Advice Needed...ER Tech or BLS IFT to Medic School?

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purdue1014

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Hi All,

I hope you are doing well. I am looking for some advice here.

Come August, I will be a junior business management major in college. Ultimately, I am considering some sort of career in medicine, and am considering nursing and med school. I have not taken any health science classes yet, and am going to start with A&P this coming year. When I graduate in a couple years, (because I want to/am interested in doing so) I am thinking about going to medic school. My thoughts were that I could then work for a few years as a medic while finishing off any necessary prerequisite classes for RN/MD school.

I am also an EMT-B and have approximately 200 hours of experience volunteering in a Level 1 TC and on an 911 ALS truck. I have the opportunity to apply for a PRN ER Tech position at said hospital, or as a part time EMT for a local private ambulance company likely doing BLS IFT.

My 2 questions for you guys are...

1. Which job opportunity do you think I should pursue for getting into medic school, and why?

2. Which job opportunity do you think I should pursue for my long term goals and why?

I appreciate your thoughts!

Have a great evening,

Purdue
 
If you have to ask someone if you should go into the field of EMS, EMS is not for you. If you are only going to use EMS as a stepping stone, EMS is not for you.
 
If you want to be an RN or MD don't waste time being a paramedic. Do the opposite, get your RN / MD and if you are still interested in paramedicine go back and get your P card
 
Hi All,

Thanks for your thoughts, I do appreciate them.

Just to add...I absolutely LOVE EMS, and would do that as a career in a heartbeat. However, in my volunteering, I have only met one Medic (in approximately 100 I have chatted with) who was happy doing EMS as a full career, and she is also an RN. She works full time as a medic and part time as a RN. Most everyone else was fairly happy with their current job, but had other long term goals.

Do you guys disagree with this?

With the above in mind, I have been thinking of some sort of career that would still allow me to be a line medic in some fashion (like the said NRP/RN above).

That being said, for medic school, I realize that I probably need some field experience to look good on the application, (and as such, have my finger over the BLS IFT job) but do you think doing more/seeing more as an ER tech in a busy trauma center might look better (or worse) than the IFT job? Thoughts?

Thanks again!

Purdue
 
Being in various aspects of medicine [if I had to do it all over again], I wouldn't change a thing.

I started out with just a first aid card before I graduated high school many moons ago. I followed that up with a 13 year stint as a Hospital Corpsman, facing various aspects of field medicine, work in ER, work on an in-patient ward/hospital. And now, that has come full circle and I just obtained my EMT-B again and am back out in the field.

I love being in the field, the adrenaline rush, getting blood, mud, guts, puke, brain matter, extrication.....yada-yada-yada.

If you like working outside, then EMS is for you. If you want other aspects, then nursing and the like.

The pay is most likely better in Nursing......but field work is where I'm at...IMHO. Hey, there's always nursing in the Emergency Room.

Good luck.;)
 
purdue1014 said:
My thoughts were that I could then work for a few years as a medic while finishing off any necessary prerequisite classes for RN/MD school.

...

2. Which job opportunity do you think I should pursue for my long term goals and why?
Click to expand...


If you're looking at medical school, then go knock out the pre-reqs for medical school and apply. There are no health science course requirments for medical school. It's biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics. Some places require a year of calc or statistics. Some places require a year of humanities. Some places require a biochemistry course. However no US medical schools that I know of requires courses like anatomy and physiology.

In general, EMS experience is helpful, but not overwhelmingly so and no real distinction is made between paramedic experience and EMT experience. Additionally, getting a certification and never working as an EMT or paramedic is a waste of time in the application game.
 
I'm a premed emt-b and it's quite possibly the best college job possible. Except owning a business. I'm also working my way towards my p for the purposes of not being horrible poor during my gap years. That being said, you shouldn't go into EMS with the intention of burning out and burning into, as it were, medical school.

FYI Basically all schools require a year of english and calculus. Add that to the year of bio and chem and orgo and physics and it's basically it's own major. Don't let it sneak up on you.

Edit: I'm not employed as an EMT, rather an ER Tech. Not that being an EMT isn't awesome, you just need experience to get hired. Not that being an ER Tech isn't awesome either; the ER doctors basically reconstruct your SOP since it doesn't apply anymore (it's not "pre-hospital"). EM is a SOAP specialty, too, (I'd guess because they don't have call, like RadOnc) so it's somewhat selective. The physician I work with, for example, is a Harvard Med grad with multiple fellowships. Highly recommend it.
 
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purdue1014 said:
I am also an EMT-B and have approximately 200 hours of experience volunteering in a Level 1 TC and on an 911 ALS truck. I have the opportunity to apply for a PRN ER Tech position at said hospital, or as a part time EMT for a local private ambulance company likely doing BLS IFT.
Click to expand...

Go ER Tech. You get a more well rounded experience. Additionally, there are more opportunities to learn more about medicine and expand your knowledge beyond EMS. If an interesting patient comes in you can always learn from what the attending, nurses, residents, etc. say.

To reiterate what everyone else is saying, just go for RN/MD instead of going medic if your final goal is RN/MD. The experience gained as a medic is outweighed by the time spent getting it.

Also I disagree with being an EMT is the best thing. EMTs applying to med school are a dime a dozen these days, rather do something unique on top of being an EMT.
 
crazycajun said:
If you have to ask someone if you should go into the field of EMS, EMS is not for you. If you are only going to use EMS as a stepping stone, EMS is not for you.
Click to expand...

I don't think I agree with the second part of your statement. I love EMS, I love the two jobs I have, and I love the people I work with. That said, I don't plan to stay in EMS forever. For me, it absolutely is a stepping stone and a way for me to gain rewarding and hopefully valuable experience pertinent to a career in another area of healthcare. I don't see anything wrong with this, in no way do my thoughts compromise the way I do my job.
 
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If I were ultimately aspiring to work as an MD/RN I would bypass the Medic route entirely unless you have the extra time and money. Could just go the extra year and get an associates in nursing.. More valuable given your long term career goals. Also can get your medic cert as an RN without doing much more training not as easy the other way around.
 
You already know a bit about the EMS side. Work at the ER to learn more about the hospital side of things. You'll have more opportunities to shadow and network with physicians/nurses.
 
I'm going for ER tech to get experience in the field. I have finished all my prereqs for medical school and have roughly less than a year until I'm completely finished with a BS in biochem. Now that I'm about to apply for medical school I wish I would've worked in the field, volunteered or did something besides bullsh** computer jobs. If you really want to go to medical school stick to it, get your prereqs done and do what you can in the hospital or in labs. When you take upper level chem or biology classes professors start offering lab jobs they pay very good and you get interesting hands on experience so you also have that to look forward to as well.
 
Tigger said:
I don't think I agree with the second part of your statement. I love EMS, I love the two jobs I have, and I love the people I work with. That said, I don't plan to stay in EMS forever. For me, it absolutely is a stepping stone and a way for me to gain rewarding and hopefully valuable experience pertinent to a career in another area of healthcare. I don't see anything wrong with this, in no way do my thoughts compromise the way I do my job.
Click to expand...

I don't deny you are an excellent EMT however, I am sure that at one time or another you have made comments like "this is only temporary" or "I can't wait to get into med school". Even though these statements don't seem like a big deal, it is one of the biggest reasons turnover is so high in EMS and why it is hard for anyone to take EMS as a serious part of healthcare. It is also the reason why so many EMT schools are popping up across the country producing EMTs in cookie cutter fashion. Ask anyone that has chosen EMS as a life long career and they will all tell you the same thing. In our opinion, EMS is the most important part of healthcare there is. Most people that use EMS simply as a stepping stone don't care about the wage issues because they know in the near future they will have moved on to other things. Many of those same people could care less how we are treated as healthcare professionals and the general impression of the public. This is why I am so happy South Carolina is looking at changing EMS. Considerations are being made to do away with EMT-B and only have advanced EMT and Paramedic. Programs will take longer to complete and it will give EMT's a much bigger scope. It will guarantee all EMS and private service will have ALS on every truck, make us a bigger part of healthcare and drive the wage higher. My understanding is that Paramedic courses would be extended to 2 full years of study plus 3 months of A&P and Advanced EMT would be 1 full year plus 3 months of A&P. The entrance requirements would also be higher and a 3.35 averaged weighted GPA would have to be maintained. I believe that if South Carolina approves this method, it will make us the leading State in EMS healthcare and set standards for the rest of the country to follow. I also believe this will eliminate many who do not plan on making EMS a career.
 
crazycajun said:
I don't deny you are an excellent EMT however, I am sure that at one time or another you have made comments like "this is only temporary" or "I can't wait to get into med school". Even though these statements don't seem like a big deal, it is one of the biggest reasons turnover is so high in EMS and why it is hard for anyone to take EMS as a serious part of healthcare.
Click to expand...

Do you have any statistics/facts as to the reasons for high turnover? I would put low wage, physical labor, and no opportunity for advancement as much bigger reasons, and SC's reforms will only (possibly) change one of those.
 
Aerin-Sol said:
Do you have any statistics/facts as to the reasons for high turnover? I would put low wage, physical labor, and no opportunity for advancement as much bigger reasons, and SC's reforms will only (possibly) change one of those.
Click to expand...

I would be inclined to disagree. It would contribute to advancement and wages... besides, surgeons do plenty of labor (as an example) and only the overworked ones get burnt out (anecdotally speaking).
 
crazycajun said:
I don't deny you are an excellent EMT however, I am sure that at one time or another you have made comments like "this is only temporary" or "I can't wait to get into med school". Even though these statements don't seem like a big deal, it is one of the biggest reasons turnover is so high in EMS and why it is hard for anyone to take EMS as a serious part of healthcare. It is also the reason why so many EMT schools are popping up across the country producing EMTs in cookie cutter fashion. Ask anyone that has chosen EMS as a life long career and they will all tell you the same thing. In our opinion, EMS is the most important part of healthcare there is. Most people that use EMS simply as a stepping stone don't care about the wage issues because they know in the near future they will have moved on to other things. Many of those same people could care less how we are treated as healthcare professionals and the general impression of the public. This is why I am so happy South Carolina is looking at changing EMS. Considerations are being made to do away with EMT-B and only have advanced EMT and Paramedic. Programs will take longer to complete and it will give EMT's a much bigger scope. It will guarantee all EMS and private service will have ALS on every truck, make us a bigger part of healthcare and drive the wage higher. My understanding is that Paramedic courses would be extended to 2 full years of study plus 3 months of A&P and Advanced EMT would be 1 full year plus 3 months of A&P. The entrance requirements would also be higher and a 3.35 averaged weighted GPA would have to be maintained. I believe that if South Carolina approves this method, it will make us the leading State in EMS healthcare and set standards for the rest of the country to follow. I also believe this will eliminate many who do not plan on making EMS a career.
Click to expand...

One of the biggest reasons for “hard for anyone to take EMS as a serious part of healthcare.” is because there is tremendous lack of education. Additionally if there are as you say “EMT schools are popping up across the country producing EMT's in a cookie cutter fashion” how hard is EMT-B curriculum?

I would never fault someone for getting an education and using EMS as a means for advancement. Once you delve into collegiate studies and begin taking hard sciences you will quickly see how much we don't know.

Additionally lazy behavior and minimalistic approach when it comes to patient care is rampant.
 
AMF said:
I would be inclined to disagree. It would contribute to advancement and wages... besides, surgeons do plenty of labor (as an example) and only the overworked ones get burnt out (anecdotally speaking).
Click to expand...

? Standing up isn't generally considered "physical labor."

The only advancement in EMS is to go into teaching or go into administration. Changing the curriculum won't change that.
 
crazycajun said:
I don't deny you are an excellent EMT however, I am sure that at one time or another you have made comments like "this is only temporary" or "I can't wait to get into med school". Even though these statements don't seem like a big deal, it is one of the biggest reasons turnover is so high in EMS and why it is hard for anyone to take EMS as a serious part of healthcare. It is also the reason why so many EMT schools are popping up across the country producing EMTs in cookie cutter fashion. Ask anyone that has chosen EMS as a life long career and they will all tell you the same thing. In our opinion, EMS is the most important part of healthcare there is. Most people that use EMS simply as a stepping stone don't care about the wage issues because they know in the near future they will have moved on to other things. Many of those same people could care less how we are treated as healthcare professionals and the general impression of the public. This is why I am so happy South Carolina is looking at changing EMS. Considerations are being made to do away with EMT-B and only have advanced EMT and Paramedic. Programs will take longer to complete and it will give EMT's a much bigger scope. It will guarantee all EMS and private service will have ALS on every truck, make us a bigger part of healthcare and drive the wage higher. My understanding is that Paramedic courses would be extended to 2 full years of study plus 3 months of A&P and Advanced EMT would be 1 full year plus 3 months of A&P. The entrance requirements would also be higher and a 3.35 averaged weighted GPA would have to be maintained. I believe that if South Carolina approves this method, it will make us the leading State in EMS healthcare and set standards for the rest of the country to follow. I also believe this will eliminate many who do not plan on making EMS a career.
Click to expand...

I absolutely support that sort of change. I would have no problem with this increase in education reducing the transient portion of the EMS workforce simply because it would actually make EMS a sustainable career. If the education standards are going to increase, the pay and benefits are going to have to as well (I should hope...). Then, someone like me would be staying in EMS, instead of moving into another area of healthcare that pays its highest level providers 50K maximum. Plus, an increase in education might actually create a true career ladder.
 
AMF said:
I would be inclined to disagree. It would contribute to advancement and wages... besides, surgeons do plenty of labor (as an example) and only the overworked ones get burnt out (anecdotally speaking).
Click to expand...


...not compared to the ob/gyns...
 
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