Nurse or Paramedic

Please at least read my reply. I've already answered all your questions and in a posting with your quote at that.

Replies got posted while I was posting.
What AAMC statistic are you citing regarding academic sabotage and dishonesty?
None. Experience from being at a large relatively highly ranked (one of the University of California campuses) where a very large percent of the school was biology majors. It wasn't uncommon (almost expected) to find things like reserve books missing key pages. Not everyone will stoop low, but plenty will, and most won't get caught.

I understand the competitive nature of going to med school, but I highly doubt I need to worry about sabotage from other students in an online program. I can't even start to imagine the scenarios your proposing or supposedly citing from AAMC statistics. Trust me that I would love a link to this information or reference, however. Even an article.
The statistics that 40k+ applicants submitted over 600k applications and only 41% of those got spots are straight from those links.

In an online program? No... you're biggest concern is that the school cares about the grade. However, when you're on a campus with hundreds of other premeds (381 applicants from my undergrad in 2012), there are plenty of bad apples in that bunch.
 
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markemt said:
Out of curiosity, are you a medical school adviser or currently in the employ of one?
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And to everyone, as much fun as it is playing 20 questions on a forum in order to receive more questions, please, if you have an opinion on my best pathway to education, please just spell it out for me. I have made my choices to date in the mindset that they are the best for my goals.
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Please at least read my reply. I've already answered all your questions and in a posting with your quote at that.

Snarky and overconfident... good combo. I guess that is required if you are going to judge EMS and Nursing because you finished a 120 hour EMT and a 60 hour CNA class. I guess you understand those two fields quite well. Have you even worked in either field for any significant time?

You seem pretty darn sure the right educational path when those with more knowledge in the matter are telling you otherwise. Cut em back and ask for more advice... good tactics.

Good luck with your associates and online degree! The med schools will be all over you, especially if you interview like you post.
 
Snarky and overconfident... good combo. I guess that is required if you are going to judge EMS and Nursing because you finished a 120 hour EMT and a 60 hour CNA class. I guess you understand those two fields quite well. Have you even worked in either field for any significant time?

You seem pretty darn sure the right educational path when those with more knowledge in the matter are telling you otherwise. Cut em back and ask for more advice... good tactics.

Good luck with your associates and online degree! The med schools will be all over you, especially if you interview like you post.

I'm entitled to my opinion regardless of the number of hours of experience I have or my level of education. In my original post, I explained that this is a geographic situation. I didn't simply judge an entire field based on limited experience. I'm unimpressed with the overly-bureaucratic, 3-4 year wait, or overly priced options that nursing requires in Arizona. I said nothing disparaging about the field of nursing.

I was never disrespectful and never cut anyone down or back. I am still shocked to hear about academic sabotage. I've never seen or heard of it, probably because I've only been to community college. I thought it logical to request more information so I could study it before attending a University. I'm also glad that poster elaborated on what he meant.

If you want to interpret text with emotive, that's your right to judgment as well. But I've said nothing offensive. I've implied nothing offensive. I haven't cut anyone down and I haven't disregarded anyone's opinion. In fact I've encouraged it on all ends. I still implore yours, in fact. Please do share with me the path of education you see best fit. I am not being sarcastic or snarky. I really don't know how to relate this without saying it in text because we aren't face to face. Please read what I say, rather than reading into it and making assumptions. I'm a very inquisitive person and become even more questioning when I'm told my life decisions are contrary to my life goals. I think this is natural of most people.

I haven't worked in either field at all. I volunteer at a hospital and I teach non-profits CPR for free. Guess I'd have absolutely no experience with either field at all if I hadn't taken an EMT or CNA class. I'm pretty sure I'd have even less majoring in chemistry or biology. I'm trying to understand the stigma against obtaining lower level medical experience as part of my higher level medical training.
 
I'm watching this thread. Everybody play nice. Markemt, I understand that you do not intend to be snarky or sarcastic, just read thoroughly before you reply. A lot of time meaning is lost when you don't consider the overlapping typing time.

May I suggest that since you are doubtful of the advice given by regular poster here who seem to be barking up the right tree, that you go over to the medical student forums and see what they would say about your plan.

In my experience, anyone who completes a "lower" level course and thinks it will help them in a higher level course is misguided at the least and arrogant at the worst.

I was a medic before nursing school, and the best advice I received was to keep that fact under wraps as long as possible. The faculty chewed the arrogant know it alls up and spit them out.

As CNA does little to prepare you for EMT, so medic class does little to prepare you for medical school. They start with MOLECULES. This is on purpose. By design, they want you to have such an intimate relationship with physiology that you don't think in terms of the whole being until at least the fourth week.

;)

Two ears and one mouth- it means you should listen at least twice as much as you talk, especially when you are new and inexperienced.
 
Haven't read every detail of each post but was just skimming though the thread....

Really, in general, I agree with JP's advice, if med school is the goal then doing what you can to get that point with minimal delays is usually the best option for most. There's always exceptions and other factors, but it's such a long and expensive road that delaying it just to chase some other goal may not be worthwhile or in your best interest.

If you're currently in an AS/AA program I would get your associates degree and transfer to a 4 yr university so that you can get your BS degree.

WHAT you major in really does not matter.... do what you're interested in and this most likely to do well in academically. I did psych only because it was interesting at the time and my undergrad institution had a decent psych dept where I could tailor my degree to more of the neuroscience and biological aspects of psych.

So don't think you need to major in bio or chem to go to med school. Honestly, no one major is going to give you an advantage or another. Also don't think that working as a medic or nurse or spending more time in the hospital will make you "more prepared" for med school or at least the clinical aspects of it..... not going to happen.

I had classmates that were RNs, medics, successful business owners, PAs, and even one with a PhD in organic chemistry...... within the first few months of med school everyone was basically on a level playing field. Of course each person will have their strengths and specific areas of knowledge, but in general there is nothing you will do now that will prepare you.

Focus on getting your degree in what you want, while also completing the pre-reqs for med school, preferably at a 4yr university. Whether you major in bio which pretty much takes care of the pre-reqs for you, or major in finance and take the extra science pre-reqs on the side is completely up to you.
 
Normally I defer to letting JP answer all the med school questions because his advice is spot on, but I will caution all about a bio degree...

Most good jobs in the specific field of bio require a PhD and even some post doc.

If you get a bio degree and do not get into med school, You are going to have several more years of school with bio before you can make use of it.

Some will say you can fall back on a PA spot, and if that is something you will accept, that is up to you.
 
Thank you both for the advice.

I'm very grateful to know that any kind of medical background won't help.

Is there anything I can study to get ahead for med school like advanced A&P?

I read NCLEX and NREMT-P study guides before bed almost every night as well as medical terminology books.

Should I purchase a book like Robins Patho, etc. and start reading those in my spare time too?
 
Should I purchase a book like Robins Patho, etc. and start reading those in my spare time too?

Probably not.

I have read that book cover to cover twice and undoubtably it is one of the finest textbooks out there.

However, to understand pathophysiology, you must already have a very good understanding of normal physiology. Otherwise you will never get a reasonable return of investment for the time you spend.

(It is a common jest that a physiologist is a pathophysiologist who didn't finish studying)

Robins pathologic basis of disease is a definitive text. Most commonly used for reference because nobody has enough "spare time" to read it.

Pathologists and pathophysiologists usually read it as part of their required workload for focusing on such.

You could probably get away with the smaller Robins pathophysiology text, but it isn't going to help you prepare because it will not have the depth you need.

One of the parts of med school that cost me the most time was unlearning oversimplified material I thought I knew to learn it from the beginning in a more accurate form.

Don't do this to yourself, it really sucks.

Focus on learning your basc science well, like chem, bio, physics, etc.
 
Should I purchase a book like Robins Patho, etc. and start reading those in my spare time too?

No. I see this asked ALL the time by pre-meds and I tell them the same thing. At this stage trying to "get ahead" or prepare by reading those sort of texts (especially something like Robins Path) will be extremely low yield for you and not a good use of your time.

Focus on getting a good foundation in the basic sciences that you will have to take, that's really you're best bet.

Honestly, do well in he basics, become well rounded and well read, find a hobby, etc... Do not spend your "free" time reading extra medical texts.
 
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