Worth it to become an EMT/Paramedic to get into med school?

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...so I guess the general consensus is that an EMT cert is useful depending on how you use it and what you make of it. Yes?

Yes!! don't get it just to have it and say you do. You need to use it in order for it to add a new level to your application. But remember, you have to have many good qualities and experiences to be a good med school candidate. EMT work alone will not do it, you need to balance it with other stuff, good grades, community services, etc. Cater your application to what you like to do and when you have time to do it. If finding a way to become an EMT, and then finding time to have a job does not work for you, then no big deal, find something else that does. Med schools don't necessarily rank possible EC activities, everyone has different goals and opportunities, do what works for you. They wanna see that you care about what you have chosen to do, so make that show through.

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Thanks. You've really done the world a service by spending your free time as a keyboard jockey. I hope when I am practicing, I can allocate time away from friends and family to surf the pre-med boards to dole out advice that is rehashed ad nauseam.



EM is my back up specialty. I will cross it off after I score a 230+ on step 1.:) We can take advice from the guy sitting on a handful of MD acceptances in 2011 or from the DO attending who hasn't been on the application scene in over 5+ years. Choices. Choices.

We can take advice from the guy who has already graduated medical school, passed all steps for the licensing exam, has graduated from residency and is an attending, or the guy who just got into med school, and has yet to step foot into the classroom, yet is already boasting of his future USMLE score and specialty.

Who sounds like the tool here?
 
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Thanks. You've really done the world a service by spending your free time as a keyboard jockey. I hope when I am practicing, I can allocate time away from friends and family to surf the pre-med boards to dole out advice that is rehashed ad nauseam.



EM is my back up specialty. I will cross it off after I score a 230+ on step 1.:) We can take advice from the guy sitting on a handful of MD acceptances in 2011 or from the DO attending who hasn't been on the application scene in over 5+ years. Choices. Choices.

We can take advice from the guy who has already graduated medical school, passed all steps for the licensing exam, has graduated from residency and is an attending, or the guy who just got into med school, and has yet to step foot into the classroom, yet is already boasting of his future USMLE score and specialty.

Who sounds like the tool here?




Woah guys, lets just all agree that an EMT cert is only as worthless as you make it. Same as getting an M.D., its only worth something if you do something with it
 
EMT certainly isn't for everyone, you do have to invest some time and a little money into taking a class and getting certified, but I find it ridiculous that anyone would be so vehemently opposed to it. The jobs are out there if you are motivated, and any decent pre-med should have a resume that will get them some attention. Even if you end up just carting old people from the SNF to the dialysis center you can throw a nice spin on it in your essays/interviews and make it sound golden. But if you can get on a 911 BLS unit, an ALS unit (with a paramedic), or a CCT unit (with a nurse) you will see some cool stuff. As with a lot of clinical/shadowing/EC things, how you portray what you did and how it influenced or affected you is at least as important as what you did. If you are into it, go for EMT. It will add to your application, and there aren't really that many pre-meds who go beyond getting certified and actually work as EMT's.
 
We can take advice from the guy who has already graduated medical school, passed all steps for the licensing exam, has graduated from residency and is an attending, or the guy who just got into med school, and has yet to step foot into the classroom, yet is already boasting of his future USMLE score and specialty.

Who sounds like the tool here?

+1


EMT certainly isn't for everyone, you do have to invest some time and a little money into taking a class and getting certified, but I find it ridiculous that anyone would be so vehemently opposed to it. The jobs are out there if you are motivated, and any decent pre-med should have a resume that will get them some attention. Even if you end up just carting old people from the SNF to the dialysis center you can throw a nice spin on it in your essays/interviews and make it sound golden. But if you can get on a 911 BLS unit, an ALS unit (with a paramedic), or a CCT unit (with a nurse) you will see some cool stuff. As with a lot of clinical/shadowing/EC things, how you portray what you did and how it influenced or affected you is at least as important as what you did. If you are into it, go for EMT. It will add to your application, and there aren't really that many pre-meds who go beyond getting certified and actually work as EMT's.

I agree that it is strange that someone is that opposed to getting an EMT cert. That is why I said earlier that he might not have gotten very far with it and now has a chip on his shoulder because of the roadblocks he encountered. You're right, a lot of premeds take the class, but not a lot of us continue on to work private and even fewer of us go on to work 911.
 
EMT certainly isn't for everyone, you do have to invest some time and a little money into taking a class and getting certified, but I find it ridiculous that anyone would be so vehemently opposed to it. The jobs are out there if you are motivated, and any decent pre-med should have a resume that will get them some attention. Even if you end up just carting old people from the SNF to the dialysis center you can throw a nice spin on it in your essays/interviews and make it sound golden. But if you can get on a 911 BLS unit, an ALS unit (with a paramedic), or a CCT unit (with a nurse) you will see some cool stuff. As with a lot of clinical/shadowing/EC things, how you portray what you did and how it influenced or affected you is at least as important as what you did. If you are into it, go for EMT. It will add to your application, and there aren't really that many pre-meds who go beyond getting certified and actually work as EMT's.

+1

And as I said before it can't hurt. And if you are looking at it from an admissions standpoint, who are you going to choose between two equal applicants? The guy who just took the class and sat on his butt, or the one who took what he learned and used it in EMS system for a couple of years?

You get what you put into it. When I just started I used to think "eh this is alright" but now I am a full blown 911 Junkie with an ambulance addiction. A lot of the EM docs I know have taken this route (or corp man in military) to get their feet wet.
 
+1

And as I said before it can't hurt. And if you are looking at it from an admissions standpoint, who are you going to choose between two equal applicants? The guy who just took the class and sat on his butt, or the one who took what he learned and used it in EMS system for a couple of years?

You get what you put into it. When I just started I used to think "eh this is alright" but now I am a full blown 911 Junkie with an ambulance addiction. A lot of the EM docs I know have taken this route (or corp man in military) to get their feet wet.

Uhoh, do I sense a little bit of a squirrel on our hands? :p
 
We can take advice from the guy who has already graduated medical school, passed all steps for the licensing exam, has graduated from residency and is an attending, or the guy who just got into med school, and has yet to step foot into the classroom, yet is already boasting of his future USMLE score and specialty.

Who sounds like the tool here?

You are right. Good luck to you in your endeavors.

EMT certainly isn't for everyone, you do have to invest some time and a little money into taking a class and getting certified, but I find it ridiculous that anyone would be so vehemently opposed to it. The jobs are out there if you are motivated, and any decent pre-med should have a resume that will get them some attention. Even if you end up just carting old people from the SNF to the dialysis center you can throw a nice spin on it in your essays/interviews and make it sound golden. But if you can get on a 911 BLS unit, an ALS unit (with a paramedic), or a CCT unit (with a nurse) you will see some cool stuff. As with a lot of clinical/shadowing/EC things, how you portray what you did and how it influenced or affected you is at least as important as what you did. If you are into it, go for EMT. It will add to your application, and there aren't really that many pre-meds who go beyond getting certified and actually work as EMT's.

Yes, It is ridiculous. Good luck in your medical career.


Best of luck in medical school.

I agree that it is strange that someone is that opposed to getting an EMT cert. That is why I said earlier that he might not have gotten very far with it and now has a chip on his shoulder because of the roadblocks he encountered. You're right, a lot of premeds take the class, but not a lot of us continue on to work private and even fewer of us go on to work 911.

I'm glad you enjoy your EMT experience.:thumbup:
 
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So, I notice the EMT debate has gone along for quite a few posts. How about the other part to the OP? To those that were EMT's, did you consider going on to become a medic before med school?
 
I've been out of school now for over a year and a half, but during my last semester in college I took a EMT-B course at a fire school. I never got certified but it was definitely a talking point in my interviews. I expressed that I had been volunteering at hospitals but felt it was lacking because there was no physical patient contact. So i decided to take the course so that I could have a little more "clearance" and get the opportunity to work on people during the rotations hours for the course (48 ambulance, 48 ER, 8 OB including witnessing 1 birth, etc.).

I'd have to say it was absolutely worth it and, if you are still in school something I would really consider, especially if you are like myself and want to go into emergency medicine.

and yes I'll be apart of the Class of 2015!!!
 
So, I notice the EMT debate has gone along for quite a few posts. How about the other part to the OP? To those that were EMT's, did you consider going on to become a medic before med school?
I would say that the full blown emt-p class is kinda overkill unless you are also doing this for the money and a way to put yourself through school. Yes, you get a lot better at procedures and get to do more, but the basic things you are trying to get in a clinical experience (patient contact, making decisions under pressure, comforting patients and empathizing with them, critical analysis) are all going to be there in the EMT-B. I wish I had my medic card, but it's a lot of money and all it would be for me is a bit more fun (I already work on a 3 man medic truck so I get to see everything done/assist with it) to do things myself and lead ALS calls. I would say spend the 900 hours required to get the card and spend it instead on patient contact.

Just my opinion that took 5 minutes of thinking and I would be interested to hear an opposing view on this one.
 
So, I notice the EMT debate has gone along for quite a few posts. How about the other part to the OP? To those that were EMT's, did you consider going on to become a medic before med school?
No. I initially wanted to be a paramedic/firefighter. After working as an EMT-B for 1 year full time and fulfilling the pre-reqs for my local paramedic programs, I decided to get an undergraduate degree in Human Biology and go to medical school instead. Thankfully, I succeeded and start as an MS1 next year. I have no regrets and am sure I made the right choice.

Becoming an EMT-P is difficult and takes a fair amount of time/money. Then, once you get your EMT-P, a lot of adcoms will not be all that impressed. Just ask any medic how nurses treat them. Do you think an MD is going to be blown away? Probably not...

Edit: I went back and read the thread after I posted... just wanted to clarify that WORKING as an EMT-B can be great clinical experience and provide good essay material, but IMO becoming an EMT-P is too time consuming.
 
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