that flipped his car. Not only am I a more confident person and healthcare provider because of this work, but it's something I enjoy. In fact, as far as priorities go, I've steadily kept EMS and school near equal whenever possible. I've been actively involved in my hometown volunteer squad, take duty whenever I can, and have a great time working with some fine folks and meeting my neighbors in need.

Whether or not that makes me a stronger applicant, I don't know. But being an EMT is much more to me than a resume and application builder, and that's what matters. Forgive me if my point was lost somewhere between my brain and the keyboard, it's a tad late. Or early, I guess.

i agree with the last couple of posts.
i'm currently speeding through an EMT course and i plan to spend more than just a couple weeks on a rig. while i know it won't make up for my gpa or my mcat (which are both kinda borderline), but it is an indication of dedication and interest in service and medicine. it may not count a whole hell of a lot to just be certified, but if you've worked for a substantial amount of time in the field, then i would imagine that this would be a chip in your favor.
remember, every penny counts, use every advantage that you have to get in to medical school and make each count. if you don't have a huge weight in your favor (i.e. >33 mcat and/or >3.67 gpa) then start collecting the drops and soon you'll measure up.
best of luck to us all!

and remember, JLee gives great advice, i'd recommend doing what he says!

 

[g3pro]

No, EMT will not help you. I'm certified for ACLS, but am I going to list that on my resume? Come on... It's something pre-meds think will make them stand out, but it's as nonsensical as volunteering in Mozambique treating HIV patients.

 

[oli84]

I would have to say that being an EMT will not help you in your application any more than doing volunteer work at a hospital. It is however valuable health care experience which practically every premed applicant needs if they want to be taken seriously.

 

[ASDIC]

being an EMT will show you what medicine is really like. A large number of premeds are EMTs....so that will not set u apart. But, being an EMT enhances ur clinical skills like taking vital signs, interviewing the patient, taking a H&P, looking for signs & symptoms.

If you want to be a clinician, being an EMT is a first step in the ladder.

 

[47534]

What it comes down to is if you really enjoy working as an EMT and if you want to continue doing it or not. I've been in EMS for over four years now and I love it. If you truly have a passion for something, then by all means, go ahead and continue with it, regardless of whether you think it will look good on your med school application or not. That will be the thing that sets you apart from all the cookie-cutter pre-meds. Don't do EMS just because you think it's going to get you accepted into med school--it won't. It will only be one of many factors in your acceptance.

As far as research goes, no med school requires you to do research to get accepted. I do research also, but only because I like it and I feel like I am getting something out of it. To me, it would be completely pointless to be running gels all day and not understand what the point is. The truth is, most undergraduates will not be doing anything meaningful in the lab.

I think previous posts on this board have stated how some of the Top 10 schools like to see research, but it's not absolutely essential. If you didn't have time to get involved with research because you were spending time volunteering, I think med schools would understand that. You've already made a good start by being an EMT and getting some exposure to patient care. Good luck to you.

 

[Keberson]

I would have to say that being an EMT will not help you in your application any more than doing volunteer work at a hospital. It is however valuable health care experience which practically every premed applicant needs if they want to be taken seriously.

I'm sorry but there is BIG difference between being an EMT and volunteering in a hospital. I've seen what those volunteers do and its nothing but scut...run this to the lab, go take so and so' blood pressure, go get us food at such and such. YOu do alot of WATCHING and not a lot of DOING. As an emt you do so much more..and it takes a lot more than just volunteering. It cost money and takes time unlike easy volunteering where you can't get your hands dirty. Exricating sombody from a wrecked car or intubating or IV starting or your first CPR on a real paitent is all stuff you can bring in your interview to show that your really know what medicine is like because you've been in the trenches right along side the nurses and the docs.

plus...you can get a cool job that pays 15-17/hr.

 

[hakksar]

Being an EMT who is on a rescue squad or ambulance is a HUGE advantage when applying to medical school. I was asked at every single interview about my experiences on Search and Rescue, the Ambulance, and Ski Patrol. The interviewers were all impressed with my experiences and thought that my previous EMT experience demonstrated my ability to function in a stressful environment and to work with patients. I also had extensive Biomedical Research experience and that only came up in one interview. I say that if you were an active EMT who responded on calls it can be a great advantage. However, make sure that in your primary, secondary, and interview that you discuss the experience well so that the adcomms can see how strong the experience was.

 

[bkmonkey]

I gotta chime in on this too. I have to say that having my emt helped get me into medical school. There wasn't a interview I went to where wasn't asked about my experiences as an emt. My interviewers seemed really interested to hear about what I had done and what I had taken away from my experiences as an emt. While just being an emt will probably do just about nothing, getting some experience and showing dedication to a medical profession probably will.

 

[gxfiles919]

Just to follow up, I am very involved in EMS and it was the deciding factor in my decision to pursue the pre-medical track. Once I became certified and started taking shifts with my towns 911 crew, I found that I really enjoyed the patient care and the exhiliration of those difficult calls. So, as I entered my junior year, I decided to turn to the pre-med track. Besides rushing to finish all the requirements, I am putting tons of time into volunteering (300+ hours over the summers and 48+ hours each week during the semester) and recently recieved a promotion to crew chief on my campus squad (i.e. I am in charge of the 2 other EMT's on scene and make all patient care and transport decisions). Basically I am hoping that my gpa, my exeriences as an RA and my my work as an EMT-B and a crew chief will be enough to make me stand out in this crazy med school application process (especially since I will have no research experience).

Thanks for all the imput. I really appriciate it!

 

[Mistress S]

I'm surprised at all the negative feedback on here about being an EMT...maybe it's not so unique, but certainly not all premeds have done this and I would think it would provide valuable clinical experience and lots of direct patient contact, both of which adcoms love to see. How could that not help you? I'm not an EMT, but I have worked in a non-profit clinic for six years; the experiences I've had there are a big part of why I want to be a doc, my PS focused on this and I think it is something that sets me apart from some other applicants (mainly because of the duration) and should definitely be a plus. I would think adcoms would look at something like EMT experience the same way, provided the applicant had invested a significant amount of time and commitment into it and could articulate how those experiences were meaningful to them. It's easy on this board (where everyone seems to have started their own free clinic serving pediatric HIV patients in Cambodia, in between publishing first-author papers in Nature, all while personally breast-feeding orphans from the 9/11 tragedy) to lose sight of the fact that the clinical/volunteer experience of many applicants is more along the lines of shadowing a doctor or doing scut work as a hospital volunteer for a few months. Anything that sets you apart from that and allows you to answer the ever-present "Why do you want to be a doctor?" question a bit more meaningfully is only going to work in your favor.

 

[47534]

plus...you can get a cool job that pays 15-17/hr.

$15-17/hour? Where the heck do you work, Keberson??!? My EMT job only pays me $9/hour, while my work-study job as an office assistant pays me $12/hour...kinda funny how I get paid more to copy and file than I do for saving lives...

 

[tic112]

$15-17/hour for an EMT-Basic seems a little high....maybe you're referring to a paramedic