Paramedic?

[locoindio]

Has anyone here become and worked as a paramedic? I'm considering it, but I wanna know more about it and thought I'd see if anyone had some good (or bad) feedback or experiences to speak of. Repond when you can...

Cheers,
Loco

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[amy2003uva]

Has anyone here become and worked as a paramedic? I'm considering it, but I wanna know more about it and thought I'd see if anyone had some good (or bad) feedback or experiences to speak of. Repond when you can...

Cheers,
Loco

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=177161

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=175967 (from the Pre-Hospital [EMS] forum - i would check this forum out for more information)


check out those threads. a lot has been said on EMS and being a paramedic. i posted a couple of times about being a medic - let me know if you have other specific Q's!

 

[canttouchthis]

Being a paramedic is probably one of the most rewarding jobs around. If i wasn't going to medical school i would go to paramedic school. However, becoming a paramedic as a stepping stone to med school is an overkill. First of all the training to become a medic, at least in CA, takes way too long. You need to get your EMT cert, work for a year, then take a Paramedic course which takes around 6 months. These courses can cost thousands of dollars and EMT pay is horrible. Then getting a good job as a medic is hard unless you want to work in the boondocks. The worst part about all this is that med school admissions usually don't even know the difference between an EMT and a paramedic. Seeing as how you can work as an EMT during undergrad and being a paramedic will take you as long as a masters, i chose to end my EMS career as a lowly EMT. Good luck and whatever you do in EMS you'll have a crapload of fun.

 

[45408]

However, becoming a paramedic as a stepping stone to med school is an overkill. First of all the training to become a medic, at least in CA, takes way too long. You need to get your EMT cert, work for a year, then take a Paramedic course which takes around 6 months. These courses can cost thousands of dollars and EMT pay is horrible.

Werd. Unless you're going to be out of college a while before you go to med school, don't bother with it.

 

[amy2003uva]

Werd. Unless you're going to be out of college a while before you go to med school, don't bother with it.

true, it does take a long time to get your medic certification. in va, it was a 2 year associate degree program. i managed to avoid taking several years off before med school by getting my medic while IN undergrad - essentially taking two courseloads at one time. i do not generally recommend this, as you can imagine the stress involved with 30+ college credits and clinicals, to boot. but... i did it because i love EMS, was passionate about working in the field for a year before med school, and i knew that if i didn't get my medic then... i never would. i wouldn't go through medic school just because you want a "cool, fun" job to blow time while in college - if you want this, cocktail or work in retail. or, get your EMT, get your feet wet, and be prepared to endure $8/hr wages.

good luck!