Working as a paramedic while in medical school

[MedicJosh]

I know there have been a multitude of threads regarding working during medical school and I know that it is generally not recommended.

I was wondering if any paramedics who went to medical school continued to work during medical school? If so, any comments about that experience would be much appreciated.

I imagine it would really depend on the type of EMS system. For instance, one of the places I currently work as a medic I'm in a fly car for a volunteer agency which is primarily BLS, so I for the most part I only transport on ALS calls. This allows me a fair amount of time to study/sleep while at work.

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[Dwindlin]

I know there have been a multitude of threads regarding working during medical school and I know that it is generally not recommended.

I was wondering if any paramedics who went to medical school continued to work during medical school? If so, any comments about that experience would be much appreciated.

I imagine it would really depend on the type of EMS system. For instance, one of the places I currently work as a medic I'm in a fly car for a volunteer agency which is primarily BLS, so I for the most part I only transport on ALS calls. This allows me a fair amount of time to study/sleep while at work.

It's doable. I'm a 2nd year and I'm actually at work right now lol. I average 24 hours a week as a 2nd year, and 36 to 48 hours as a 1st year. Granted the service isn't all that busy, I probably average 5 calls/24hrs.

When I first started I told myself I wasn't going to keep working, that lasted about a month before I wanted to off myself. I love the fire service so it is a great way for me to blow off steam. I probably would have tanked 1st year if not for getting a job lol.

 

[Apollyon]

When I was a 3rd and 4th year, when I could swing it, I would drive upstate for the weekend (Friday night to Sunday night) and work Saturday on the bus. It was good for $150 or so each time.

 

[proman]

When I started med school I stopped working. I had enough money with loans. I dedicated myself 150% to my education. If you need to support a family etc and absolutely need the money, I can understand. Otherwise I think it's only justified if you're at the top of your med school class and can afford to split your attention. Believe me, a couple hundred dollars isn't worth doing worse in school. And, your future is dictated by your board scores.

 

[psychbender]

I worked ALS a bit over a hundred hours a month through all four years of med school. It is definitely doable, and kept me sane.

 

[Altruist]

After the first few weeks of med school, I realized I just wasn't interested in trading in my free time on weekends to go ride on the ambulance anymore. It's not that it wasn't fun, or that I don't like EMS anymore... I just feel like the several years I spent on the ambulance were enough. I kept my national registry card, but switched to inactive status.

My main advice is this: Don't commit yourself either way until you start school and see what it's like, and how you feel. Some folks miss EMS too much, and keep doing it, as they've said above. Whether or not you'll feel that way, though, is impossible to say before you wrap your head around what you're in for.

 

[MRSAful Fate]

I am glad to find this thread and see that some people were able to make it work with a job in med school. I have a per diem interfacility EMT job at a very slow station (~3 calls per 24 hours) and I think it will be a good way to make some cash while in school, especially if I can be studying at the station most of the time and get some decent sleep while I'm at it.

 

[McPoyle]

I looked into it, but when I moved I decided that it just wasn't worth the effort to learn a new service.

I think I definitely could have done it timewise the first two years, especially second year, for whatever reason I found first year to be more time intensive than second year. But, like others had mentioned I didn't really want to trade in my free time to be working. Plus, after 8 years of it, I just wasn't all that intent on keeping it up. I ended up letting my paramedic cert go last year. Sometimes I really miss it, other times I can't figure out why I would've wanted to keep it.

 

[Altruist]

I looked into it, but when I moved I decided that it just wasn't worth the effort to learn a new service.

Now that I think of it, part of why I quit working is that I moved across the country to go to med school. If I'd been able to work once in a while with old friends at my old job, where I didn't have to go through orientation and all of that crap, I might have stayed active with it. I'm still not 100% that I would have done that, but if I'd wanted to, it would have been a hell of a lot easier.

 

[McPoyle]

Now that I think of it, part of why I quit working is that I moved across the country to go to med school. If I'd been able to work once in a while with old friends at my old job, where I didn't have to go through orientation and all of that crap, I might have stayed active with it. I'm still not 100% that I would have done that, but if I'd wanted to, it would have been a hell of a lot easier.

I agree, I definitely miss the people a lot more than the work itself.

 

[24IdaFire]

I did 12-24 hours a week while in medical school.

Very doable. I did my best to get on a quite rig, and studied most of the time.