Question regarding EC/EMS

[Hassm1990]

Does EMS count as clinical if you ride along with an EMT/Paramedic and take vitals/assess the patient with them. I am doing my EMT cert. now but i was wondering what it would be classified as. I am also planning to volunteer at hospitals and possibly hospice.

EDIT: Sorry about the clarity of my question. What I really meant was, when I went on calls in the ambulance but was not EMT certified, would that count as clinical or as an observer even though I am helping with patient care.

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[music2doc]

Does EMS count as clinical if you ride along with an EMT/Paramedic and take vitals/assess the patient with them. I am doing my EMT cert. now but i was wondering what it would be classified as. I am also planning to volunteer at hospitals and possibly hospice.

The class is just a class. What you DO with the EMT-B can be excellent clinical experience as it can open many doors.

 

[ADolefulDream]

The class is just a class. What you DO with the EMT-B can be excellent clinical experience as it can open many doors.

+1 couldn't have said it better myself

 

[EnergyDrink]

The class is just a class. What you DO with the EMT-B can be excellent clinical experience as it can open many doors.

I see this posted often, but what does it mean? Running BLS calls, or something else?

 

[crazychadtu]

I see this posted often, but what does it mean? Running BLS calls, or something else?

IMO, doing convalescent transports is just as valuable as working on 911 ALS trucks.The thing that matters most is what value YOU gained from the experience and how you convey this to adcoms.

When you apply, you will list your EMT work experience as a paid employment and then be given 700 characters to explain your experience.What you DO is your job - help sick people, save lives, and/or make safe transportation available for medically unstable patients. Explain what you gained from your experience and make sure your application conveys the fact that you've had patient care experience.

 

[EnergyDrink]

IMO, doing convalescent transports is just as valuable as working on 911 ALS trucks.The thing that matters most is what value YOU gained from the experience and how you convey this to adcoms.

When you apply, you will list your EMT work experience as a paid employment and then be given 700 characters to explain your experience.What you DO is your job - help sick people, save lives, and/or make safe transportation available for medically unstable patients. Explain what you gained from your experience and make sure your application conveys the fact that you've had patient care experience.

That's a pretty good point. So the canned "Depends on what you do with it" is more about doing anything, rather than just sitting on it.

 

[music2doc]

That's a pretty good point. So the canned "Depends on what you do with it" is more about doing anything, rather than just sitting on it.

Sort of but then that's an oversimplification. What you do with it matters too. Not doing anything with it can be interpreted negatively by some interviews
Doing very minimal things might be seen as neutral to slightly positive. Getting a volunteer EMS position or heavy involvement as an MA at a free clinic would likely be very positive. A full time position as an ER Tech or EMT would be the ultimate utilization of the cert.

 

[Omppu27]

Does EMS count as clinical if you ride along with an EMT/Paramedic and take vitals/assess the patient with them. I am doing my EMT cert. now but i was wondering what it would be classified as. I am also planning to volunteer at hospitals and possibly hospice.

Im just finishing up my basic schooling and I thought the same thing... However, the rotations we do for our program are technically supposed to be hands-off so im just gonna leave it off my app. Also, the hours you do training during your program will be a slight fraction of the hours you spend actually working...

 

[music2doc]

Im just finishing up my basic schooling and I thought the same thing... However, the rotations we do for our program are technically supposed to be hands-off so im just gonna leave it off my app. Also, the hours you do training during your program will be a slight fraction of the hours you spend actually working...

See above. The hours you spend in clinicals are academic hours. They are accounted for on your transcript. No double-dipping. Go out and use your EMT cert and list that.

 

[Hassm1990]

Sorry guys, I dont want to make the same thread. Can someone who knows about this stuff answer my edit above. Thanks for your time and answers. It helped out alot.

 

[Soulstice]

Im just finishing up my basic schooling and I thought the same thing... However, the rotations we do for our program are technically supposed to be hands-off so im just gonna leave it off my app. Also, the hours you do training during your program will be a slight fraction of the hours you spend actually working...

Really? I'd question that. All my clinical hours for each education level were always very hands-on (basically, as a functional EMT for the class I was taking) and so I'd think it's fair to describe in applications. It's not the same as overstepping your scope of practice in foreign medical volunteerism.

 

[EnergyDrink]

In my commonwealth we don't do ride-alongs or rotations during certification, and my training center is one of the best in the country for emergency services. It used to be required but they axed it, saying that on-the-job training is more efficient.

Hassm, if you interact with patients, it is clinical.

 

[bltng]

I have the same concern... since my EMT class required us to do several 12-hr ride-alongs (I did 4, so 48 hours). It wasn't completely hands-on but I was able to help bandage patients, pack them, take their vitals, etc. The experience itself, though was just part of the class, but it really helped confirm my passion in medicine.

^^^ So would it be wrong to include it my AMCAS under Volunteer-Clinical?

 

[ADolefulDream]

I have the same concern... since my EMT class required us to do several 12-hr ride-alongs (I did 4, so 48 hours). It wasn't completely hands-on but I was able to help bandage patients, pack them, take their vitals, etc. The experience itself, though was just part of the class, but it really helped confirm my passion in medicine.

^^^ So would it be wrong to include it my AMCAS under Volunteer-Clinical?

I wouldn't, esp if I had not done anything else with my cert. It just looks like padding. I suggest at least campus response or doing something with your cert. But when you do that, it will far outshadow ride alongs--which is basically shadowing.