# Should I go to Paramedic school?



## Shanelly (May 5, 2010)

I just passed my EMT class and off to doing my National registry class real soon.

During my EMS training in class my instructor told me I should consider of going to paramedic school. I really thought of it, I grew to love the field more than in the beginning before I started.

I was considering Paramedic school, but is it really worth it in the end? I heard it was really time consuming and it's expensive.

I want to learn more information about it but whoever I ask they have really no idea. I don't know what I want to do right away with my life, I know I want to go to medical school later on but I want to do Paramedic school.

Is it worth it in end to dedicate a year of your life to paramedic school?

I need advice 

Thanks


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## MrBrown (May 5, 2010)

Nah man don't waste a year go to down to Texas and roll up to 12 week Paramedic special for Houston Firefighters 

If you want to go to medical school then go to medical school.


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## Epi-do (May 5, 2010)

If you truly want to be a medic, then go to medic school.  If you aren't interested in making a career of it, are just doing it because it "looks good" when applying to med school, etc, don't waste your time/money.  Do something that will be more beneficial to you.

EMS is constantly complaining about how we want to be taken more seriously, considered a medical profession, etc.  In order to do that, we need to figure out how to recruit those that are in it for the long haul, and not those that are "looking for something until I figure out what I want to do," "only doing it until I get into {insert any profession here} school," or any of the other countless "reasons" we hear.  (This isn't directed at you personally.  Just a bit of a rant, that's all.)

Ultimately, only you can decide if going on to medic school is for you.  Sit down and figure out if it is something you truly want to do.  If so, then I guess the answer to your question is, yes, it is worth it in the end.  If the answer is no, then it wouldn't be worth it.


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## Bloom-IUEMT (May 5, 2010)

Since when is one year too time consuming?
It depends on when you plan on going to med school and what you are doing right now as far as school (are you in undergrad right now?).  There really is no point in spending a year or two just to be a paramedic for 3 or 4 years.  About the time you get really competent it will be time to leave to study medicine. And I cannot speak too much for med school admission committees but it would seem a "paramedic" applying for MS is the same as an "EMT" applying to MS. A lot of physicians aren't aware of the distinction betwix the two. I'd imagine acceptance committees are no exception IMHO.  

I would personally give it a while working as an EMT and see how much you like it.  Also shadow a physician for several days. You will find the two are vastly different and may find you like street EMS better.    
Hope this helps, good luck.


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## joeshmoe (May 5, 2010)

Most of what I've heard is that paramedic school is hell, and the less medical education and experience in EMS you have when you start it, the more hellish it is. That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I have yet to come across anyone that thought medic school was fun. Whether you want to do it depends on whether you badly want to be a paramedic, or whether you have other priorities.


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## Shanelly (May 5, 2010)

I really want to go to paramedic school. It seems more right to me and staying in the EMS field seems more realistic to me than going to medical school. 

I feel like going to paramedic school seems more beneficial to me, I want to advance on from EMT and be able to do more advanced life support. I'm not sure about the whole doctor thing I mean I have 4 years or more to figure that out more down the road.

I really want to get into working in the ambulance for a long time, maybe some air care and tactical.


I guess it's just people that are pulling in me different directions I have to decide for myself. I gotta try it out right?  

Thanks everyone . 

..and MrBrown I don't think I can go to Texas, I'm too much of a Florida girl to leave .


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## Aerin-Sol (May 5, 2010)

You just graduated class, so you have done, what, 12 hours of ride time? Work as an EMT-B some before you start stressing about whether or not to be a paramedic.


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## adamjh3 (May 5, 2010)

If you want to stay in the EMS field, another option is to get your RN and become a CCT (or other? I'm not very well educated on the extent of nursing positions in the prehospital setting) nurse.  The pay is much higher and you'll likely get a "better" education. 


*prepares for firestorm*


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## LucidResq (May 5, 2010)

Epi-do said:


> If you truly want to be a medic, then go to medic school.  If you aren't interested in making a career of it, are just doing it because it "looks good" when applying to med school, etc, don't waste your time/money.  Do something that will be more beneficial to you.



+1. As someone who works for a medical school with medical students, residents, professors, etc... I can tell you that nobody cares if you have been a paramedic, or much of anything else for that matter. Yes, it may look kinda good if you apply it (bonus points if you go to some weird country no one can pronounce and volunteer) and can talk a little bit about it in essays and such, but it's going to be very very low on their list of considerations. Honestly though, having your medic is probably not going to look any better than having your EMT. If you want to go to medical school, get excellent grades, great MCAT scores, hop on some undergraduate research if you can... there a lot of ways to better prepare you for that. 

As far as staying in EMS, bear in mind that the pay is crap and 95% of paramedics don't do tactical EMS or flights. You're also not the only one who wants to do cool things, so you'll spend years and years doing not so cool things before they'll start considering you for things like flights. You'll hear people getting excited when we hear about municipal/private/etc agencies giving good benefits and 40-45k a year, which is both rare and not that great all things considered. Unfortunately the way to go nowadays as a paramedic is usually to work for a fire department, because of the pay, job security, benefits.. etc. 

I'd suggest start making connections, see if you can spend some more time doing observatory ride-alongs on a rig, shadow an MD and/or an RN. Some people on this forum will tell you to get EMT experience before going to paramedic school, others will tell you to get your medic ASAP. However, I think that if you're currently in college, it's not a bad idea to take the opportunity to take as many relevant classes as you can such as A&P, pharm, microbiology, etc; while working as an EMT before going to medic school. 

That way, if you work as an EMT and decide you like it, great, you'll have some experience and also have all this fantastic education under your belt and you'll be ready to be a kick-*** medic. If you find that you're not as in to it as you initially thought, it's not a huge deal and you already have the foundation to send you on to other health careers.


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## ExpatMedic0 (May 6, 2010)

I agree with this response. 

Another thing to consider is if you do enjoy being an EMT and decide to go down the Paramedic path, if you have the time or interest of obtaining a bachelors. I know of a lot of medics with bachelors who go on to become PA's later in there careers. Its only a 2 year program. Of course I also work with 2 EMT-B's that are going to PA school right now, so you do not have to be medic.
just some food for thought 


LucidResq said:


> +1. As someone who works for a medical school with medical students, residents, professors, etc... I can tell you that nobody cares if you have been a paramedic, or much of anything else for that matter. Yes, it may look kinda good if you apply it (bonus points if you go to some weird country no one can pronounce and volunteer) and can talk a little bit about it in essays and such, but it's going to be very very low on their list of considerations. Honestly though, having your medic is probably not going to look any better than having your EMT. If you want to go to medical school, get excellent grades, great MCAT scores, hop on some undergraduate research if you can... there a lot of ways to better prepare you for that.
> 
> As far as staying in EMS, bear in mind that the pay is crap and 95% of paramedics don't do tactical EMS or flights. You're also not the only one who wants to do cool things, so you'll spend years and years doing not so cool things before they'll start considering you for things like flights. You'll hear people getting excited when we hear about municipal/private/etc agencies giving good benefits and 40-45k a year, which is both rare and not that great all things considered. Unfortunately the way to go nowadays as a paramedic is usually to work for a fire department, because of the pay, job security, benefits.. etc.
> 
> ...


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## Aerin-Sol (May 6, 2010)

LucidResq said:


> +1. As someone who works for a medical school with medical students, residents, professors, etc... I can tell you that nobody cares if you have been a paramedic, or much of anything else for that matter. Yes, it may look kinda good if you apply it (bonus points if you go to some weird country no one can pronounce and volunteer) and can talk a little bit about it in essays and such, but it's going to be very very low on their list of considerations. Honestly though, having your medic is probably not going to look any better than having your EMT. If you want to go to medical school, get excellent grades, great MCAT scores, hop on some undergraduate research if you can... there a lot of ways to better prepare you for that.



That reminds me of something I read on the SDN forums from someone in an admission committee -- most doctors don't even know the difference between a Basic and a Paramedic.


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## JakeEMTP (May 6, 2010)

Aerin-Sol said:


> That reminds me of something I read on the SDN forums from someone in an admission committee -- most doctors don't even know the difference between a Basic and a Paramedic.



Just being on this forum a short time, I have noticed some in EMS don't know the difference either.

It might also be helpful if EMS only had two levels, Basic and Paramedic, rather than 5 - 8 different levels in some states.  The term Paramedic is not even used in all states.


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## SeeNoMore (May 6, 2010)

Short answer: no. I would not recommend medic school to anyone. I have not worked as a Paramedic obviously, so that is a different perspective. But the farther I get the less I want to be involved. Add this to the poor level of education, the challenges to the use of almost every ALS intervention, I would steer well clear.


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## Shishkabob (May 6, 2010)

You're making it harder than it has to be.


If you want to be a Paramedic, go to medic school.  If you don't want to be a Paramedic, don't go to medic school.  If your goal is to be a doctor, get your pre-med done.


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## robbaN28 (May 6, 2010)

I don't know how delete my comment


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## clibb (May 6, 2010)

I took the EMT-B class so that I could get a better job while I'm going through college instead of working at McDonald's. 
I'm going to "Pre-Med" in the fall. If you have a year and $$$, then go ahead and go to Paramedic school. If not, then get started with Pre-Med.
I'm regretting starting so late, I'm 20. I'll be around 32-34 when I'm finally a doctor. 
I want to pursue a career in Emergency Room Medicine. 

Good luck and let me know how it goes for you!


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## LucidResq (May 6, 2010)

Aerin-Sol said:


> That reminds me of something I read on the SDN forums from someone in an admission committee -- most doctors don't even know the difference between a Basic and a Paramedic.



Yeah... we've had to call an ambulance twice for patients at our clinic... Gotta love explaining to an irate surgeon afterwards scope of practice in EMS... EMT vs. medic. 




clibb said:


> I'm regretting starting so late, I'm 20. I'll be around 32-34 when I'm finally a doctor.



Don't stress. I've seen 55 yo med students. Seriously. And many in the 30-45 age range.


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## usafmedic45 (May 6, 2010)

> I'm regretting starting so late, I'm 20. I'll be around 32-34 when I'm finally a doctor.



No offense but shut the heck up.  I'll be 40 before I have my doctorate (PhD in epidemiology).  Honestly, I am damn glad I didn't follow my gut when I was your age otherwise I would be a physician and looking for a way out of clinical practice.  As the saying goes, "treating disease is why people go into medicine, the fact that every disease has a patient attached to is why people leave medicine". 



> I want to pursue a career in Emergency Room Medicine.



It's "emergency medicine".  You say "emergency room medicine" and people are going to look at you like you're wearing a helmet and drooling.


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## NJnewbie (May 6, 2010)

I was listening to a radio show this morning where an ER doctor was saying that when it comes to practicing medicine in the field, he leaves that to EMTs and paramedics.  He said they are the experts at dealing with emergencies with few resources.   He also said that in NYC where he is, they have medical students who are going into emergency medicine ride with paramedics so they can see what happens pre-hospital.  I thought it was interesting and this particular doctor seemed to have a lot of respect for EMTs and paramedics.


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## Shishkabob (May 6, 2010)

NJnewbie said:


> I was listening to a radio show this morning where an ER doctor was saying that when it comes to practicing medicine in the field, he leaves that to EMTs and paramedics.  He said they are the experts at dealing with emergencies with few resources.   He also said that in NYC where he is, they have medical students who are going into emergency medicine ride with paramedics so they can see what happens pre-hospital.  I thought it was interesting and this particular doctor seemed to have a lot of respect for EMTs and paramedics.



It's not uncommon for doctors to go in the field for some experience, heck if you watch Trauma: Life in the ER one of the shows in Houston has a doctor that drives a fly car for EMS.

And it's true, Paramedics ARE specialist in Emergency Medicine, and generally compared to a new grad nurse, a new grad medic is more focused on trauma and cardiology.  It's what we do.


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## Porkchop (May 6, 2010)




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## Sizz (May 6, 2010)

I'm actually looking forward to Paramedic school this August. I'd like to gain the extra knowledge, anatomy  and pt assessment skills to continue growing in the field.


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## NYBLS (May 6, 2010)

Would you like to become a medic or doctor? Because while both are parts of medicine, they are totally different. Different roles, procedures, working environments, the list goes on. If you want to work in the pre hospital setting and provide the best care for your patients, become a parmedic. If you want to go to medical school and become a doctor and working in the emergency room, then go be a doctor.


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## Veneficus (May 6, 2010)

*quit wasting your time and money and go to nursing*

Ok, I am getting a little fed up with the "should I go to paramedic school in order to go to med school later?" question.

It has been asked and answered infinite times and ways.

The response is always the same. Being a paramedic does not help you unless a number of things which you cannot control really go your way. 

First: The place your applying actually knows what a paramedic is and doesn't have a negative opinion about them. That means somebody on the admissions panel was a paramedic or knows of previous students who were that did really well.

Second: Unless you have been a paramedic for many years in a really busy capacity and have an outstanding employment history of 5 years to a decade or more, *it will not make up for substandard grades or a poor MCAT.*

Third: While there are some benefits to being an experienced medic before med school. (especially when you get to clinicals) being a paramedic in no way prepares you for the rigors of the academic work. (Which unless you are in Europe or a similar curriculum you must first get through before any clinicals) 

Being a paramedic can actually make med school harder, because you think you know something but have been given a oversimplified version of it. You then have to take extra time to relearn it. Tine is a major issue in med school. Things that take extra time really make a difference.

The emergency mindset: *medical school is not about emergency medicine*. Nobody gives a crap if you know atropine is given for bradycardia. You will be expected to learn all of its uses. (this is just one example out of hundreds.) Nonemergent medicine is a vast majority of medical school.

*Don't think EMS is a backdoor to medical school.* A few of us have come in that door, usually because we didn't ever expect to go to med school when we started. The standard way of going to undergrad, getting good grades and a competative MCAT is the path of least resistance. If being a doctor is your goal, I highly suggest taking the easiest route. 

That means if Doctor is your goal then *good grades in undergrad is your goal*, not becomming a paramedic. (Which is just a waste of time if you want to be a doctor) 

The only benefit you might get out of paramedic school, (and that is a big "if")  is some realization. Medical school is like paramedic class on steroids over a much longer time. If you can't handle paramedic class, you can't handle medical school. But truthfully, that is nothing you or an admissions panel can't figure out without you becomming a paramedic. 

If you think you want to be a doctor, shadow one before you start college, because *a semester or a couple of years with mediocre grades will hurt a lot.* You really need to be "all in" from the begining. Again for emphasis, the *people who take a nontraditional route are the rare exceptions*, not the rule.


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## JPINFV (May 6, 2010)

Shanelly said:


> I want to learn more information about it but whoever I ask they have really no idea. I don't know what I want to do right away with my life, I know I want to go to medical school later on but I want to do Paramedic school.



Can't believe I missed this. If you want to go to medical school, then go to medical school. EMS experience is not a fast tract to acceptance in any sense of the word and, to be honest, isn't even that unique. Actually, it's pretty common.


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## Veneficus (May 6, 2010)

JPINFV said:


> Can't believe I missed this. If you want to go to medical school, then go to medical school. EMS experience is not a fast tract to acceptance in any sense of the word and, to be honest, isn't even that unique. Actually, it's pretty common.



maybe we can get a sticky or at least a link to the many many posts regarding this.


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## JPINFV (May 6, 2010)

clibb said:


> If you have a year and $$$, then go ahead and go to Paramedic school.If not, then get started with Pre-Med. I'm regretting starting so late, I'm 20. I'll be around 32-34 when I'm finally a doctor.



That's pretty terrible advice actually. From an economic standpoint, the loss of potential revenue alone by delaying schooling one year won't make up from what ever the cost of paramedic school and the income working part time is going to be. You can always go to paramedic school later, but I'd resist any effort or temptation to delay medical school. I seriously have no clue how my classmates who are married and have children do it. 

As far as age, assuming 4 years undergrad, 4 years med school, and 3-4 years of residency, you'll be 31-32 by the time you finish your specialty training, However by 28, you'll have a medical degree. The bigger issue you might face is if you don't get in the first time around and decide to do a masters program, which will add another 2 years minimum, to your training.


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