I understand there are many pre-meds out there that are considering becoming an EMT. I have read other posts and haven't really seen some of the important aspects I relate to EMS.
So lets start from the beginning:
Please, I cannot stress this enough: DO NOT just go get an EMT certification because you think it will help you get into medical school. Yes, if you happen to get a job as I will describe below and end up with thousands of pt contacts, yes it is a great Extracurricular. If you get your certification just to have it on paper you might as well become certified as a forklift operator.
Cert. Process:
For me, I started the class in my senior year of HS. The class was about $1200 after it was all said and done(includes: course, books, testing, cert fees, etc.). I went to a class at a local technical college on TTH nights from 6p-10p and on every other Saturday from 8-5. It was an EMT-Basic course and it lasted from late April until late August. We have exams like a normal college class. If you pass the didactic portion of the class you go on to take the practical or "hands-on" exam. If you pass both you are able to continue on to the national registry exam (NREMT). This exam is taken at a testing center and covers all course material and is b/t 70 and 150 questions long depending on how well you do. If you pass this you move on to the national practical exam (tests 4 random practical skills and either medical pt assessment or trauma assessment. If you pass this then you are able gain National certification. You then certify with your state (depends state to state). Obviously this is a lengthy process and i wasn't able to legally work until about October.
Work:
So if you are at this point and you are deciding what job is best for you, your options are: 911 EMT, private transport (granny xport), or ER technician (hard to find). I am sure there are other ways to utilize the cert. I can only speak for 911. I have worked 911 in a high call volume area for over three years now. I will list the pros and cons below to make this easier to read:
pros:
-Invaluable experiences treating pts of all different races, genders, socioeconomic levels, you name it, you meet the best and the worst. This teaches you how to effectively communicate with people unlike yourself. You get insight of how other people live, what their everyday struggles are. You meet homeless people, millionaires, and all in between. You learn how to "read" different people, catching onto subtle nonverbal cues and body language (so important, ask any MD). You learn diseases, medications, how to assess a pt, allergies, medical equipment...the list goes on.
-you will learn a new level of teamwork
-meet/talk with physicians: develop relationships so they know you when you bring a pt into the ER and they trust you when asking you questions.
-Learn how to take care of a sick person, and yes i use sick VERY loosely bc i am not listing every type of sickness and injury you will learn to treat.
-Gain a further understanding of how the healthcare system works. You respond to the very first point: the person's home, you take them to the ER, you see them when they are admitted, you gather insurance information, you get signatures from the doc and nurses.
-You witness the job of the physician, the nurse, the cna, and the environmental workers in the hospital, you see how everyone works together. You realize a hospital is not a place for doctors to work, it is a place of unison that requires teamwork for the benefit of the pt.
-You learn to stay awake for long hours
-How to elicit a past medical history from a pt, document it and your treatment process, determine chief complaint, mechanism of injury or nature of illness, then convey that in a thorough yet pertinent way to the ED staff upon arrival.
-You learn humility when you mess up and the physician corrects you and your crew.
-You learn pride and confidence when the physician tells gives a "thank you" to your crew.
-Apply what you are learning in your classes to the drugs, diseases, etc you see in the field.
-Better pay than most college student jobs
-I could basically go on for days.
cons
-it is difficult to maintain even a part time job and keep a full course load.
-it is physically and mentally draining (staying up late lifting, pushing, pulling, carrying..mentally: documentation, pt death, stress)
-Not much time for HW if busy (a huge problem i still run into today)
Overall as you can tell I think very highly of the profession. These people that are out there are literally saving lives every second. Working as an EMT in a 911 setting is definitely an invaluable experience that has changed my life and really fueled my passion for medicine.
As for pre-meds, if you think you are able to fit the EMT course in early, do it! But only if you are able to gain experience USING the certification in some way. You will never regret it. Even if you decide along the way that medicine is not for you, EMS will have provided you with some serious life experiences and taught you lessons unobtainable elsewhere.
Just like any job or EC you decorate yourself with during your 4 years of school, it is what you make of it. If you are like me, i fell in love with medicine all over again as soon as I began working as an EMT. But if it is something that you think will boost some numbers on paper, stay away... stay far away!
I am sure i have missed many other great things about being an EMT before going to med school... So if you want to add something or ask questions, or even disagree, feel free!
So lets start from the beginning:
Please, I cannot stress this enough: DO NOT just go get an EMT certification because you think it will help you get into medical school. Yes, if you happen to get a job as I will describe below and end up with thousands of pt contacts, yes it is a great Extracurricular. If you get your certification just to have it on paper you might as well become certified as a forklift operator.
Cert. Process:
For me, I started the class in my senior year of HS. The class was about $1200 after it was all said and done(includes: course, books, testing, cert fees, etc.). I went to a class at a local technical college on TTH nights from 6p-10p and on every other Saturday from 8-5. It was an EMT-Basic course and it lasted from late April until late August. We have exams like a normal college class. If you pass the didactic portion of the class you go on to take the practical or "hands-on" exam. If you pass both you are able to continue on to the national registry exam (NREMT). This exam is taken at a testing center and covers all course material and is b/t 70 and 150 questions long depending on how well you do. If you pass this you move on to the national practical exam (tests 4 random practical skills and either medical pt assessment or trauma assessment. If you pass this then you are able gain National certification. You then certify with your state (depends state to state). Obviously this is a lengthy process and i wasn't able to legally work until about October.
Work:
So if you are at this point and you are deciding what job is best for you, your options are: 911 EMT, private transport (granny xport), or ER technician (hard to find). I am sure there are other ways to utilize the cert. I can only speak for 911. I have worked 911 in a high call volume area for over three years now. I will list the pros and cons below to make this easier to read:
pros:
-Invaluable experiences treating pts of all different races, genders, socioeconomic levels, you name it, you meet the best and the worst. This teaches you how to effectively communicate with people unlike yourself. You get insight of how other people live, what their everyday struggles are. You meet homeless people, millionaires, and all in between. You learn how to "read" different people, catching onto subtle nonverbal cues and body language (so important, ask any MD). You learn diseases, medications, how to assess a pt, allergies, medical equipment...the list goes on.
-you will learn a new level of teamwork
-meet/talk with physicians: develop relationships so they know you when you bring a pt into the ER and they trust you when asking you questions.
-Learn how to take care of a sick person, and yes i use sick VERY loosely bc i am not listing every type of sickness and injury you will learn to treat.
-Gain a further understanding of how the healthcare system works. You respond to the very first point: the person's home, you take them to the ER, you see them when they are admitted, you gather insurance information, you get signatures from the doc and nurses.
-You witness the job of the physician, the nurse, the cna, and the environmental workers in the hospital, you see how everyone works together. You realize a hospital is not a place for doctors to work, it is a place of unison that requires teamwork for the benefit of the pt.
-You learn to stay awake for long hours
-How to elicit a past medical history from a pt, document it and your treatment process, determine chief complaint, mechanism of injury or nature of illness, then convey that in a thorough yet pertinent way to the ED staff upon arrival.
-You learn humility when you mess up and the physician corrects you and your crew.
-You learn pride and confidence when the physician tells gives a "thank you" to your crew.
-Apply what you are learning in your classes to the drugs, diseases, etc you see in the field.
-Better pay than most college student jobs
-I could basically go on for days.
cons
-it is difficult to maintain even a part time job and keep a full course load.
-it is physically and mentally draining (staying up late lifting, pushing, pulling, carrying..mentally: documentation, pt death, stress)
-Not much time for HW if busy (a huge problem i still run into today)
Overall as you can tell I think very highly of the profession. These people that are out there are literally saving lives every second. Working as an EMT in a 911 setting is definitely an invaluable experience that has changed my life and really fueled my passion for medicine.
As for pre-meds, if you think you are able to fit the EMT course in early, do it! But only if you are able to gain experience USING the certification in some way. You will never regret it. Even if you decide along the way that medicine is not for you, EMS will have provided you with some serious life experiences and taught you lessons unobtainable elsewhere.
Just like any job or EC you decorate yourself with during your 4 years of school, it is what you make of it. If you are like me, i fell in love with medicine all over again as soon as I began working as an EMT. But if it is something that you think will boost some numbers on paper, stay away... stay far away!
I am sure i have missed many other great things about being an EMT before going to med school... So if you want to add something or ask questions, or even disagree, feel free!
I suppose the only thing that seems left for me to ask at this moment tonight is what I bolded. How do I get involved with ride alongs? Is it built into my course that I'll take, or will there be more time outside of class than what looks like is on the syllabus? So far it is 9 am to 2 pm, 6 days a week in June. Will I have booked evenings too? 
