Renew paramedic cert?

[EMmedic]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hi all --

I'm a current medical student who worked as a paramedic prior to this program. My certification needs to be renewed in a year, and I was wondering whether you think it is worth the time and money - renewing at that time would keep me certified through the end of medical school. I worked very hard at obtaining my medic and my experiences were unquestionably valuable. However, I don't envision myself working on the ambulance any time soon due to commitments to medical school and beyond. I called my state EMS office and they told me that medical school counts as all of my continuing education, but I would still need to take a 48 hour refresher course. I'm not completely sure when I would fit this in to my schedule, but I would find a way if it is worth my while.

I would like to go into emergency medicine - do you think it would be beneficial to me to keep my paramedic certification or is it completely unnecessary? I would, in a way, feel as though I was giving up a part of my identity...

I appreciate your input!

 

[polygonal]

I'm a EM-2. I still have my Registry. I've debated the benefits of keeping it as well. Honestly, I don't think it really benefits you to keep your certification to any significant degree. Once you have your medical license, the paramedic cert really doesn't add anything. Do you plan on working as a medic again? It would be quite odd to me now to work as a paramedic when I could do the same (and more) with my medical license.

Having said all that, I kept mine. The main reason I did so was because it was relatively painless. Now as an EM resident, the Registry will basically renew my status as long as I send them the fee (which is nominal). If I had to sit through a 48 hour refresher, I would let it go. That's a lot of time to waste as a medical student.

 

[polygonal]

One other thing. As far as a benefit for residency application, my impression was that being a Paramedic is plus/minus. I heard both sides of it during interviews. The plus is that you have some experience (running codes, intubations). The minus is that they have to retrain you. There is some truth to both.

Either way, the fact that you were a medic is more important than having a current cert (that you will almost assuredly never really use again).

Hope that helps.

 

[TerraMedicX]

I've been thinking about this myself....I JUST renewed my registry, so I'm good until March of 2010, but I'm also put off by that whole "Are you active in EMS?" Question. After reading Polygonal's post though...maybe I'll just let it go...IF I renew...I'll probably do a refresher class over next summer...


Nate.

 

[Powder]

Don't waste your time if you are not planning on using it during med school.

 

[Pav]

I just renewed my paramedic cert and was able to do most of it online. I found a 48 hour refresher online where I could complete most of it on my own time and only had to show up one morning for practicals (megacodes, immobilization, airway stuff). I also included a copy of my med school transcript in the renewal application. The NREMT will count your med school for some CME credit. I haven't worked much lately, but the medical director where I am still on staff had no problem signing my paperwork. I guess it's all dependent of your state's OEMS rules and whether or not you want NREMT. I submitted the same CME hours to both my state and NREMT and had no trouble getting both. It seems that you can get most of your CME hours online and with your med school transcript which is pretty easy to do. If your state does not have an online core refresher option you may be able to find an intense weekend type 48 hour refresher (over 2 weekends).
I look at like this...I paid a lot of money for my medic class and if it's not that hard (and it wasn't for me) to renew then I'll do it. If it was harder to do I may not have done it. I'm going into emergency medicine (I'm in a transitional year right now headed to a 2-4 program) and would like to do more EMS in the future so I'm going to keep the cert as long as possible as long as it's not too difficult.

Here are some links. Maybe they are good in your state. I know NREMT accepts most of them. Any questions you can PM me.

www.mediced.com

http://www.ifeme.com/main.php (Northeast)

 

[crewmaster1]

I would only renew if you're going to continue to work. I kept mine and worked part time during med school for extra cash. Otherwise residencies will not care if your cert is current our not, they will more care about your experience.

With regards to how being a medic/EMT helps you, I wouldn't place the emphasis on how you can already run codes and intubate...nobody really cares, You will get trained in residency and get plenty of experience anyways. I more sold it as I had a lot of experience/exposure in the field of EMS/emergency medicine via EMS and this has allowed me to see what EM docs do and confirmed my desire to train in EM. Remember, many applicants who want to do EM have only had two months of exposure to EM during med school and maybe a few volunteer nights in the ED or an "interest group." You can tell them about your years of experience taking patients into the ED, interacting with the nurses and docs and seeing what EM is really about. Any person who has EMS experience understands that working as an ED doc is not always taking care of polite, appreciative patients with true emergencies!

 

[EMmedic]

Here are some links. Maybe they are good in your state. I know NREMT accepts most of them. Any questions you can PM me.

www.mediced.com

http://www.ifeme.com/main.php (Northeast)

Thanks so much - I didn't realize that the online refreshers were acceptable now. Your website advice was very helpful and I will definitely look into that. If it is easy enough time-wise, then I will probably recert (more due my own reluctance to let it go after the hard work of getting it). If it looks like it will be too difficult, I will probably listen to others and just let it go. I realize that it won't be especially helpful in the road that is ahead of me, but its just hard to let go of the past 🙂

 

[EMmedic]

With regards to how being a medic/EMT helps you, I wouldn't place the emphasis on how you can already run codes and intubate...nobody really cares, You will get trained in residency and get plenty of experience anyways. I more sold it as I had a lot of experience/exposure in the field of EMS/emergency medicine via EMS and this has allowed me to see what EM docs do and confirmed my desire to train in EM. Remember, many applicants who want to do EM have only had two months of exposure to EM during med school and maybe a few volunteer nights in the ED or an "interest group." You can tell them about your years of experience taking patients into the ED, interacting with the nurses and docs and seeing what EM is really about. Any person who has EMS experience understands that working as an ED doc is not always taking care of polite, appreciative patients with true emergencies!

This is great advice, thanks so much. I have only had minimal clinical exposure in medical school so far (MSII) but I have thought a lot about how I will approach this in third and fourth year. So far, I have kept my mouth shut to doctors about being a paramedic (unless they specifically ask if I have any clinical experience), and I'm inclined to continue doing this. If a doctor is teaching me to intubate or something, should I say that I have done it before and explain or should I just go along with it? I don't want to come across like I "know it all" because...well...I don't. Are my experiences better left unmentioned during rotations?

I know I just changed the topic, but your post led me to this question...

 

[HNS]

By keeping my medic current, at least in PA, I was able to become a certified Pre-Hospital Physician by just providing my license. Being a FF/Medic has been very important to me through the process of being a physician, and less to the residency in which I am now working. Ultimately you have to be happy with where you spend your time.

My only recommendation is that if you want ot become an EMS physician, as I do, is that you keep up your medic, it gives you street cred not afforded to those who are not certified.

 

[tkim]

By keeping my medic current, at least in PA, I was able to become a certified Pre-Hospital Physician by just providing my license. Being a FF/Medic has been very important to me through the process of being a physician, and less to the residency in which I am now working. Ultimately you have to be happy with where you spend your time.

My only recommendation is that if you want ot become an EMS physician, as I do, is that you keep up your medic, it gives you street cred not afforded to those who are not certified.

"Street cred" nothwithstanding, how will your current certification mean more than say - a guy with a decade or more as medic but with a lapsed cert?

 

[EMRaiden]

I received my National Registry in 1996, I have renewed it every 2 years since. I am currently on inactive status. I have never taken a renewal course, I just write a nice letter and include all the course work (from Medical School), lectures attended (residency), and cme/lectures (attending). I send my fee and they send my card.

I don't really have any need to keep it current, mostly nostalgia. It does give me some "street creds" with EMS, when they find out though.

 

[Apollyon]

I received my National Registry in 1996, I have renewed it every 2 years since. I am currently on inactive status. I have never taken a renewal course, I just write a nice letter and include all the course work (from Medical School), lectures attended (residency), and cme/lectures (attending). I send my fee and they send my card.

I don't really have any need to keep it current, mostly nostalgia. It does give me some "street creds" with EMS, when they find out though.

Just like the picture of you on your ID, 10 years (and 30 pounds) ago (when you were a med student).

 

[Jeff698]

Just like the picture of you on your ID, 10 years (and 30 pounds) ago (when you were a med student).

I'm not letting go of that picture of me with hair, no matter what! 🙂

And yes, I still maintain my paramedic license even though I can never practice as a paramedic again. I'm a sucker for nostalgia and tradition.

Take care,
Jeff