Should I stay in the Medic Class?

[TarHeelEMT]

I'm in a bit of a pickle. I'm a full-time EMT-B who will be starting medical school in the fall. Since January, I've been in a paramedic class at a community college in the same town where I will be attending medical school. I know with about as much certainty as any first year med student can have that I will be going into emergency medicine. I just absolutely love the field. The paramedic class that I'm in ends in December, several months after I start med school, and then there's the 500 clinical hours (of which I have ~400 left). I'll have until July of next year to finish the clinical hours.

I've been agonizing over whether or not to stay in the medic class for several weeks, and I just can't make a decision. I want to go into emergency medicine, and I think that being a paramedic could be a great experience for an ER physician to have under his belt (and I truly love working prehospitally), but at the same time, that's one heck of a time commitment for a medical student.

Unfortunately, the system in which I will volunteer during school doesn't recognize EMT-I, so it's either finish the medic class or give up all the training and skills that I've mastered to drop to being an EMT-B for the next five years.

Thoughts?

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[MedicFL]

Your not going to get much out of being a paramedic since your already in Medical school. By the time you finish everything for your paramedic and get your state cert you will getting ready to start your second year of medical school. You are not going to have much free time to actually use your paramedic cert. Its your call if you have enough time to do both no one can answer that for you. I can tell you though at this point it isn't going to do much for you..

 

[MadMack]

No real sense in staying on in the class. If you want to be a medic, differ admission to the medical school for a year and give the medic course the attention it deserves. Otherwise, go full forward for Medical school, and give being a doc the attention it deserves. Don't half ass either one of them as they're both extremely important positions in the hospital and pre-hospital field.

I wish you the best of luck in whichever you choose and I'll be honest, in your place I would put all my effort into medical school. You can always become a medic or medical director later.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[TarHeelEMT]

No real sense in staying on in the class. If you want to be a medic, differ admission to the medical school for a year and give the medic course the attention it deserves. Otherwise, go full forward for Medical school, and give being a doc the attention it deserves. Don't half ass either one of them as they're both extremely important positions in the hospital and pre-hospital field.

I wish you the best of luck in whichever you choose and I'll be honest, in your place I would put all my effort into medical school. You can always become a medic or medical director later.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

That was my original plan, but they countered my decision with a scholarship offer if I came this year.

I know that I should quit medic class and go, but it's a hard decision, having wanted to be a paramedic for so long.

 

[MedicFL]

DO NOT defer medical school for medic class that would be one of the dumbest things you could do. Pushing medical school back a year will cost, you lets say the avg ED DOC makes 200,000. You would be loose that earning potential for a year just to stay in medic class. Does that seem like it makes good sense? IF you keep your EMT up once you become a DOC you can challenge the paramedic exam.

 

[MadMack]

That was my original plan, but they countered my decision with a scholarship offer if I came this year.

I know that I should quit medic class and go, but it's a hard decision, having wanted to be a paramedic for so long.

I was being more tongue in cheek then serious when I said that. You got into med school, you got a scholarship, go forth into medicine and kick some ass. If you still want to do EMS in addition to being an ED Doc when you get out, most states will let you challenge their exam. We need good doctors in the ED, go be one.

 

[docB]

That was my original plan, but they countered my decision with a scholarship offer if I came this year.

I know that I should quit medic class and go, but it's a hard decision, having wanted to be a paramedic for so long.

I was never in a paramedic program so I didn't have to make the same decision you're making but not being a medic has not hindered me in any of my involvement with EMS administration or eductation as a doc. There are lots of opportunities to get involved in EMS as a physician both in residency and after.

 

[greytmedic]

If you stay in medic school and kill yourself with the time commitment, never really do much time in the field, and finish medical school you will eventually be a ... DOCTOR

If you drop out of medic school and make your life as a medical student a tiny bit easier and finish medical school you wil eventually be a ... DOCTOR

See, to me it's a no brainer, doctor trumps paramedic.

 

[Druggernaut]

Just out of curosity, what kind of stats (GPA, MCAT, and experiences) did you get your acceptance and scholarship with?

 

[TarHeelEMT]

Well, I went to class with the intention of quitting tonight, but the clinical coordinator said she'd give me a 6-month extension on my clinical times, which gives me all of next summer to do the hours (precisely what I was worried about before). Now I think I'm going to stick it out, just do the didactic portion this fall (which for me is mostly a social event, anyway), and do my clinicals during my summer break.

That said, I'm only going to it so long as it is still fun. That's why I'm in it to begin with. I really love EMS. If it starts to hurt my grades or ceases to be fun, I'll quit.

Just out of curosity, what kind of stats (GPA, MCAT, and experiences) did you get your acceptance and scholarship with?

GPA: Not impressive. 3.3, with notable Cs in organic II, cell and developmental biology, and Calc I, with a D in Calc II
No, I'm not dumb or lazy. It's just that I had majors in history and biology with minors in chemistry and Arabic. That's not the easiest courseload in the world - especially for someone who has no clue what they want to do in life.

MCAT: 39, having taken it on a whim (I was never really a premed, but I had the prereqs and took it a month after signing up, once I realized how much I loved patient assessment through EMS)

Experiences: I actually think the fact that I never considered med school until I started taking care of patients a year ago helped me. I added a bio major on a whim after finishing my history major in two years.
Other notable experience that led me to EMS (which led me to medicine): I spent two summers ago in Lebanon during the war (I did not evacuate with the rest of the Americans) and elected to stay behind for the duration of the war to learn what I could and work to help the refugees and wounded.

 

[MediumDef]

I would agree with the people who say that deferring to finish medic school is a waste of your time.

With regards to finishing didactic during your first year of school I know medic school usually boils down to intensive ACLS but it is still a commitment of time and energy that would likely be better used figuring out medical school. On top of that the 500 hours of clinical (and I assume 100-200h of ride time) is a lot to accomplish in a 3 month summer only to try and squeeze in enough hours of actual work during MSII-IV to make it worth the time.
Take some time to actually map out your schedule and if you think you can make it work great but take a long hard look at what the medics in your service do and ask if it is actually so fundamentally different than being a basic that it's worth it to you.

 

[leviathan]

If you like C+H then you will be fine, my friend.

 

[MacBook]

It's goofy you didn't plan things out better my friend. Either way, what a waste of money
There is really nothing you are going to be missing out of medic school since you're also enrolled in medical school. You can take your paramedic at a later time(tho I doubt you will once you're headstrong into you medical program).

Focus on medical school and leave EMS behind for now.

 

[TarHeelEMT]

It's goofy you didn't plan things out better my friend. Either way, what a waste of money
There is really nothing you are going to be missing out of medic school since you're also enrolled in medical school. You can take your paramedic at a later time(tho I doubt you will once you're headstrong into you medical program).

Focus on medical school and leave EMS behind for now.

EMS classes are free in North Carolina.

 

[TarHeelEMT]

T

 

[MacBook]

Then your post, no offense is even more stupid than I thought. If medic school is free, why is it such a difficult decision to make? You're not even losing money by dropping it and it's obvious you are going to be learning a lot more and progressing a lot further by going to your medical program

Dang! Here it's $6,500 for your EMT alone.

 

[TarHeelEMT]

Then your post, no offense is even more stupid than I thought. If medic school is free, why is it such a difficult decision to make? You're not even losing money by dropping it and it's obvious you are going to be learning a lot more and progressing a lot further by going to your medical program

Simple, because I really enjoy it.

 

[MacBook]

Simple, because I really enjoy it.

Medical school is far more important than EMS at this point. You obviously have various interests in medicine. You never what you are going to encounter thru medical school, something that will make you happier than EMS.

There is no reason for you (at a later date)to not finish your EMS training if you choose to do so. Don't burn yourself out by being involved with so much at once. Use that love for medicine as a drive to go thru medical school.

 

[jlittlej]

Tarheel EMT,

Where you at AUB or hanging out with family?

 

[TarHeelEMT]

Tarheel EMT,

Where you at AUB or hanging out with family?

Currently working full-time in EMS in North Carolina, but about to take a last blast mountaineering trip to the Cascades.

By AUB do you mean American University of Beirut? Haven't been there in two years, and probably won't get back for another two.