Paramedic to Physician

[Avid_waterskier316]

Hello, I am a 21 year old Pre-Medical Student and here is my story:
I am going to be a senior and my major is Exercise Science. I am an EMT with intentions of going to Paramedic School after I graduate. My cGPA is 3.92 and my sGPA is around 3.85. I haven't taken all the pre-reqs for Medical School yet because I don't want to let them expire and have to spend more money to retake them so I was going to take them down the road after I fulfilled my desire to be a paramedic. I was wondering what anyones thought were to have a job before going to medical school? If so, when did you fulfill your pre-req requirements and when did you take the MCAT? How did having experience prior to Medical School help/hinder the experience? I want to go to medical school prior to the age of 28 because I want to have some experience. I have read that some paramedics have been medics for 5-15 years before going so I was wondering what everyone's thougts were?

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[sovereign0]

After working as a paramedic for a while, you could fulfill your pre-reqs through a respected post-bac program.

I would imagine the experience of being a paramedic for some years would be a great clinical experience for medical school, but I'll leave that for others to comment on.

 

[tkim]

If you haven't taken all your pre-reqs then your reported GPAs can absolutely change. If the prereqs you haven't taken yet are physics and orgo, then big possibility they'll go down. A high score on the MCAT trumps paramedic training/experience. Finish your prereqs, take the MCAT, don't go to paramedic school unless you want to work as a paramedic for longer than a year or three.

 

[gyngyn]

I haven't taken all the pre-reqs for Medical School yet because I don't want to let them expire and have to spend more money to retake them so I was going to take them down the road after I fulfilled my desire to be a paramedic.

Pre-reqs don't expire (at the large majority of medical schools).
Many schools no longer have required classes. Others has moved away from strict requirements.

MCAT scores on the other hand, cease to be useful after 2 or 3 years but remain visible for more than a decade.

 

[Avid_waterskier316]

Thanks everyone for the replies. As of right now I am focused on getting a good undergraduate GPA. I am most definitely wanting to be a non-tradtional student. I want to be able to experience other medical professions and I plan to go on a couple medical mission trips. I plan to finish my pre-reqs after I complete paramedic school. I plan on being a paramedic for at least 3-5 years just because it's something I have always wanted to do and would like to gain clinical experience even though it's not required. I would like to visit a different country to work on my Spanish skills so I can bring a little diversity to the table so I think the non-traditional path is the best route for me.

 

[Fedekz]

I've been a paramedic for 5 years now, so I'll give you my $0.02...

Don't waste your time, just finish your pre reqs, take the mcat and do well, finish your degree and go on to medical school. If you truly want to be a paramedic sometime in your life, when you're a physician you can challenge the NREMT education requirements and take the NREMT exams and get certified.

Again this is just my opinion, but don't get caught up in working in EMS. It's been fun, I've been a critical care paramedic, and a SWAT paramedic (I'm a police officer too), BUT if I could still go back in time I wouldn't have wasted my time.

 

[gyngyn]

Thanks everyone for the replies. As of right now I am focused on getting a good undergraduate GPA. I am most definitely wanting to be a non-tradtional student. I want to be able to experience other medical professions and I plan to go on a couple medical mission trips. I plan to finish my pre-reqs after I complete paramedic school. I plan on being a paramedic for at least 3-5 years just because it's something I have always wanted to do and would like to gain clinical experience even though it's not required. I would like to visit a different country to work on my Spanish skills so I can bring a little diversity to the table so I think the non-traditional path is the best route for me.

Speaking Spanish is excellent. Those "mission" trips add little to your application, though.

 

[Avid_waterskier316]

Thanks again guys. I know a lot of people seeing it as "wasting time" but paramedic is something I have always wanted to do and I have gotten a lot of mixed opinions on the matter. I want a job that allows me to actually treat patients to make sure it is something I like before embarking on the medical school route.

 

[SabaChampion]

Speaking Spanish is excellent. Those "mission" trips add little to your application, though.

Mission trips are not popular with ADCOMS OP. They do allow for great experiences though. Premeds on my trips often got hands-on experience with patients that they otherwise would not have gotten until med school. Everything is of course supervised by those with medical training.