I was just wondering if anyone out there had any words of advice for me or storys they would be willing to share. I just started my first year at the university of kansas, and have spent three years prior as a paramedic. I was recently told that most of my class mates would look down on me Thanks for your opinions
Who told you that? You were bright enough to get into medical school + you've made patient care decisions, you've interviewed and assessed hundreds of patients, you've done procedures that your classmates are going to be bragging about in your 3rd/4th years etc... What reason would anyone have to look down on you?
They won't be saying that when you are teaching them how to intubate and start IV's.... as a former medic you will have a great advantage over those without patient care experience. best of luck.
I graduate from the university of kansas this spring and start KU medschool this fall. I have been a paramedic for the last four years and i am still working as one during school. I don't know who told you that people would look down on you, but they were wrong from my experience. Actually, it is the exact opposite. don't worry about it at all! later
who ever told you that is a complete moron. Your hx's will shine, your px interaction will glow in front of your preceptors, and the ability to think on your feet will let you stand in front of the crowds during general pimping. They are jelous you get to have your cake and eat it too! EMS RULES.
I'm not an EMT and never thought of being one. We have several former EMTs in our class as well as various other health people, including former nurses, PTs, etc. I don't think anyone's going to give you a hard time, but I don't think anyone's going to necessarily think of you highly or be green with envy over the fact that you have "additional" training. What I've been told by nurses, EMTs, and other health people who have gone through med school is that you may have a technical advantage -- meaning starting IVs, intubating, knowing what an NG or ET tube is -- but you may find yourself stuck in the way an EMT thinks. Arguably an EMT and nurse don't evaluate patients in the same way (ever read a nurse's note? An EMT note?), and along a similar vein, an MD and EMT don't evaluate patients in the same way. What the person who told you that other med students may look down on you was referring to, and this is simply my opinion, is the holier-than-thou attitude some med students take with regard to the allied health professionals and the non-MD practitioners. As a med student you will UNDOUBTEDLY hear snide remarks about nurses, EMTs, chiropractors, and if you're at an allopathic school, probably of osteopathic med students as well. What you should understand is that these comments are born out of frustrating contact with one of these types of people or just plain ignorance. If you hear it as a first-year, I'd opt for the latter as the reason why your fellow MS1s are bad-mouthing them. If you're an EMT, this will be your chance to educate a new group of would-be doctors on what EMTs do and why they're important. We med students no such education and our only interaction with them is usually in the EM clerkship/rotation.
