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Aesculapius93

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Hi I'm new here

I'm an EMT, looking for a great Paramedic school in the midwest that meets my needs as a student.

I like nature & nature hikes, jogging & fitness, EMS, horticulture, martial arts, yoga and meditation, and firearms.
I keep an aquarium, I'm making a mod for wolfenstein 3D, and I want to get the hell out of the midwest once my girlfriend and I can afford to.
My long term goal is med school then becoming a surgeon, and or building a botanical gardens complex.

I have allot of great EMS and Medical reference and study apps to recommend also.
 
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luke_31

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Skip medic school if you want to be a doctor, it's not going to make a big difference on med school applications, and will take time that you could be using for other extracurricular activities or classes you need to have for med school. Also while you're in med school or paramedic school you won't have much time for activities outside studying or being in class.
 

Gurby

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Paramedic -> M1 here. Agree with above, skip paramedic school. I had to explain the difference between an EMT and paramedic at most of my med school interviews, so most likely the people reading the applications don't know the difference either and it doesn't help you there. If you were born in 1993 you're already 25 years old which is the average age of a 1st year med student - get to work on those prerequisite courses and sign up on Student Doctor Network!
 
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Aesculapius93

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I have a long way to go before med school, and working as a Paramedic during my college basics is the path I have chosen. The course I am leaning towards is only a year long and that is not much compared to all the college basics I need to do.
I need a decent career while I prepare for medschool.

I am not in my 20's anymore either.
I've been involved in political stuff, religious stuff, and even ran launched a small business(flopped), while all that brought me great perspective it did not do anything substantial for me career-wise.

Anyhow I did not come here to argue so I hope I came to the right place to discuss EMS.
 
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luke_31

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I have a long way to go before med school, and working as a Paramedic during my college basics is the path I have chosen.
I need decent career while I prepare for medschool.

I am not in my 20's either. This is another career change for me.
You're not going to have an easy time with a full time paramedic schedule at most places to take all the classes you need to get in a timely manner. Most places you work at least three days a week and the hours will be long and not leave lots of room to study or go to class.
 
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Aesculapius93

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The same could be said for any career field.
Any position in any field can be a distraction from education.
I'm going to be working through school, and it wont be the same awful job I have now, it will be back in the field I trained for and at the next level of education and scope of practice.

Not advancing oneself in EMS or in any career field is not an action of moving forward.

Like I said this is the path I have chosen.
 

Gurby

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Do you have a bachelor's degree? About how old are you? What specialties are you most interested in? Are you MD/DO or bust, or would you consider becoming a PA?

Age could be a real factor if you're already >30 and won't be starting medical school for 5 years at the bare minimum. It's never too late, and certainly there are med students in their late 30's and early 40's... But the older you get, the more financial sense it makes to go PA instead: it's a 2 year masters program and then you start making 6 figures right out the gate, as opposed to doing 4 years med school + 3-9 years of residency and then needing to dig yourself out of a $400k hole of debt before you see positive return on your investment.
 

StCEMT

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The reason people are telling you to skip medic school is because they are familiar with the demands of the field, education as a whole, and bridging over to other medical careers. Choosing to not advance in EMS doesn't mean you arent advancing professionally, it means you are planning smart.

If you are set on being a surgeon, medic school just sets you back a year and $10,000.

If you are dead set on medic school, ask around about whatever is local. There isn't any point in moving for a program, just find a reputable one nearby.
 

DrParasite

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I have a long way to go before med school, and working as a Paramedic during my college basics is the path I have chosen. The course I am leaning towards is only a year long and that is not much compared to all the college basics I need to do.
I need a decent career while I prepare for medschool
I've know quite a few paramedics who went to medical school, and a few more who are paramedics with goals of medical school. It's a year or two of your life, so you can either find where you want to live and go to medic school there, or go to medic school where you are currently, and then plan on moving to the EMS agency where you want to work.

One thing I will say: many/most paramedics I know went to med schools near where they worked, and then dropped down to part time or per diem status while in school, where usually you didn't see them at all when classes were in session, unless it was a weekend or they had some free time. So hopefully you will have another source of income to help you pay your expenses while in school.
 

wtferick

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Most paramedics I have worked with either A. Went to PA school because the got fed up being medics or B. They tried PA/Med school but had no time what so ever for studying and going to class. (Two Fire Medics tried)

If you are doing this because you think being a medic will "pay" more while you finish Med school, then I suggest getting a Tech job would be the better route. (Currently make more than most private Medics)
 

joshrunkle35

EMT-P/RN
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Paramedic here going to NP school. Don’t waste the time on Paramedic school if you have different long-term goals. Paramedic school is a year-long vortex that sucks away all of your spare time and maybe even some friendships and will not provide much benefit towards your long-term goals.
 
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