# Paramedic or P.A. school?



## Michael Iacono (Feb 1, 2015)

Im currently in an EMT Certification class at my community college and am finding it very interesting and really enjoy the stuff im learning.

I want to be more than just an EMT tho. And Im wondering what I should go for next...

Med school..

P.A. school...

or Paramedic school...

Ive kinda of thought that Med school would be the way but it will be a loooooong road and ALOT of work and I worried that I will "poop out" trying to go to school for the next 11 years (im 26.5 years old right now).

Paramedic seems like a really cool adrenlaine filled job but the money is simply not there. 

So I look at P.A. school....I have an associates now in General Studies and would need to get the pre-reqs for P.A. school so it would be a good 5 years so so to get my degree. BUT, no residency or fellowship and alot less responsability than that of a doctor. 



Is it possible to work as a P.A. AND a paramedic?

Im most interested in Paramedic but at the same time I want to make money. Is a P.A. combined with paramedic career smart?

Should I go straight for P.A. or should I do Paramedic first???

Ive found the field Im intersted in, but now I need to find what specific job! 

Advice?


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## CANMAN (Feb 1, 2015)

Well I think it really boils down to what your end goals are?

If your looking for a career you can do well into retirement, with alot of job options, and the ability to make excellent money without having to work any part-time then PA school is your answer.

If your looking to do 911 or IFT type of calls, have less school, work for little money which most likely (depending on your lifestyle) will require you to work more hours and a part-time job, and also have a high potential for injury or burnout leaving you to find another career in the long run then Paramedic school is your answer.

Had I of known what I know now I would have gone to nursing school and went the CRNA route, or advanced practice nurse. PA is also an excellent option but an NP can setup their own practice.


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## Michael Iacono (Feb 1, 2015)

I talked to some councellors at school, and although I appreciate your advice about Nursing, I realized it is not for me. 

Could i work as a P.A. and do paramedic maybe part time on the side????


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## Michael Iacono (Feb 1, 2015)

or would I burn out?


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## Chewy20 (Feb 1, 2015)

I know nurses and PAs who are also paramedic certified and will pick up a shift whenever they feel like it. Just need to find a company that does per diem. Also, they are paramedics because they spent a few years as one before getting more schooling. By the time you are a PA I highly doubt you would want to go to medic school. Just go work in an ER. 

Trust me, from the outside EMS may seem adrenaline filled, when in actuality it is almost mind numbingly boring 99% of the time. 

Try and do the PA thing. It's what most of us end up shooting for (or something else related) after spending really any amount of time doing EMS.


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## Michael Iacono (Feb 1, 2015)

Thanks guys. I guess the option will always be there if I want to go back to school and do it real quick. Theres an 8-9 month program in my area so Its not like i would have to get the associates degree in it and take 2 years....


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## Gurby (Feb 1, 2015)

You aren't old at 26.5, but you aren't young either.  My recommendation would be the following:

Finish up your EMT cert, get an EMT-B job.  While doing this, start working on a bachelor's degree at your local 4-year college (major in a science and knock out all of your pre-req's).

A year or so of working as an EMT and taking classes should give you a better sense of what path is best for you.  You'll see if you enjoy working on an ambulance, and see if you can handle the high level of academics required for PA/med (you'll want a 3.6+ GPA).

Go spend a lot of time reading here:  http://www.physicianassistantforum.com/index.php?/forum/441-pre-pa-general-discussion/


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## EpiEMS (Feb 1, 2015)

PA school + assistant police surgeon or something "tacti-cool", for example, may satisfy your need for adrenaline!


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## sparticus (Feb 22, 2015)

Honestly bro there are alot of grumpy burnt out guys that will steer you away from ems when you ask this type of question. EMS is a very relative job and is largely based on where you live. To the guy that said EMS is 99.9% boring. Small county ems service doing routine transports, maybe. Busy 911 environment in a major city is not boring, it's all about what you want to get out of your job and patients. EMS is a totally different breed of medicine. So to answer your question you really just have to work as a Paramedic to get a sense of what the job is like...

As a ER P.A you will be doing the same motor skills as a Paramedic. A good Paramedic can diagnose just as well as a P.A can. A mediocre Paramedic will just bring bodies to the ER drop them off give a lame report and head back out the door. You have to decide what type of Paramedic you want to be. That brings me to my next point, EMS has a huge disparity between quality of education, giving rise to our low pay. Our Paramedics are paid well. Zero experience and no degree starts you off at about 35k a year. Within 5 years you can be making close to 50k (EMS Rewards Experience) with Overtime some guys make 100K.   

P.A school is a great option, you will learn more, and you may have the quality of life you are looking for surgical P.A's can make 150K. However Paramedics do the job, because no one else wants to. To be a Paramedic is to answer a calling. I never understood why guys would allow themselves to get so bitter to the point they deride their profession. A Paramedic is a noble job, be proud of it.


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## Chewy20 (Feb 22, 2015)

sparticus said:


> Honestly bro there are alot of grumpy burnt out guys that will steer you away from ems when you ask this type of question. EMS is a very relative job and is largely based on where you live. To the guy that said EMS is 99.9% boring. Small county ems service doing routine transports, maybe. Busy 911 environment in a major city is not boring, it's all about what you want to get out of your job and patients. EMS is a totally different breed of medicine. So to answer your question you really just have to work as a Paramedic to get a sense of what the job is like...
> 
> As a ER P.A you will be doing the same motor skills as a Paramedic. A good Paramedic can diagnose just as well as a P.A can. A mediocre Paramedic will just bring bodies to the ER drop them off give a lame report and head back out the door. You have to decide what type of Paramedic you want to be. That brings me to my next point, EMS has a huge disparity between quality of education, giving rise to our low pay. Our Paramedics are paid well. Zero experience and no degree starts you off at about 35k a year. Within 5 years you can be making close to 50k (EMS Rewards Experience) with Overtime some guys make 100K.
> 
> P.A school is a great option, you will learn more, and you may have the quality of life you are looking for surgical P.A's can make 150K. However Paramedics do the job, because no one else wants to. To be a Paramedic is to answer a calling. I never understood why guys would allow themselves to get so bitter to the point they deride their profession. A Paramedic is a noble job, be proud of it.


 
Lol I work for one of the biggest if not the biggest 911 only third service in the country, in the 13th largest city in the country. Yes, its still boring "bro".


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## mgr22 (Feb 22, 2015)

To the OP, I suggest you get a bachelor's degree in anything that interests you. That will give you a base to build on for whatever comes next, even if you decide you don't want to pursue medicine.


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## Ewok Jerky (Feb 22, 2015)

If it will take you 5 years to get your BA I would focus on that as it is the most bang for your buck, plus it's really the 1st thing on the list for anything beyond a career on an ambulance.

When I was in your shoes, I decided that I would not be a competitive candidate for med school because I was coming to the party kind of late and had no great extra curricular experience since finishing undergrad.  I focused on PA school with medic/fire as a backup plan. By the time I got my ducks in a row for PA school I would be around 30 with a wife and planning on having kids so a career that I could support my family with was important. I decided to stay an EMT and put off medic school. If I hadnt got into PA school after 2 tries I would have gone to medic school instead and tried to join a firehouse.

In my state, as a PA I can challenege the medic test and if I can find find a job I can work as a medic for about $40 less per hour as I would working as a PA. If adrenaline is that important to you, I would imagine a lot of states have the ability to challenge he medic test for PAs.

You may also find that another field of medicine might be more interesting than emergency too. But I would definitely think twice about going to PA school "for the money".

Get your EMT and work a while while you get your BA. As long as you are not spinning your wheels you have plenty of time to figure out what comes next.


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## JosephDurham (Feb 22, 2015)

Michael, 

I commend your desire.  I am 30
Yrs old and have a new baby girl, now 8 months old, a 11 yr old son that is in every sport known (lol), a wife, and a full time job.  I just finished my emt-b training, and now I'm in fire school.  The paramedic program begins in August as soon as fire class ends. And that'll keep me busy, God knows. 

I've considered going to med school instead, but where will I be able to make the biggest difference?  Not knocking P A's at all!!  But where will you be the happiest??   And, can you hold out
For all the education that a P A is required?

Things to think about,

Joseph


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## Carlos Danger (Feb 22, 2015)

I started out as a paramedic and recently graduated CRNA school. Before I started CRNA school I did urban 911, rural 911, CCT, and HEMS, both as a nurse and as a paramedic.

PA or MD are of course great options, if they are what you want to do.

But for someone who really wants to do EMS _and_ eventually get into advanced practice, _and_ have plenty of safety net along the way, I think it's tough to beat nursing. You could go from paramedic (or EMT) to NP without ever missing a paycheck. And if at any point you need a job that pays better than EMS or doesn't require you to haul 400 pounders down several flights of stairs every day, you can always go to work as an RN.

But in a way I'm glad that so many EMS folks say "nursing isn't for me". Less competition for those of us who thought differently.


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## SandpitMedic (Feb 22, 2015)

Nice sig line, Remi.


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## Tigger (Feb 22, 2015)

It's worth adding that it's significantly more difficult to get into PA school than it is a medic program (the same goes for nursing). You'll have to do well on your prerequisites to be competitive, among other things. Meanwhile for medic school, you'll have to pass them before class (maybe).

Unlike EMS, you can't just snap your fingers and get into school.


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## SandpitMedic (Feb 22, 2015)

Unless you have a GPA of 3.8 or greater and several years of clinical experience.


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## Tigger (Feb 22, 2015)

Sure, but it takes time to get to that point.


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## SandpitMedic (Feb 22, 2015)

PA programs are now (as of 2015) Masters Programs. Sooo consider medical school. 

There aren't any "easy" or "quick" PA programs.


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## Chewy20 (Feb 22, 2015)

SandpitMedic said:


> PA programs are now (as of 2015) Masters Programs. Sooo consider medical school.
> 
> There aren't any "easy" or "quick" PA programs.


 
Stanford doesnt even require an associates degree to attend their PA school, they are huge on clinical exp. Granted most applicants already have their 4 year degree. Thats how PA school used to be until the whole you NEED to go to school thing started and bachelor degrees basically became associates degrees.


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## sparticus (Feb 22, 2015)

If Paramedic is boring  then you will likely find P.A / Nursing boring as well. It really boils down to what you want to do. There is money in EMS, you won't make 150k+ unless you go overseas but you can make 60-90K with an EMS degree and 5-10 years of quality 911 system experience. Your Paramedic experience will serve you well as a Nurse and P.A. The most important thing is good solid Patient Assessment. I saw a P.A fumble through clearing someone off a backboard and i cringed, you can have all the medical knowledge in the world, but if you don't have the psychomotor skills to do the job then you are almost worthless to an ER department as you will undermine all they are trying to accomplish. 

Hence why competitive P.A programs require at least 1000 clinical hours as a Nurse or EMT/Paramedic.  Also I have observed that our ER Treat P.A's like glorified nurses, which sucks and i think they are underutilized in an already overburdened health care system.


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## sparticus (Feb 22, 2015)

Chewy20 said:


> Stanford doesnt even require an associates degree to attend their PA school, they are huge on clinical exp. Granted most applicants already have their 4 year degree. Thats how PA school used to be until the whole you NEED to go to school thing started and bachelor degrees basically became associates degrees.



You spoke alot of truth there. a Masters does not make you a good P.A. Good solid Patient Assessment does though. You can learn that as an EMT, if you go above and beyond what you cert requires you to know


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## Chewy20 (Feb 22, 2015)

sparticus said:


> If Paramedic is boring  then you will likely find P.A / Nursing boring as well. It really boils down to what you want to do. There is money in EMS, you won't make 150k+ unless you go overseas but you can make 60-90K with an EMS degree and 5-10 years of quality 911 system experience. Your Paramedic experience will serve you well as a Nurse and P.A. The most important thing is good solid Patient Assessment. I saw a P.A fumble through clearing someone off a backboard and i cringed, you can have all the medical knowledge in the world, but if you don't have the psychomotor skills to do the job then you are almost worthless to an ER department as you will undermine all they are trying to accomplish.
> 
> Hence why competitive P.A programs require at least 1000 clinical hours as a Nurse or EMT/Paramedic.  Also I have observed that our ER Treat P.A's like glorified nurses, which sucks and i think they are underutilized in an already overburdened health care system.


 
Have shadowed Surgical PA's and found it to be interesting. Theres a lot of autonomy in that profession (can switch fields with no extra training), and you are right some ER PA's do not do much. On the other hand some PA's run ER's in rural areas, or can do quite a lot in the OR if their surgeon trusts them enough. The pros of not being on a box heavily outweigh the cons IMO (everyone is different). I am making in that pay range you gave, as a basic, and I do not find it to be to all that gratifying. For me it would be gratifying to be at the higher end of the medical food chain while earning more money. Again everyone is different, what I think is ideal, the next person will not.


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## Brandon O (Feb 22, 2015)

150k is probably 99th percentile for PAs.


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## JPINFV (Feb 22, 2015)

Chewy20 said:


> Have shadowed Surgical PA's and found it to be interesting. Theres a lot of autonomy in that profession (can switch fields with no extra training), and you are right some ER PA's do not do much. On the other hand some PA's run ER's in rural areas, or can do quite a lot in the OR if their surgeon trusts them enough. The pros of not being on a box heavily outweigh the cons IMO (everyone is different). I am making in that pay range you gave, as a basic, and I do not find it to be to all that gratifying. For me it would be gratifying to be at the higher end of the medical food chain while earning more money. Again everyone is different, what I think is ideal, the next person will not.


 

Of course the problem with being a PA for some people is that your essentially a glorified senior resident the rest of your life. The GI PA at my hospital essentially runs the consult service, but he still has to check in with the on-call attending at the end of the day. He's also dissatisfied at this point with the lack of autonomy that he applied for medical school this year and was just accepted at a program on the East Coast. If your (generic "your") the sort of person who wants autonomy and not being at the whim of your supervising physician (and I'll grant that the level of oversight varies significantly), then PA school may be a poor choice.


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## Chewy20 (Feb 22, 2015)

JPINFV said:


> Of course the problem with being a PA for some people is that your essentially a glorified senior resident the rest of your life. The GI PA at my hospital essentially runs the consult service, but he still has to check in with the on-call attending at the end of the day. He's also dissatisfied at this point with the lack of autonomy that he applied for medical school this year and was just accepted at a program on the East Coast. If your (generic "your") the sort of person who wants autonomy and not being at the whim of your supervising physician (and I'll grant that the level of oversight varies significantly), then PA school may be a poor choice.


 
Better than being called a "glorified taxi driver." 

I have thought about med school, just don't know if I want to spend that much extra time in school then deal with residency. When the time comes I will more than likely apply to both, and if I happen to get into a few schools then weigh my options.


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## JPINFV (Feb 22, 2015)

sparticus said:


> If Paramedic is boring  then you will likely find P.A / Nursing boring as well. It really boils down to what you want to do. There is money in EMS, you won't make 150k+ unless you go overseas but you can make 60-90K with an EMS degree and 5-10 years of quality 911 system experience. Your Paramedic experience will serve you well as a Nurse and P.A. The most important thing is good solid Patient Assessment. I saw a P.A fumble through clearing someone off a backboard and i cringed, you can have all the medical knowledge in the world, but if you don't have the psychomotor skills to do the job then you are almost worthless to an ER department as you will undermine all they are trying to accomplish.
> 
> Hence why competitive P.A programs require at least 1000 clinical hours as a Nurse or EMT/Paramedic.  Also I have observed that our ER Treat P.A's like glorified nurses, which sucks and i think they are underutilized in an already overburdened health care system.


 
1. Just because someone finds EMS boring doesn't mean that they'll find PA or nursing boring. EMS isn't the end-all be-all of medicine.

2. Good patient assessment is always going to be at the whim of how much the person doing the exam understands the components and what those components are actually saying. Also, how often does that PA clear a board off of someone?

3. In general, given a non-critical access/no one else wants the job situation, the PA should be at least running the basics (short conversations) by which ever physician's name is going on the chart prior to final disposition.


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## JPINFV (Feb 22, 2015)

sparticus said:


> As a ER P.A you will be doing the same motor skills as a Paramedic. A good Paramedic can diagnose just as well as a P.A can. A mediocre Paramedic will just bring bodies to the ER drop them off give a lame report and head back out the door. You have to decide what type of Paramedic you want to be. That brings me to my next point, EMS has a huge disparity between quality of education, giving rise to our low pay. Our Paramedics are paid well. Zero experience and no degree starts you off at about 35k a year. Within 5 years you can be making close to 50k (EMS Rewards Experience) with Overtime some guys make 100K.
> 
> P.A school is a great option, you will learn more, and you may have the quality of life you are looking for surgical P.A's can make 150K. However Paramedics do the job, because no one else wants to. To be a Paramedic is to answer a calling. I never understood why guys would allow themselves to get so bitter to the point they deride their profession. A Paramedic is a noble job, be proud of it.


 

1. Any PA worth their salt should be able to run circles around the average and even above average paramedic in terms of diagnostic ability and being able to consider differentials. Any PA that can't is more a reflection on the PA than the paramedic. You simply can't diagnose something you've never heard of before.

2. Let's be honest, most of medicine is a "calling" if you want to put it that way, and the sacrifices can be dramatically different. However, neither that nor how noble a job will necessarily make up for all of the problems associated with EMS (or medicine in general).


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## Brandon O (Feb 22, 2015)

JPINFV said:


> 3. In general, given a non-critical access/no one else wants the job situation, the PA should be at least running the basics (short conversations) by which ever physician's name is going on the chart prior to final disposition.



This is not necessarily the case. Highly dependent on the state (i.e. oversight regulations), facility/group, and individuals involved. For many supervision consists of consultation as-needed only.

(This is a bit like EMS systems in that everyone does it very differently and I think everyone tends to assume the way they're familiar with is the only way...)


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## sparticus (Feb 22, 2015)

JPINFV said:


> 1. Any PA worth their salt should be able to run circles around the average and even above average paramedic in terms of diagnostic ability and being able to consider differentials. Any PA that can't is more a reflection on the PA than the paramedic. You simply can't diagnose something you've never heard of before.
> 
> 2. Let's be honest, most of medicine is a "calling" if you want to put it that way, and the sacrifices can be dramatically different. However, neither that nor how noble a job will necessarily make up for all of the problems associated with EMS (or medicine in general).



I disagree on both points you make here. I know several Paramedics who are brilliant. You take your knowledge where you want to take it. What do you do on your down time do you sleep or study meds and differential diagnosis. When you write your reports? do you use medical terminology or layman joe off the street. There are alot of mediocre lackluster paramedics who are burnt out who just don't care about the job and how important it is.

This concept goes for every job.. In fact like chewy states up until a few years ago a P.A did not need a BA so you had P.A working w/ 2 years of college

secondly not all medicine is the same if you have a calling to be a Paramedic. It's what you want to do you find Satisfaction in your job no matter the cons. EMS is a job that anyone can do but not many want to do it, that alone should be noble in itself. I left a 80K bank Job to work EMS.

Also I would home a P.A would know how to clear spinal working in a ER room in a system that have liberal spinal immobilization protocols


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## sparticus (Feb 22, 2015)

Paramedics are like special teams. You can't win games without them unless you want that Cardiac Arrest or multiple GSW to the chest to walk into the ER by themselves...

Also I tell all my buddies who complain about getting that headache, Stumped toe or ETOH freq flyer ... "Dude...Look on the bright side...at least we only have to deal with them for 20-30 min a Nurse, PA or MD has to deal with them for hours lol"


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## sparticus (Feb 22, 2015)

JPINFV said:


> Of course the problem with being a PA for some people is that your essentially a glorified senior resident the rest of your life. The GI PA at my hospital essentially runs the consult service, but he still has to check in with the on-call attending at the end of the day. He's also dissatisfied at this point with the lack of autonomy that he applied for medical school this year and was just accepted at a program on the East Coast. If your (generic "your") the sort of person who wants autonomy and not being at the whim of your supervising physician (and I'll grant that the level of oversight varies significantly), then PA school may be a poor choice.



I agree w/ you here


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## Ewok Jerky (Feb 22, 2015)

sparticus said:


> "Dude...Look on the bright side...at least we only have to deal with them for 20-30 min a Nurse has to deal with them for hours lol"


Fixed that


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## Ewok Jerky (Feb 22, 2015)

sparticus said:


> If Paramedic is boring then you will likely find P.A / Nursing boring as well. It really boils down to what you want to do.


Absolutely disagree. EM is one branch of medicine. And for all the adrenaline of both the field and the ED, bread and butter Emergency is a handful of life threatening illnesses. Anything else is punted to medicine or primary care. If you like procedures ok it's a little more interesting.

I was getting bored with EMS, not burnt out, when I got into PA school.  Each class during didactic was more interesting than the last. During clinicals I would have taken a job with any one of my rotation sites.


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## Chewy20 (Feb 22, 2015)

sparticus said:


> This concept goes for every job.. In fact like chewy states up until a few years ago a P.A did not need a BA so you had P.A working w/ 2 years of college


 


sparticus said:


> I know several Paramedics who are brilliant.


 
1. Yes I said that, and it is true. But PA's coming out of a two year program know a heck of a lot more than what you learn in medic school. A LOT more. PA is still a two year program, you can get a bachelors in under water basket weaving as long as you have the pre-reqs.

2. Yeah so do I, yet the most brillaint medics you have seen have probably spent their whole career in EMS. Its deffinitly not the norm. 

3. I feel like you are way to happy of a person. How long have you been in "EMS"?


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## JPINFV (Feb 22, 2015)

sparticus said:


> I disagree on both points you make here. I know several Paramedics who are brilliant. You take your knowledge where you want to take it. What do you do on your down time do you sleep or study meds and differential diagnosis. When you write your reports? do you use medical terminology or layman joe off the street. There are alot of mediocre lackluster paramedics who are burnt out who just don't care about the job and how important it is.



The plural of "anecdote" is not "data."



> secondly not all medicine is the same if you have a calling to be a Paramedic. It's what you want to do you find Satisfaction in your job no matter the cons. EMS is a job that anyone can do but not many want to do it, that alone should be noble in itself. I left a 80K bank Job to work EMS.



...and with medicine the training/education time frame is so long that many people enter it not realizing what it takes, realize too late that it's not what they want, but end up being stuck and burning out. 



> Also I would home a P.A would know how to clear spinal working in a ER room in a system that have liberal spinal immobilization protocols


How long has that PA worked there?

Also the ED doesn't care what the EMS protocols are. They're free to make their own standards on clearing c-spine.


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## OnceAnEMT (Feb 22, 2015)

JPINFV said:


> The plural of "anecdote" is not "data."
> 
> Also the ED doesn't care what the EMS protocols are. They're free to make their own standards on clearing c-spine.



Well, I wouldn't go as far as "not care" as it certainly is communicated, specifically with Stroke and STEMI alerts. Where I am at, if they call either of those from the field, we call it and thus page it out. Similar process with trauma criteria, though that tends to waver a bit more. Now, c-spine... it doesn't matter if L5 is in your abdomen, the board is coming out. We will leave c-collars until cleared by palpation or imaging if iffy, and will put collars on people we suspect (POV or EMS Pts). No one holding manual in-line stabilization or anything though. 

I am honestly surprised this thread took off like I did. I personally cannot even see it reasonable to compare PA and Paramedic. They are 2 completely different fields, completely different education systems and curriculum, and completely different scopes. If you want to (and have the grades, hours, and pre-reqs to) commit to a little more education and have the opportunity for more variability in your life while maintaining an easy going schedule (if you want it), and always be "second", go PA. If you want a guaranteed faster-paced career with less pay and more stress but with outlandish benefits that just may complete your life, and the opportunity to call your own shots and make your own decisions on your own scene with your own patient with a team under you, go Paramedic.

Completely different things.


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## JPINFV (Feb 22, 2015)

Grimes said:


> Well, I wouldn't go as far as "not care" as it certainly is communicated, specifically with Stroke and STEMI alerts. Where I am at, if they call either of those from the field, we call it and thus page it out. Similar process with trauma criteria, though that tends to waver a bit more. Now, c-spine... it doesn't matter if L5 is in your abdomen, the board is coming out. We will leave c-collars until cleared by palpation or imaging if iffy, and will put collars on people we suspect (POV or EMS Pts). No one holding manual in-line stabilization or anything though.


Also, at least at my hospital, any one who does remain in a collar is switched to a philly collar... and not the adjustable collars left at no-neck level that most of the EMS patients are brought in on.


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## Ewok Jerky (Feb 23, 2015)

Grimes said:


> I am honestly surprised this thread took off like I did. I personally cannot even see it reasonable to compare PA and Paramedic. They are 2 completely different fields, completely different education systems and curriculum, and completely different scopes. If you want to (and have the grades, hours, and pre-reqs to) commit to a little more education and have the opportunity for more variability in your life while maintaining an easy going schedule (if you want it), and always be "second", go PA. If you want a guaranteed faster-paced career with less pay and more stress but with outlandish benefits that just may complete your life, and the opportunity to call your own shots and make your own decisions on your own scene with your own patient with a team under you, go Paramedic.
> 
> Completely different things.



You obviously haven't met very many PAs.
this is a popular topic because the original PAs were medics trained by physician to provide rural primary care. So no, they are not 2 completely different fields.


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## OnceAnEMT (Feb 23, 2015)

Ewok Jerky said:


> You obviously haven't met very many PAs.
> this is a popular topic because the original PAs were medics trained by physician to provide rural primary care. So no, they are not 2 completely different fields.



If you're looking at PAs in the sense of emergency medicine or critical care, sure, but you're ignored the possibility of an OB or family or sports medicine PA. You're right, I haven't met many PAs. But I do know that the profession is really seeing light now adays and the "original PAs" are finding competition it becomes more saturated with providers.


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## JPINFV (Feb 23, 2015)

Ewok Jerky said:


> You obviously haven't met very many PAs.
> this is a popular topic because the original PAs were medics trained by physician to provide rural primary care. So no, they are not 2 completely different fields.


Barbers and surgeons are pretty much the same thing, right? After all, historically surgeons were barbers.


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## Ewok Jerky (Feb 23, 2015)

JPINFV said:


> Barbers and surgeons are pretty much the same thing, right? After all, historically surgeons were barbers.


C'mon now, we are talking 40 years ago not 4000. They aren't "the same thing" but they aren't "2 completely different fields" either.


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## Ewok Jerky (Feb 23, 2015)

Grimes said:


> If you're looking at PAs in the sense of emergency medicine or critical care, sure, but you're ignored the possibility of an OB or family or sports medicine PA. You're right, I haven't met many PAs. But I do know that the profession is really seeing light now adays and the "original PAs" are finding competition it becomes more saturated with providers.


I have no idea what you were trying to say
Actually a CC or EM PA is more likely to have a physician looking over their shoulder than a PA working in primary care/ FM, OB, or ortho.


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## irishboxer384 (Feb 23, 2015)

JPINFV said:


> Barbers and surgeons are pretty much the same thing, right? After all, historically surgeons were barbers.



Id say there's more chance of a PA being allowed to do a job similar to a paramedic nowadays than letting a barber in the OR mate...


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## Brandon O (Feb 23, 2015)

Nooo idea what this thread is about anymore...


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## Carlos Danger (Feb 23, 2015)

sparticus said:


> As a ER P.A you will be doing the same motor skills as a Paramedic. *A good Paramedic can diagnose just as well as a P.A can.*


Paramedic = PA? These are some wild assed claims here.....



sparticus said:


> I disagree on both points you make here. *I know several Paramedics who are brilliant.*



So do I. I also know several PA's who are brilliant. What does that prove?



sparticus said:


> *I saw a P.A fumble through clearing someone off a backboard and i cringed,* you can have all the medical knowledge in the world,



Is this really the quality of evidence that you want to use to support your argument?

Have you really never seen a paramedic fumble through anything?


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## TattooedNay (Feb 23, 2015)

The best Physicians, PA's and Nurses I've come across have been medics and spent significant time on the truck. Just sayin...


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## SandpitMedic (Feb 23, 2015)

TattooedNay said:


> The best Physicians, PA's and Nurses I've come across have been medics and spent significant time on the truck. Just sayin...


True that... Including the folks who wrote the book!


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## wtferick (Feb 23, 2015)

currently an emt for an ift company for about a year, i love being on an ambulance. The ER setting to me seems stressful. 

Like everyone else has said. work on an ambulance  and see if you enjoy it.

Not everyone enjoys being in an ambulance and would rather work at a hospital, vise versa and so on.


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## Carlos Danger (Feb 23, 2015)

TattooedNay said:


> The best Physicians, PA's and Nurses I've come across have been medics and spent significant time on the truck. Just sayin...



That's because many of the physicians, PA's, and nurses you know just happen to have been medics and spent significant time on the truck. We call that "selection bias".

Plus, what qualifies one to determine "the best" physicians, PA's, and nurses? How can one judge a profession that they themselves are unqualified for?


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## TattooedNay (Feb 23, 2015)

Remi said:


> How can one judge a profession that they themselves are unqualified for?



...... easily....


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## Carlos Danger (Feb 24, 2015)

TattooedNay said:


> ...... easily....


But certainly not accurately


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## TattooedNay (Feb 24, 2015)

Never claimed to be accurate. It was just an opinion. Sorry. You're right, I'm wrong, you win the internet.


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