Is lifeguarding a good EC?

[plaz]

Curious to hear your thoughts.... Would this job be better than others due to the nature of the position (CPR/First Aid certification, high stress, requires a lot of responsibility, etc.)?

I'm wondering if it is close to or as beneficial in the application process as being an EMT is?

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[jaxasp]

absolutely no way
i was a lifeguard, high-stress is not part of the job, ya you have to be cpr-trained, but i would classify this as any other summer job and definitely well below emt

 

[Andy71600]

absolutely no way
i was a lifeguard, high-stress is not part of the job, ya you have to be cpr-trained, but i would classify this as any other summer job and definitely well below emt

I guard on the beach during the summers, we are emt-b trained and it is definitely a high stress job. This summer alone, used the AED twice, O2 at least once a week (including BVMs), treated people for shock, severe bleeding, given cpr, etc... So I guess it depends where you are

 

[Andy71600]

Actually, now that I remember it earlier in the season I actually pulled a surgeon out of the water 🙂

 

[mfrizzo3]

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[plaz]

absolutely no way
i was a lifeguard, high-stress is not part of the job, ya you have to be cpr-trained, but i would classify this as any other summer job and definitely well below emt

I don't know the circumstances of your experience, but it is definitely a high-stress job if you are performing your duties correctly. Being responsible for a large group of people around water (especially children), is extremely stressful if you're doing your job right.

 

[Andy71600]

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Don’t you worry! Its gonna be alright cause I’m always ready, I won’t let you out of my sight.


drunk people ask me to sing it all the time...

 

[NickNaylor]

High stress? Hardly. A couple of my good friends lifeguard, and I think it's about as far from high stress as you can get.

 

[plaz]

High stress? Hardly. A couple of my good friends lifeguard, and I think it's about as far from high stress as you can get.

Then they weren't doing it right.

 

[Andy71600]

High stress? Hardly. A couple of my good friends lifeguard, and I think it's about as far from high stress as you can get.

Hah I wish... we got one 45 minute break for lunch. The rest of the day was spend doing physical training (running, swimming, etc...) or sitting. It's a little different on the beach where I was than most places. We've also helped aid the coast guard on deep water searches for bodies... That is NOT fun.

 

[MedicFL]

Its NOT a EC its a job... You can list it as a job, it might give you a first aid cert out of it which is good. But as far as pulling weight as a EC NOPE>..

 

[TopSecret]

Curious to hear your thoughts.... Would this job be better than others due to the nature of the position (CPR/First Aid certification, high stress, requires a lot of responsibility, etc.)?

I'm wondering if it is close to or as beneficial in the application process as being an EMT is?

Absolutely yes!

A college friend was a lifeguard on her summer breaks in college. She is now a board-certified dermatology professor at Harvard.

 

[TopSecret]

Listing a lifeguard job also has the extra bonus of indicating to the admissions committee that you are also probably very fit and attractive and know how to enjoy the summer in a way that most of us would envy.

 

[Mattabet]

I was a lifeguard.

I don't know about the, 'if you're not stressed out, you're not doing it right' point. Sure, it's stressful sometimes, but I'm fully capable of watching one five-year old in 3 foot water without getting my suit in a bunch - and that's all the job is on some days. You learn to love the rain.

As far as an extracurricular, I'd say this: It is as good as any run-of-the-mill job you'd list on AMCAS, but no better. It does not count, in any way, as medical experience. They don't care that you could sit through the Red Cross class on CPR. If you happen to be EMT certified as well, your results may differ. That said, it does show that you're well rounded, capable of looking after others, and have some responsibility, as many jobs would also show.

Worth listing? Definitely. But if you think you can check off 'exposure to healthcare & medicine' on your AMCAS to-do list via lifeguarding, you'll get burned (I almost did 🙂).

 

[Mattabet]

Listing a lifeguard job also has the extra bonus of indicating to the admissions committee that you are also probably very fit and attractive and know how to enjoy the summer in a way that most of us would envy.

😀 Lol. I just noticed this.

Make sure you shave your chest in case they ask you to strike a pose.

Unless you're more of a Pamela Anderson than a David Hasslehoff... then just wear clean underwear...

 

[DrYoda]

It's not going to something that makes your application unique (I had two interviewers at different schools tell me how many applicants used to be lifeguards). It is, however, worth putting down as it shows responsibility, time managment ect just like many other jobs do.

Lifeguarding does not count as "clinical experience" so EMT is superior in that regard (but hey beach pwns hospital so it balances out!).

I disagree with the "if you're not stressed your not doing your job" idea. It is quite possible to be alert and attentive without being stressed out. There are certainly stressful moments, but you by no means are or should be stressed the entire time.

Absolutely yes!

A college friend was a lifeguard on her summer breaks in college. She is now a board-certified dermatology professor at Harvard.

Lol. Good to know I've got it made from here on out😎.

 

[Narmerguy]

Then they weren't doing it right.

Eh? It's life guarding buddy. Most people in the water know what they're doing and the ones that don't are usually with someone that does. Sure you have to be wary but I've never known any lifeguards to describe the job as stressful. Quite the opposite actually.

 

[FreestyleKayak]

To those who are saying that lifeguarding is an easy summer job with low stress, you are correct. IF you are lifeguarding at a pool! Lifeguarding at the ocean is a completely different animal where they don't let any of your average, waterpark lifeguards anywhere near a lifeguarding position. I'd say to the OP that you need to emphasize that you were a beach lifeguard with actual lifesaving abilities. How many waterpark lifeguards have ever had to use O2 or an AED? Will that be considered as important as an EMT? Who cares! I say this will be considered a great EC/job or whatever.

 

[funklab]

absolutely no way
i was a lifeguard, high-stress is not part of the job, ya you have to be cpr-trained, but i would classify this as any other summer job and definitely well below emt

I disagree. It might be long periods of not doing much but sitting in a chair, but when the moment comes you have to save people's lives. I don't know what kind of lifeguarding you did, but where I worked people died. Nothing like a dead person to remind you that it is not a stress free job.

But I agree, it is definitely just a job.