OSUdoc08 said:
What school do you work for, so I can warn EMS professionals not to apply there? Thanks.
Yeah, I'd like to know as well.
I see many, many applications each year. Many of these applicants have EMT training.
EMT training or experience? I know one concern of adcoms is usually whether or not the applicant knows what he/she is getting in to. An EMT with experience would have an extremely good idea of it. In EMS, you get the medical side, but there is also a bunch of political BS from the EMS system all the way down to who you work with. If you can survive as an EMT, then I'd imagine your chances of fairing well as a physician would be good since you've started to aquire the skills of dealing with it.
I'm in the DFW area. My course was about $600, but you have a uniform to buy ($100+/-). You'll also need to get a physical and drug test. PM me if you want to know where the course was. They might have a summer course which could be quicker.
I did it because I want to be involved instead of standing to the side, observing. I needed to get over a fear of sick/screaming patients so that I could learn when/if I'm observing. I needed to know IF I could get over this panic attack I'd get with sick/screaming patients. I wanted to know if I can keep my senses when the caca hits the fan. I also have to work while in school and can work weekends and odd hours. I still get nervous, but I'm working through it quite well and have impressed seasoned paramedics (if I may gloat a bit
😀 )
A tech job in the ER will pay better than transport (which is just about all an EMT-B can do in this area as far as riding the box). You may have to ride a transport service for 6 months in order to gain experience to be in the ER. I'm facing this right now and hope maybe my volunteer experience might sway them a little. Transport usually earns you about $9 an hour as a Basic. But, you can work a ton of overtime during the summers and they're used to working with student schedules.
You can "ride the box" in a 911 service while volunteering. I love the ambulance and hope I can get hired on at the hospital I volunteer at and volunteer with my little po-dunk town's EMS service. One of my skills instructors works for the fire department in the town I live in, so hopefully I can use that little connection.
Life will be good for this undergrad if that wish comes true.
For anyone interested in emergency medicine, I think doing some time in the field is extremely beneficial. As an EMT, you'll get yelled at about how you packaged a patient, or treatments you've done. There are doctors and nurses who don't know what it's like out in the field and even as a Basic, you might roll your eyes at them (or behind their back, lol) because they don't understand. It's not a slam on them, it's just that as an EMT, you learn things that doctors and nurses don't.
You'll learn how to get a general impression of your patients, which, from speaking with many, I've found there are a lot of doctors who don't know how to do this.
You'll get a head start on patient assessment. If you can't assess your patient, you can't treat them...no matter what your level of education. And there are many who can't do a good patient assessment!
Good luck! I'm not an adcom or anything, but I highly recommend taking an EMT course just for the learning experience
👍