EMT student needing advice

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boomdizzle

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Hi all, I stumbled on this site through my search for answers and first off, it seems like a site with respectable people who know what they are talking about. I'll give some background about myself before I ask my question. I am a senior in high school and I am about 2 months away from finishing my EMT class. I will be attending college next year (UC Davis) and am majoring in Biological Sciences.

Now for my question: I am hoping to go to medical school (trauma surgeon maybe?) in the future and I was wondering how beneficial working in EMS is when compared to lab research. I ask because I want to work as an EMT in college and maybe go to paramedic school during my sophomore year. What I am concerned is that either the EMT job or medic school will impact my performance in college.

I have an idea of what the job is like (I'm in a Fire Explorers program and do ride-alongs) and I want to do EMS because I want to and not for an application. I appreciate and will accept any advice and/or past experiences you guys have had whether you are a Paramedic, EMT, medical school student, etc.

Thanks for your time.
 
boomdizzle said:
it seems like a site with respectable people who know what they are talking about.
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Heh. But for what it's worth, here are some questions you are no doubt itching to ask, answered by judicious use of the search function.

boomdizzle said:
I'll give some background about myself before I ask my question. I am a senior in high school
[...]
I am hoping to go to medical school (trauma surgeon maybe?)
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Give it three years.

boomdizzle said:
I was wondering how beneficial working in EMS is when compared to lab research.
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That's a question better asked on SDN. As I recall, the consensus is that working in EMS isn't very helpful, and lab research demonstrates that you have the characteristics med schools are looking for (primarily willingness to endure hours of tedium without complaining in the hope that it will earn you some brownie points). It will give you something to talk about, though. My impression, not acquired firsthand, is that med schools aren't looking for patient care skills; they believe those are teachable.

boomdizzle said:
I am concerned is that either the EMT job or medic school will impact my performance in college.
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Don't sacrifice your academic performance for anything. Medic school can be a substantial time commitment. I would advise you not to try to combine the paramedic and undergrad courseload. Likewise, working full-time is possible, but I wouldn't recommend it. Working part-time and picking up more hours in the summer and on breaks, on the other hand, is a great idea. Be judicious about it while you adjust both to your new job and to college, and remember to set aside some time for drinking.

boomdizzle said:
I want to do EMS because I want to and not for an application.
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That's an encouraging sign. Good luck!
 
Looks like you've got some pretty good advice already. This is just my opinion, but I expect that research would be looked upon more highly than EMT-B experience when it comes time for a medical school application. What I would generally disagree with though (again, just my opinion) is that it necessarily needs to be lab research. EMS research is fascinating and needs a lot more attention than it gets. Maybe you can use your interest in EMS to do some small research projects while working. Good luck!
 
If I were you, I would prioritize undergraduate research, excellent grades, volunteer work, etc. When I was in school I worked as a student employee at a teaching clinic. If you can find something similar, I would highly recommend doing so. It gave me patient care experience, opportunities to participate in research, and connected me with both influential faculty, and medical students and residents who could share a lot about the current process of becoming a doctor. If I had wanted to pursue medical school, having all those resources, references and opportunities would have been extremely helpful.
 
Aerin-Sol said:
You might enjoy being an EMT-Basic, but do *NOT* go to medic school. EMT class is easy and lets you get in patient experience. Medic school would be like taking an extra 24 credit hours plus doing a 600-hr internship. There are much better things for a med school applicant to be doing.

Check out this article:
http://www.studentdoctor.net/2008/01/forum-flashback-should-i-become-an-emt/

and these forums in general:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/
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I would take what you see on SDN with a major dose of salt.
 
Slightly different circumstances, but I think the idea is still somewhat applicable to you:

I graduated college several years ago, and many of us are at the point of applying to or entering grad school. A buddy of mine almost had a triple major in his undergrad at college (English, Economics, and Mechanical Engineering). He ended up with a B.S. in English, because despite all his effort and the monumental course load, it just wasn't enough to get all of those majors done. Despite the vast academic experience and breadth of knowledge, he struggled with a few of his top choice grad schools because all they cared about was GPA.

While other experience (academic and work-related) are important, nothing is more important to the folks looking at your application for higher education than GPA. So, in the likely event that going through a medic course while attending college will negatively affect your GPA, don't do it. (And it may sound cynical, but don't take hard classes that you think will be interesting but aren't necessary to get to your ultimate goal...those lower your GPA and will get you in the end).

Focus on your goal. If it's Med School, set yourself up with the courses you need, do well in those, don't do anything unnecessary to lower your GPA, and do some part time EMT-ing for a bit of lower-risk (academically) experience.
 
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