Looking for some advice / direction

[babymedic]

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I'm 20 years old and didn't know what I was doing with my life when I got out of high school. I went to paramedic class and now practice as a medic in the field. I'm currently taking community college classes online while working full-time as a paramedic. I *LOVE* being a medic and being in the field, but I do know that I want to go to medical school.

I am planning on doing the community college route (I'm taking humanities english / math) for another semester and then transferring to the university where I took my paramedic class. I'm planning on taking my sciences there. What should I start doing now to help make me competitive for medical school?

Right now I'm at a major fork in the road and can transfer just about anywhere. I'm wondering if I should go to another city and get some experience with a different medical system or if I should just stay here in Pittsburgh and continue what I've already started.

What would you change if you could start your journey over again?

Thanks,
-Babymedic

 

[LizzyM]

I'm 20 years old and didn't know what I was doing with my life when I got out of high school. I went to paramedic class and now practice as a medic in the field. I'm currently taking community college classes online while working full-time as a paramedic.

Work hard and get very, very good grades in those classes. Ideally, if you can devote an average of 2 hours/wk in service to the community you'll be in good shape-- Scouts, homeless sgrhelters, food pantry, tutoring adults working toward GED or learning English, tutoring little kids. Pick one.

At some point you should line things up to shadow some physicians to see what goes into the care in hospitals and in ambulatory care. The point is not to "do" things or to learn how to do procedures but to see what goes into a doc's day including the paperwork, CME, managerial tasks, etc.

If you are hoping to get into a top 20 med school you might want to work your way into a research lab once you get to the university. Otherwise, I do think you can skip this unless it is something that you find very interesting. Another alternative would be to find someone in academic emergency medicine (try the E.D.s of the med school affiliated hospitals), and see if you can get in on a clinical research project either enrolling subjects and collecting data in the E.D. or a chart review study. One strategy would be to look at the biographicacl information of the E.D. faculty at the local med school and find someone who has published in an area of interest to you. Being a paramedic might be a real plus in getting into see someone who would welcome your assistance and collaboration.