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[Tyty722]

Hey guys! This is actually my first post! So here's the deal, I was horrible in high school (1.8 GPA and got into trouble a bit first 2 years). Now I am a firefighter but I'd like to become a MD. I am 18 and about to start community college and then transfer to 4 year for pre-med courses, then apply to med school (I think that's the steps to med school). My CC offers an EMS degree. I am thinking about doing that for a degree then transferring and taking pre med at VCU. My question to you is if the EMS degree will be good/bad for Adcom; also if me being a fairly bad kid (no legal trouble) in high school will effect me. Thank y'all for taking the time to read this and I appreciate any thoughts.

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[Hopeful_vet]

Your high school record will have no bearing on your chances at getting in to med school. Just make sure you're capable of doing well in college.

I think the general consensus around here is EMS degree is pretty much useless for applying to med school. I'll let someone else weigh in there though.


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[syraj242]

Hey guys! This is actually my first post! So here's the deal, I was horrible in high school (1.8 GPA and got into trouble a bit first 2 years). Now I am a firefighter but I'd like to become a MD. I am 18 and about to start community college and then transfer to 4 year for pre-med courses, then apply to med school (I think that's the steps to med school). My CC offers an EMS degree. I am thinking about doing that for a degree then transferring and taking pre med at VCU. My question to you is if the EMS degree will be good/bad for Adcom; also if me being a fairly bad kid (no legal trouble) in high school will effect me. Thank y'all for taking the time to read this and I appreciate any thoughts.

Most adcoms won't really care about high school. In their eyes, you're still a kid and that's the main reason med schools require you to have a bachelor's degree before going to a medical program (to show you've matured). As for the EMS thing, if you really want to do it, go ahead. Do whatever you want academically, not what you think med schools care about. It's easier to explain it that way because you're passionate about something. Also being an EMT will definitely count as clinical experience especially if you interact with physicians in your local ER so I don't see it as a bad thing for you to do. If you can, get rid of all of VCU's general education req's at CC (i'm talking about English, languages, etc.) as it'll be a life saver.

 

[syraj242]

Your high school record will have no bearing on your chances at getting in to med school. Just make sure you're capable of doing well in college.

I think the general consensus around here is EMS degree is pretty much useless for applying to med school. I'll let someone else weigh in there though.


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An EMS degree isn't a bachelor's degree (in most programs it's just a certificate in reality) so it will be useless. You still need to get a bachelor's degree to get into an MD school so yeah I agree the degree itself will be as useless as a H.S. diploma. The possible clinical experience may help though....

 

[Tyty722]

Most adcoms won't really care about high school. In their eyes, you're still a kid and that's the main reason med schools require you to have a bachelor's degree before going to a medical program (to show you've matured). As for the EMS thing, if you really want to do it, go ahead. Do whatever you want academically, not what you think med schools care about. It's easier to explain it that way because you're passionate about something. Also being an EMT will definitely count as clinical experience especially if you interact with physicians in your local ER so I don't see it as a bad thing for you to do. If you can, get rid of all of VCU's general education req's at CC (i'm talking about English, languages, etc.) as it'll be a life saver.

Are you referring to the Pre-med courses or the transfer requirements?

 

[flapjack3d]

I'm sure ems is fine, but you might want to think about how many of those courses will transfer to vcu. My guess is very few!

 

[Weirdy]

Are you referring to the Pre-med courses or the transfer requirements?

I think they were referring to non-science courses such as poli sci, english, music, that kind of stuff.

Taking science pre-med courses such as chem, bio, orgo, and upper elective bio at University level will better prepare you.

 

[Tyty722]

At my CC they offer a bachelors degree called emergency medical services that will get you your paramedic and a degree. Are y'all worried about it because you were not sure if it was a legitimate degree or just a certification; or were y'all worried because of something else? P.S thank y'all for responding so fast!

 

[JustaDO]

At my CC they offer a bachelors degree called emergency medical services that will get you your paramedic and a degree. Are y'all worried about it because you were not sure if it was a legitimate degree or just a certification; or were y'all worried because of something else? P.S thank y'all for responding so fast!

I'm sure ems is fine, but you might want to think about how many of those courses will transfer to vcu. My guess is very few!

This literally answered the question you ask.

 

[Weirdy]

At my CC they offer a bachelors degree called emergency medical services that will get you your paramedic and a degree. Are y'all worried about it because you were not sure if it was a legitimate degree or just a certification; or were y'all worried because of something else? P.S thank y'all for responding so fast!

What JustaDO said.

We are afraid it is only a certificate and the courses you take within that bachelors degree will not transfer to university level.

 

[gyngyn]

At my CC they offer a bachelors degree called emergency medical services that will get you your paramedic and a degree. Are y'all worried about it because you were not sure if it was a legitimate degree or just a certification; or were y'all worried because of something else? P.S thank y'all for responding so fast!

Vocational degrees are not seen as particularly rigorous.
As long as your units transfer toward completion of a non-vocational bachelor's degree, it should be fine.

 

[Hopeful_vet]

At my CC they offer a bachelors degree called emergency medical services that will get you your paramedic and a degree. Are y'all worried about it because you were not sure if it was a legitimate degree or just a certification; or were y'all worried because of something else? P.S thank y'all for responding so fast!

I'm curious why you want to do a full bachelor's degree before beginning your pre med courses. It would be more efficient to just do your generals at the CC and then transfer to a university to finish your bachelors while at the same time taking your premed courses.


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[Tyty722]

I'm curious why you want to do a full bachelor's degree before beginning your pre med courses. It would be more efficient to just do your generals at the CC and then transfer to a university to finish your bachelors while at the same time taking your premed courses.


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I thought you needed a bachelors before med school. Is this not the case? Sorry if these are dumb questions I'm just not starting to figure out med school.

 

[Hopeful_vet]

I thought you needed a bachelors before med school. Is this not the case? Sorry if these are dumb questions I'm just not starting to figure out med school.

You do need a bachelor's. But aren't you going to transfer to a university to complete your bachelor's? Figure out what you're going to major in at the university, and take classes at your CC that will transfer towards that degree.


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[NotYou20]

I thought you needed a bachelors before med school. Is this not the case? Sorry if these are dumb questions I'm just not starting to figure out med school.

Yes that is the case. A bachelor's in ems, even if offered, won't be looked upon favorably. Chemistry, philosophy, music and neuroscience are some of the numerous examples of degrees that are looked upon favorably. Only vocational degrees, nursing and ems for example, aren't. You can do literally anything else to set yourself up for med school.

You generally take take med school pre reqs while working toward your degree, not after earning it.

 

[iBro]

Hey guys! This is actually my first post! So here's the deal, I was horrible in high school (1.8 GPA and got into trouble a bit first 2 years). Now I am a firefighter but I'd like to become a MD. I am 18 and about to start community college and then transfer to 4 year for pre-med courses, then apply to med school (I think that's the steps to med school). My CC offers an EMS degree. I am thinking about doing that for a degree then transferring and taking pre med at VCU. My question to you is if the EMS degree will be good/bad for Adcom; also if me being a fairly bad kid (no legal trouble) in high school will effect me. Thank y'all for taking the time to read this and I appreciate any thoughts.

An EMS will degree will help you IF you spend considerable time ( years / thousands of hours ) helping patients. It will give you stories that affirm your goal of becoming a physician and will show others you are dedicated to helping others. A simple certificate stating you completed the class and no more is next to useless.

 

[raf1ki]

An EMS degree will most likely not contribute to a bachelors, which is what is recommended to obtain before medical school. If your goal is to get into medical school sooner than later, you might look into taking some of your general prerequisites and core classes at a CC as part of a "transfer degree," and then transfer to a 4 year university for your harder classes (which adcoms will want to see you do especially well in, and at a proper university). Your firefighting credentials already give you plenty of access to clinical experience. I thought firefighting already included EMS qualifications - what would you need that degree for? Additionally, keep in mind that medical schools don't care what kind of major you have in your bachelors - so take whatever is the most interesting to you, since it will probably make it easier for you to get good grades.

Do some more research: med school prereqs are taken at the undergraduate level, and include a year of freshman bio, a year of freshman general chemistry, a year of organic chemistry, and a few others. Most of these will fit into almost any degree.