Paramedic to MD/DO... Looking for Advice

[9orangeletters]

Hi all, I have a few questions (probably repeats, but either I can't search or didn't put in the right terms, anyway...) and I hope I can get some good answers. Maybe not the ones I'm looking for, but answers none-the-less. You guys are living it, and I'm trying to see if it's worth it.

A little background. I'm 27, and a paramedic. I've been in EMS as long as I can remember, from being a teenager in my local BLS squad up until now. Being a paramedic is great, I love the job, but that's just it. It feels like only a job. No matter how much I try to make it a career, read about the practice at a national level, it just doesn't feel... enough. I feel like I'm staring down the barrel of a trade job for the rest of my life. There's no room for advancement, and as a paramedic in Pennsylvania, that's as far as the ladder goes. There's limited movement to "supervisor" and even after that, it's unlikely to find a director position that doesn't get hired from within and they hold onto the job like the Pope.

Sure, there's nursing. But that's not comparable; even though it's healthcare, that would be like saying nursing is like being a doctor.

I have limited post-high school education. I can, however, move to a bac degree in maybe 3 years. I've read some horror stories from a couple of non-trads that med school ruined their home life, which concerns me. At the same time, I feel like if I don't try, I'm not giving "me" the best shot I could have. There's a lot of factors that played into why I didn't go in the first place (no money, working full time out of high school, lower-middle class with no family support, sick parents, etc.etc., the violin solo goes on and on) and now, 10 years later, I'm kicking myself that I didn't.

Thoughts? Do I stay in an ambulance and not subject myself to 100+ hours a week for the next 12 years, racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in student debt, or is it worth it to take the plunge... I think I might have some decent support on the home front (unmarried but moving in that direction, no children) but I can't say for sure.

Any insight would be great.

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[theseeker4]

Hi all, I have a few questions (probably repeats, but either I can't search or didn't put in the right terms, anyway...) and I hope I can get some good answers. Maybe not the ones I'm looking for, but answers none-the-less. You guys are living it, and I'm trying to see if it's worth it.

A little background. I'm 27, and a paramedic. I've been in EMS as long as I can remember, from being a teenager in my local BLS squad up until now. Being a paramedic is great, I love the job, but that's just it. It feels like only a job. No matter how much I try to make it a career, read about the practice at a national level, it just doesn't feel... enough. I feel like I'm staring down the barrel of a trade job for the rest of my life. There's no room for advancement, and as a paramedic in Pennsylvania, that's as far as the ladder goes. There's limited movement to "supervisor" and even after that, it's unlikely to find a director position that doesn't get hired from within and they hold onto the job like the Pope.

Sure, there's nursing. But that's not comparable; even though it's healthcare, that would be like saying nursing is like being a doctor.

I have limited post-high school education. I can, however, move to a bac degree in maybe 3 years. I've read some horror stories from a couple of non-trads that med school ruined their home life, which concerns me. At the same time, I feel like if I don't try, I'm not giving "me" the best shot I could have. There's a lot of factors that played into why I didn't go in the first place (no money, working full time out of high school, lower-middle class with no family support, sick parents, etc.etc., the violin solo goes on and on) and now, 10 years later, I'm kicking myself that I didn't.

Thoughts? Do I stay in an ambulance and not subject myself to 100+ hours a week for the next 12 years, racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in student debt, or is it worth it to take the plunge... I think I might have some decent support on the home front (unmarried but moving in that direction, no children) but I can't say for sure.

Any insight would be great.

I will be entering med school this Aug, so I can't say whether or not it is worth it from the other side. It is like anything else, though; each person has a different definition of whether it is worth it, so you will find some who say they never would do it again, and others who say the sacrifices are worth it and they wouldn't consider doing anything else.

I will say "I think I might have some decent support on the home front" is an inadequate comment. You need to be sure you have the support before you take the plunge to get into medical school, or decide your goal of being a doctor is worth sacrificing your relationship. This is not to say you have to decide today which it is going to be. What you need to do is first come to a decision as to whether it is, in fact, worth the time and effort. Explore this while exploring your SO's opinions on becoming a doctor.

The good thing is, since you have 3 years of undergraduate schooling ahead, you have a long time to figure out if you really want to be a doctor, and if your SO is fully behind you. You don't have to decide now, or even next year, that you definitely want to be a doctor. You can start working toward a degree, in just about anything you want as a backup career if you decide medicine isn't worth it, and decide to actually take the plunge later. Even if you decide medicine isn't for you, you could have a Bachelors degree in a field that can become more than a job to you, whatever that might be.

Other than that, I will leave comments about whether it is worth it or not to those who have actually been there, and aren't just starting out.

 

[random2708]

I have limited post-high school education. I can, however, move to a bac degree in maybe 3 years. I've read some horror stories from a couple of non-trads that med school ruined their home life, which concerns me. At the same time, I feel like if I don't try, I'm not giving "me" the best shot I could have. There's a lot of factors that played into why I didn't go in the first place (no money, working full time out of high school, lower-middle class with no family support, sick parents, etc.etc., the violin solo goes on and on) and now, 10 years later, I'm kicking myself that I didn't.

Thoughts? Do I stay in an ambulance and not subject myself to 100+ hours a week for the next 12 years, racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in student debt, or is it worth it to take the plunge... I think I might have some decent support on the home front (unmarried but moving in that direction, no children) but I can't say for sure.

Any insight would be great.

So I'm a paramedic of 25 years, 4 kids, wife working rotating shifts, money concerns, family concerns etc. When I look at it, I'm not really any different from people working as school teachers, etc. They have the same concerns as you and I. Should they stay with what they have or try something new? Thats a unique, personal question only you/they/I can answer.

You ask if you not bothering to try or rack up a 100 grand in debt. Why make it such an all or nothing question. That's like being paged to a code and trying to decide before you respond if you want to pronounce it or work it. Take it in small bites. Turning on the siren and start responding is all that is required to start.

Because I wasn't going to quit my gig, borrow 30K and start on undergrad for a dream that might not be practical I took it in steps.

First I worked full time and did two years of college in 18 months. These are easy classes, the prereqs. Did it take time and work? Sure but so is med school. I used my employers tuition reimbursement, took online classes, accelerated summer and winter classes and CLEP'ed out of some hours.

Then I dropped to part time and ramped up my classes taking heavier sciences. This let me make smaller adjustments to time and the family budget while seeing if I could hold the A's. This built until this semester - 2 part time jobs, 21 credit hours, money is okay, I'm still debt free.

What will be my next step? Not quite sure, might quit another job, might ease off the school work and make my next year take 1.5 years.

My rambling point? Take it in pieces. Go sign up for one class and see how it goes.

Good luck

 

[9orangeletters]

So I'm a paramedic of 25 years, 4 kids, wife working rotating shifts, money concerns, family concerns etc. When I look at it, I'm not really any different from people working as school teachers, etc. They have the same concerns as you and I. Should they stay with what they have or try something new? Thats a unique, personal question only you/they/I can answer.

You ask if you not bothering to try or rack up a 100 grand in debt. Why make it such an all or nothing question. That's like being paged to a code and trying to decide before you respond if you want to pronounce it or work it. Take it in small bites. Turning on the siren and start responding is all that is required to start.

Because I wasn't going to quit my gig, borrow 30K and start on undergrad for a dream that might not be practical I took it in steps.

First I worked full time and did two years of college in 18 months. These are easy classes, the prereqs. Did it take time and work? Sure but so is med school. I used my employers tuition reimbursement, took online classes, accelerated summer and winter classes and CLEP'ed out of some hours.

Then I dropped to part time and ramped up my classes taking heavier sciences. This let me make smaller adjustments to time and the family budget while seeing if I could hold the A's. This built until this semester - 2 part time jobs, 21 credit hours, money is okay, I'm still debt free.

What will be my next step? Not quite sure, might quit another job, might ease off the school work and make my next year take 1.5 years.

My rambling point? Take it in pieces. Go sign up for one class and see how it goes.

Good luck

I registered for a summer calculus course. I took it once already... beyond the timeframe when it would be transferrable, so it's good to take again.

It'll feel good to get the feet wet again, I think.

 

[random2708]

Attaboy/attagirl!

We do have some similarities because of our careers, so I'll throw out a little thing that you have probably already thought of. . .

When I decided to go back I had lots of fearful thoughts - Is this worth it in the long run? What am I going to be left with if I can't get into a med school? So a lot of my actions have had alternate possibilities that I kept/keep open as long as possible. For example, when I first started, I looked at classes for an AAS in Paramedicine. It included Anatomy, Physiology and Medical Terminology, although just very basic versions of those classes. The PA schools I might be interested in wanted those classes at the more developed level. So I took the harder ones so it gave me direction towards PA, but gave me something to fallback to, in my current career path, if I flopped. I took versions that also would transfer as electives into the degree I am seeking as part of a med school application.

Same thing when I came across a Nutrition class. I selected a class that works into my major, but also serves as a nursing pre-req if I have to fall back to that position.

PA schools have many of the same prereq's as med school, but not typically physics. I've put physics off for two years as I've inched towards a med school application. Figured if I got wiped out earlier, no chance taking classes that might not necessarily be usefull elsewhere.

I was originally steered into an Interdepartmental Studies Majors - Multidisciplinary Sciences Emphasis undergrad degree. But after thinking about it, I thought how do I use that to find a different job if can't get into medical school. So I switched to something that had a lot of similarities, but a bit more career usefullness.

So long story short I think it's okay to be conservative and practical in pursuing this dream of ours. Not everyone can throw it all up in the wind and go all out. And the result, at least for me, has been when I finally make my last push with Biochem, Physics and MCAT prep I'll be:

Debt free
As confident as possible that I have a chance to make it now with a final push.
Will still have a career fallback/safety net in place
And will have managed to remain married and know what my kids are like!

Again good luck to you!

 

[MT Headed]

I totally know where you are coming from. I hit an EMS ceiling too and wanted more.

I was going to suggest the PA as an option as well. A lot of the classes are the same, and you already have the high quality work hours that PA schools are looking for.

Take the classes that are necessary for both PA and medical school, do very well to keep your options open, and if you are really digging the school thing and it still feels right a year later, go all in for medical school.

 

[crazycooljoel]

If you think it is for you then go for it! Forget other non-trads that say it ruined their life, it must not have been something they wanted to do bad enough. The only one that can answer this is you and discuss it with your family (if your married). If your not married and have no kids then there isn't much concern in that regard. Also, it isn't typically 100+ hrs/wk and shouldn't be more than 80 hrs/wk if you have good time management and know how to study. My advice is to do your research about medicine, maybe talk to a premed advisor at a local college/university, make a realistic plan (education track, income, cost of living, et cetera), then execute your plan.

I am married and left the military to pursue this. If your married keep your spouse in the loop, it will better prepare you both and you'll have less relationship issues that way. Also, tour a medical school nearby and ask lots of questions, they're a better source of information than any message board.

 

[9orangeletters]

If you think it is for you then go for it! Forget other non-trads that say it ruined their life, it must not have been something they wanted to do bad enough. The only one that can answer this is you and discuss it with your family (if your married). If your not married and have no kids then there isn't much concern in that regard. Also, it isn't typically 100+ hrs/wk and shouldn't be more than 80 hrs/wk if you have good time management and know how to study. My advice is to do your research about medicine, maybe talk to a premed advisor at a local college/university, make a realistic plan (education track, income, cost of living, et cetera), then execute your plan.

I am married and left the military to pursue this. If your married keep your spouse in the loop, it will better prepare you both and you'll have less relationship issues that way. Also, tour a medical school nearby and ask lots of questions, they're a better source of information than any message board.

Well ****, if it's only 80 hours a week... I did that for the paramedic program/internship. It wasn't easy, but I like to think being a medic has made me highly adaptable - like I said, I have a Calc class scheduled for the "summer I" semester. Between now and then, I have lots of thinking to do.

There's a local doc here (well, several) that started as (a) paramedic(s). Maybe they can shed some insight, too.

Thanks for the support guys/gals.