BrugadaBro
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- Nov 11, 2020
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Hey all,
I've been closely following the recent developments on Reddit + SDN on the future of emergency medicine and am looking to get some advice.
Current situation:
21 y/o - undergrad pre-med + paramedic, took time off from college to attend medic school and work in a progressive, urban pre-hospital system, in love with both EMS and EM, current goal is to become an EMS Physician to get a taste of both worlds. Truly couldn't see myself doing any other specialty and
nerd out over EKGs, ultrasound, and airway (to the point of senior EMS colleagues telling me I should "go for the gold" and become a physician). I really enjoy working up the undifferentiated patient, controlling the chaos, and being a "front-line" provider. If I can't do EM, then I don't want to be a physician.
My dilemma:
- I've been seeing all the doom and gloom surrounding the future of EM and everything that comes with that (e.g concerns over finding a job, low salary, basically devoting 10 years of my life to have it not pan out), some EM docs that I know personally say the concerns are valid, while others are telling me the fear is overblown. With my current path, I'd be graduating residency around 2030 (the apex of the projected workforce crisis).
- Really want to be in an urban environment, have lived in rural locations before and hated it (and I'm assuming rural locales are where the limited number of jobs are going to be)
- Recently found out from multiple friends that a local fire/rescue agency is offering 140K starting for a paramedic with a masters degree. Also a relatively progressive shop as far as pre-hospital care goes (video laryngoscopes, ultrasound, RSI soon) and I would be on a non-transporting ALS squad. From an EMS perspective, it's pretty rock solid. Would have the opportunity to push further progressive protocols (finger thoracostomy, blood, antibiotics, POC testing) and maybe make EMS Deputy Chief someday.
- Have always really enjoyed EMS (even when it sucks) and am hoping to be part of the generation that unfu**s it. It's a failed paradigm in the US and I feel like we need good people who care about it to stay. The question for me is: do I help accomplish this from the top-down as a doc or from the bottom-up as a medic and eventual EMS educator/administrator?
My two options:
Option A) Continue my current path of med school pre-reqs, get involved with research, continue working in EMS on the side, apply to med school + EM residency + EMS fellowship.
Option B) Transfer into a Paramedicine B.S Program + complete Critical Care school, apply for an MPH program after, go the EMS route (the "high paying" fire/rescue agency or a flight service) and get involved with paramedic education + advocacy.
Any thoughts would be much appreciated from those of you that are older and infinitely wiser than myself.
I've been closely following the recent developments on Reddit + SDN on the future of emergency medicine and am looking to get some advice.
Current situation:
21 y/o - undergrad pre-med + paramedic, took time off from college to attend medic school and work in a progressive, urban pre-hospital system, in love with both EMS and EM, current goal is to become an EMS Physician to get a taste of both worlds. Truly couldn't see myself doing any other specialty and
nerd out over EKGs, ultrasound, and airway (to the point of senior EMS colleagues telling me I should "go for the gold" and become a physician). I really enjoy working up the undifferentiated patient, controlling the chaos, and being a "front-line" provider. If I can't do EM, then I don't want to be a physician.
My dilemma:
- I've been seeing all the doom and gloom surrounding the future of EM and everything that comes with that (e.g concerns over finding a job, low salary, basically devoting 10 years of my life to have it not pan out), some EM docs that I know personally say the concerns are valid, while others are telling me the fear is overblown. With my current path, I'd be graduating residency around 2030 (the apex of the projected workforce crisis).
- Really want to be in an urban environment, have lived in rural locations before and hated it (and I'm assuming rural locales are where the limited number of jobs are going to be)
- Recently found out from multiple friends that a local fire/rescue agency is offering 140K starting for a paramedic with a masters degree. Also a relatively progressive shop as far as pre-hospital care goes (video laryngoscopes, ultrasound, RSI soon) and I would be on a non-transporting ALS squad. From an EMS perspective, it's pretty rock solid. Would have the opportunity to push further progressive protocols (finger thoracostomy, blood, antibiotics, POC testing) and maybe make EMS Deputy Chief someday.
- Have always really enjoyed EMS (even when it sucks) and am hoping to be part of the generation that unfu**s it. It's a failed paradigm in the US and I feel like we need good people who care about it to stay. The question for me is: do I help accomplish this from the top-down as a doc or from the bottom-up as a medic and eventual EMS educator/administrator?
My two options:
Option A) Continue my current path of med school pre-reqs, get involved with research, continue working in EMS on the side, apply to med school + EM residency + EMS fellowship.
Option B) Transfer into a Paramedicine B.S Program + complete Critical Care school, apply for an MPH program after, go the EMS route (the "high paying" fire/rescue agency or a flight service) and get involved with paramedic education + advocacy.
Any thoughts would be much appreciated from those of you that are older and infinitely wiser than myself.
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