Paramedic....

[Chris609]

Hey,
I was wondering if i were to go to paramedic school would it be a waste of time or would it help in med. school, also would it look better on my application. I almost done with my EMT, so that the reason i'm asking.thanks
chris

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[BioMedResearch]

The worst thing to do is to do something because it "looks good for med school."

You will never really enjoy it, because you will be doing it to go somewhere else.

Understand that being a paramedic is a job, and a demanding one none the least.

Just getting the certification will get you nowhere. It is your experiences as a seasoned medic that will make you shine.

I hope you can see my justification and sentiments.

 

[G_Eagle]

Originally posted by BioMedResearch
The worst thing to do is to do something because it "looks good for med school."

I agree with that completely. If you are asking about an activity because you want it to look good, or if you are choosing between two activities for which looks better to medical schools, then you are already on the wrong track. Do not do something because you feel pressured to do so. Interviewers can tear through a facade (though some are aloof to it). You hear it over and over again, but it is true. Medical schools want people who have a passion in something besides medicine, but don't choose your "passion" because you think it will look good. Grades and MCAT get you the interview, EC's give the interviewer questions to ask you. So find yourself....then, they'll see you for who you really are (and if you don't like who you really are, you have self-confidence issues and might not want to be a doctor with great responsibility).

 

[Chris609]

I understand what both of you are saying, but i do have a passion for it. I am current getting certificate as an EMT and i love every min. of it. I was just wondering if become a paramedic would help in the long run with school, also I would have to take about a year off for paramedic school(that why i asked if it would be a waste of time).You guys need to relax with that self-confidence and if you don't like who you really are crap becuz thats not what i was talking about,all i asked was if paramedic school would be a good or bad idea.Plus you dont know me....

 

[BioMedResearch]

Unfortunately you are acting immature and taking offense to the question yat hand.

i think that we answered your question honestly, and in a nice way, displayed to you why saying "

Originally posted by Chris609
would it look better on my application
chris

is a stupid way of going through things. You are saying "is taking a year off going to get me in." The answer that I offer you is MAYBE.

And yes I do not know you which is why I believe we all gave you the most direct answer we could offer to a perfect premed stranger.

 

[BioMedResearch]

P.S. UNDERGRAD-First Year is called a Freshman.

NONE of us would confuse it with MS1 so don't worry, enjoy your FRESHMAN year and worry about med school when you get closer.

Right now you should go have fun because I bet 100% of all of us would love to be in your shoes right now.

 

[G_Eagle]

Sorry, Chris, I didn't mean to jump on you. I did want to second what BioMed said because posts routinely come up that are basically asking for the skeleton keys to unlock the entrance to medical school (which don't exist).
As for your specific question, I did not choose to go through EMT training so I am not an excellent resource. From what I know from my paramedic friends, my question would be if you think the time and effort it will take to become a paramedic are worth it. Otherwise, you could save that energy for medical school. If you think it is worth it, then by all means go for it!

 

[Chris609]

What i asked was how G-eagle put it,if it is worth it and if it would help me.

"is taking a year off going to get me in." I never said that BioMedResearch. All i asked was if would help. I want to go to paramedic school , that the reason i asked these questions. BioMedResearch your acting more like an a**then trying to help me.

 

[kokonut]

Hi Chris,

Just wanted to offer my $.02.

Of course it will help your application. Every life experience you have will help your application, because med schools want people who are mature. In addition, it is particularly pertinent because it provides you with excellent clinical exposure.

However, the big question is whether it's worth taking a year off for. A year is a long time -- and if you're devoting it to some type of activity that will improve your medical school application, there are tons of things you could do. You could do full-time research, you could work at an inner-city clinic, you could try to get involved in public health stuff or international medicine. Or, you could apply to medical school a year earlier. Any of these things would improve a person's application, but everybody would enjoy them to different degrees and their applications would be affected in different ways.

The bottom line is that, it's really difficult for anyone on this forum to give you concrete advice like that without knowing the particulars of your background and your goals. If you're going to be more of a research-y type of guy, then it probably does not make sense for you to spend a year doing this. You will get great experience as an EMT and the year would be better spent in a lab. On the flip side, if you're passionate about being a paramedic and that's what you want to do and that's what you'll enjoy, then yes it is worth it.

Sorry we can't give you a yes or no answer, but I hope this helps. Goodluck Chris!

koko

 

[trauma_junky]

I can tell you that the experience you gain as a paramedic will but you way ahead of your classmates in years 3 & 4. Because you are out there thinking like a physcial has to and making treatmetn decisions. So you will be more confident than you classmates intially and this will get you noticed faster.

 

[Robz]

As a NREMTP, I can say being a paramedic is a wonderful profession and a very hard one as well. Taking a year to do the school will be tough and as trauma_junky said it will put you ahead in terms of some skills.

Now, my paramedic school required a lot out of me. I had to go to school for over a year. I had to do hospital roations in the ED, OR, NICU, PICU, OB/GYN, respirtory care, cardiac cath labs, and psych units. On top of that I also had to do ride along with fire depts. This all on top of school and lab work.

Was it an awesome time? Yes. It is where I learned I loved medicine. Is it worth it just to put on a resume or application? Absolutly not. You have to LOVE EMS to do paramedic school. Your going to get to see society at its worst and expect to be calm and on top of your game at all times. If your not going to be doing it for a profession the people you work with will know that.

Its a LOT more work than EMT. Just some things to think about. I'm not saying not to do it. I am saying to do it for the right reasons.

 

[Chris609]

thanks alot for the info., i still have two months before i have to decide

 

[PluckyDuk8]

It will take more than a year...training will be a year but then what's the point of not actually using it as a certified medic? A year off is great (I took one working as an EMT-B for a private ambulance company), it's great for rest, making time for yourself, etc. However, to give the time and devotion to be a medic would just take too long- spend that time and energy in med school. The other paramedics on this board please correct me if I am wrong, but most of you probably did paramedic as a career, or may have decided later to become a doctor, or as a way to work your way through school.

 

[Chris609]

the program is 11 months and its a certified medic school. PluckyDuk8 do hospital hire emt-b? or do ambulance company's?

 

[Pinkertinkle]

So you'll go to school for 11 months to learn to be an EMT and then work for how long as a EMT?

 

[donnyfire]

my $.02
I agree with trauma_junky and paramagician. It will be a time to learn to love medicine, and to gain experience that may put you ahead of the curve.
If you are willing/able to put in the time, go for it.
But don't do it for the sole reason of having it look good on your app.
There are plenty of other things you can do that look good on a med school app, and we don't need people who are in EMS just for that.

Originally posted by Robz
You have to LOVE EMS to do paramedic school.

That's the truth!!!

But you also should love medicine to do medical school. If EMT/Paramedic is a way for you to learn to love medicine (it was for me), then by all means do it.

 

[tkim]

Originally posted by Chris609
I understand what both of you are saying, but i do have a passion for it. I am current getting certificate as an EMT and i love every min. of it.

Well, I hate to be blunt, but until you're certified and worked on the bus for a year or so, you're only in love with the *idea* of EMS. The training is cool stuff, and it's easy to listen to war story after war story from your instructor.

But, then you go to work and it may not be all blood and guts and crawling into overturned cars to pull out babies. It could be a lot of the renal roundup, burn-n-returns, and 5-suitcases-1-patient transfers - which is the bread and butter of most private EMS.

I would wait until *after* you've worked a bit to say if you *love* it. At that point, you could decide if you really wanted to go to medic school. The advantage is that you will have had at least some real experience before entering medic training. Nothing more embarassing than someone in medic school who came straight from basic.

Also, as others have said, the training itself takes up to a year. If you don't plan on using it for some period of time after being certified, I have a feeling that adcoms will view this as an attempt to buff your app rather than a genuine interest in EMS.

People with a couple of years of EMS experience and competitive stats have perhaps a better chance over someone with similar stats but no clinical experience. However, years working in EMS is worth considerably less than getting a higher GPA/MCAT.

Bottom line, only do it if you love it after experiencing it for a while, and only if you plan on doing it for a while after medic school.

 

[BioMedResearch]

I like to think that I became a paramedic over 4 years. I started as a voli and then became a voli EMT-B, than an EMT-I, and worked my way up to medic.

The fun of being a medic is BEING a medic, not training to be one. I loved my experiences running night shifts, early morning calls, hot summer days, and freezing winter nights. Doing the schooling to then do more schooling is a great way to bolster your record with filler and deny yourself the true FUN of medicine.

My advice, if you can only do medic school after college then take 2 years if this is something you REALLY want to do.

If you want to have the cool experiences, then work as a basic or an intermediate. Remember, provided you have a cool partner, you wont feel like the medic is in charge and like you are part of a life-saving team.

best of luck.