Paramedic to Medical School to Emergency Physician/Disaster Med

[FNGperpetual]

I've been considering medical school for about a month now.

https://www.aamc.org/ has a wealth of information.

However I'm still obsessed with becoming a paramedic and I won't stop until I do that. Basic for one year and I've been an EMT intermediate for 7 years. I start paramedic school next year. I am considering the 4 year Emergency Health Science degree, that has paramedic as a prerequisite.

So far, the path looks like.. get the paramedic. Work as a paramedic. Bachelor in Emergency Health Science. I THINK the med school pre requisites or what ever needed to prepare for the MCAT can be included in the Bachelor program. Medical School. Emergency Physician with specilization in Disaster Medicine.

Just a fantasy. i have accepted low pay and mediocrity. And i don't like the situation. Maybe its my attitude or the fact that i am have not competed adequately for the better job. I'm quitting my 911 job and going to be working private while doing education.

If you wanna get in the med school you need all A's from what I hear. My cousin (md)said that EMT looks good on the med school application and AAMC also recommends EMT to see if medical field of intrest or not. So basically where I'm at is next year as I finish up paramedic(LP), with the intention of becoming a good med school applicant.

Anybody else is considering medical school? OR has journeyed from paramedic to medical school or doctor? Id love to hear about your journey.

 

[Summit]

If you want to go to med school, go to med school. Don't expend energies elsewhere.

 

[MMiz]

Start working towards medical school now. No excuses, just do it.

Plan B for me would be:

Physician's Assistant or Nurse Practitioner

Plan C:

Registered Nurse

Plan D:

Paramedic

Plan E:

Spend far too many months or years continuing to think about it without actually making a move.

Good luck!

 

[rescue1]

I did it. 5 years in EMS as a basic, 3rd year medical student now. I started in the same boat, by googling "how to become a doctor" after some fire instructor gave us our 400th "backboard all trauma patients and give them 100% oxygen" lecture.

I understand the desire to get your paramedic, and it obviously provides a backup career option should you not get in, but having a paramedic vs an intermediate vs a basic cert won't make a difference when it comes to applying to school. Admissions people are almost never going to know anything about EMS, so while they may be impressed with your time spent in the field (showing an understanding of the medical field) and depending on where you work, your care for the poor and underserved, they won't care what your scope of practice was. By the time you finish medical school, you won't care either, you'll have had to learn everything again but in greater detail.

If you want to go to med school, find a list of prerequisite classes, get a degree that allows you to get all of them, and get mostly As. Make sure you take these classes at an in-person, 4 year university--not online, not a community college. There were people in my science program who were nurses or medics who, like me, were going back to school. Some dropped out because they worked too much and didn't focus on school. If getting your paramedic is part of getting your degree, so be it, but don't get lost along the way. To be safe, you can also look at prerequisites for PA school and take those as well (sometimes they're a bit different).

Let me know if you have any questions about the process--they certainly don't make it easy.

 

[Gurby]

2nd year med student here. Agree with above. Read this for motivation: https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/should-a-pre-med-student-go-medic.238346/#post-3077481

This post is directed at the OP, but applies to traditional undergrads as well. Anyway,
I'm assuming you're an EMT-B already, since that is usually a mandatory pre-requisite to becoming a paramedic (though this might be different in other states). Great, you got a head start on your med school hopeful peers, you don't really know too much as an EMT-B so you still have a healthy appreciation that you don't know very much about medicine. Believe it or not this is a wonderful place to be. I strongly advise you to stop right there (at EMT-B) and devote yourself entirely to becoming a physician.

Here's why:
EMS is a bit of a trap, you can get all caught up in it, because you are enjoying what you are doing, helping others, taking care of emergencies, etc. It's a good high when things go really right. Then you meet a paramedic, and think to yourself: boy can this guy take care of business, I'd really love to be able to do all that great stuff too! But there is really not that much to being a paramedic. Unfortunately nobody really tells you this. IN your world, all these new skills are exciting and impressive, So then things start to take a turn in your life. Let me tell you a little about what I mean:

Paramedics are funny people, they are experts in a very, very, narrow slice of medicine. In fact, when it comes down to the business of prehospital emergency care, nobody does it like a medic. WOW, I think I want to do this medic thing, I'm going to go for it, atleast for now, until I go to med school next year. BUT, you can easily get all caught up in the ALS pre-hospital care scene. Because you are doing life saving interventions you may feel like you fast forwarded yourself to "doctor" or at least the preconceived notion you had of doctors before you ever got involved in medicine. So anyway, there you'll be doing all these great skills, and soon you'll start to think that gee-whiz look at all the great things that I can do as a medic (ha! nurses my ***, they can't do this stuff!). Heck, all that other stuff in medicine really is not as important as this stuff I'm doing right now (IVs, intubation and pacing oh my!), and that's when you start to make a very big mistake. All of a sudden you really stop caring about all the other things that medicine has to offer, so you stop learning about anything that doesn't have anything to do with the "important stuff". Now depending on how long this lasts you can piss away 4,5,6 years doing EMS work and be totally satisfied. But then something happens, it can be some job that went bad on you or you come across something you've never been prepared to deal with, or any other number of things that cause you to become reflective about yourself as a professional. So then you start to read again and you once again rediscover that there is a whole world of medical knowledge out there you weren't aware of as a medic. So now you're studying again and learning about the things you didn't know, but you are never able to do it in any coherent way. The sheer volume of the material is intimidating and you have no real way of knowing if you are making any progress. Plus you are surrounded by your peers, fellow paramedic professionals who tell you things like who the heck cares about temporal arteritis, that's not important and what the heck is so important about this pancreatic psuedocyst you speak of??? So now you start to get frustrated, and you look around at the people around you who are very content with being medics and knowing what medics know, and incorrectly equating their skill proficiency with medical knowledge. But not you. You start to remember that you wanted to be a doctor, and you look back and say, how the **** did I get here, this isn't what I wanted for myself professionally or personally. This whole medic thing was supposed to be a stepping stone to becoming a physician. You become, really frustrated, pissed off, burnt out and then to add insult to injury you start to realize that you are wildly underpaid for the work you are doing. Nurses don't have to put up with 1/2 the crap that I do and they get paid 3 times as much, plus I know a hell of alot more! That's the last straw, F-this you say, I'm going back to school. Only now you are well into your mid- late 20's, (in your case, mid-late 30's) maybe you got a mortgage, a big monthly car payment, who knows maybe a wife and kids in private school, your Golden Opportunity to become a physician is now well past you. You now must suffer in new and interesting ways to get to where you wanted to be in the first place. So sacrifices and painful choices are made and finally 7-8 years later you are back on track for the MD, older, a little more worn out, less enthusiastic, but hopefully a little wiser. Maybe.

So the question is, are you absolutely, positively sure that being a medic is what you want? Think long and hard about this, this is your life afterall. That being said, you gotta do what you gotta do, if you are supporting your whole family or you are on your own out there I can understand. But think about this seriously think about this. This is a long post, but I did not make all of this stuff up, I speak to you from my experience. There are alot of other things I can go into, all sorts of crazy stuff that you'll be banging your head against, but I think I'd be writing for days and days. Anyway best of luck, you can always drop me a PM if you have any specific questions.

 

[FNGperpetual]

I did it. 5 years in EMS as a basic, 3rd year medical student now. I started in the same boat, by googling "how to become a doctor" after some fire instructor gave us our 400th "backboard all trauma patients and give them 100% oxygen" lecture.

I understand the desire to get your paramedic, and it obviously provides a backup career option should you not get in, but having a paramedic vs an intermediate vs a basic cert won't make a difference when it comes to applying to school. Admissions people are almost never going to know anything about EMS, so while they may be impressed with your time spent in the field (showing an understanding of the medical field) and depending on where you work, your care for the poor and underserved, they won't care what your scope of practice was. By the time you finish medical school, you won't care either, you'll have had to learn everything again but in greater detail.

If you want to go to med school, find a list of prerequisite classes, get a degree that allows you to get all of them, and get mostly As. Make sure you take these classes at an in-person, 4 year university--not online, not a community college. There were people in my science program who were nurses or medics who, like me, were going back to school. Some dropped out because they worked too much and didn't focus on school. If getting your paramedic is part of getting your degree, so be it, but don't get lost along the way. To be safe, you can also look at prerequisites for PA school and take those as well (sometimes they're a bit different).

Let me know if you have any questions about the process--they certainly don't make it easy.

Thank you for the input! The reason i am leaning towards completing paramedic is that i will be able to pay for my self a little better, while completing the pre med degree. AND, like your said,as back up.

Why no online school? I see if the whole degree was online and how that may not be classy. BUT ,i was considering Emergency Health Science degree(some is online)where i can do my core cirrullium at a community college and my med school pre req at a 4 year University. What was your major? Was there room to elect the pre med prerequisites?

 

[Carlos Danger]

Becoming a physician is an all-consuming goal. It requires academic accomplishment, intelligence, drive, and focus. Not to mention time. (If it was easy, everyone would do it)

Don't waste those resources on silly side things like paramedicine, if you are serious about becoming a doctor.

Listen to @Gurby and @rescue1. Also get ahold of @wtferick.

 

[rescue1]

Thank you for the input! The reason i am leaning towards completing paramedic is that i will be able to pay for my self a little better, while completing the pre med degree. AND, like your said,as back up.

Why no online school? I see if the whole degree was online and how that may not be classy. BUT ,i was considering Emergency Health Science degree(some is online)where i can do my core cirrullium at a community college and my med school pre req at a 4 year University. What was your major? Was there room to elect the pre med prerequisites?

The big thing is making sure your science prereqs are in-person. Having online courses as part of your degree is fine, or at least was fine for some of my classmates. I would be cautious about having your bachelors from a community college too--not that community college courses would be bad, but it would probably be ideal if your actual degree was from a more traditional 4 year university.

I was not a science major, I had a liberal arts degree and zero science classes when I graduated college. I had to go back to school to get all my science credits once I was working.

I wish the process was easier, but as @Remi said, its a pretty all consuming process. You're competing with some very high achievers for spots, Ivy League college grads, people who have doctors for parents who understand the system, people who did research with Nobel Prize winners, everyone you knew from high school who got stressed when they got an 95 on a test because it wasn't an A+, etc etc. It's not just something you can sort of sneak into and you don't want to cut corners and screw yourself down the line.

Also what @Gurby quoted is very true. It's super easy to get sucked in by how cool being a big sexy paramedic is, and the money is pretty good as a starting job. I would also say it's potentially more difficult going back to school as a medic because you're more likely to tell yourself you understand a subject (say, cardiology), when you really don't. My classmates who were medics all had this problem--they'd confidently take tests and get absolutely smoked on them, at least early on. It's easier to accept your ignorance as a basic haha.

 

[Seirende]

Start working towards medical school now. No excuses, just do it.

Plan B for me would be:

Physician's Assistant or Nurse Practitioner

Plan C:

Registered Nurse

Plan D:

Paramedic

Plan E:

Spend far too many months or years continuing to think about it without actually making a move.

Good luck!

Funnily enough, I have my medic license (although I am not using it), now about to start nursing school, thinking about medical school after that.

Is the paramedic program part of the four years that you would put into your Emergency Health Science degree? I would guess not, since you say that it's a prerequisite. To me, getting your medic license only makes sense if you have your heart set on this particular degree as your bachelor's, otherwise it's just another year between where you are and your ultimate goal.

 

[Akulahawk]

Funnily enough, I have my medic license (although I am not using it), now about to start nursing school, thinking about medical school after that.

Is the paramedic program part of the four years that you would put into your Emergency Health Science degree? I would guess not, since you say that it's a prerequisite. To me, getting your medic license only makes sense if you have your heart set on this particular degree as your bachelor's, otherwise it's just another year between where you are and your ultimate goal.

If you're seriously thinking about med school, don't bother with RN school. Just pursue med school. I have my medic and I'm and RN. Love doing both. Do be careful about using financial aid/loans. If you're using any kind of student loan to get RN done and then you go to med school, you'll still have to repay both before you can get out from under the burden of that loan repayment. That's why I'm suggesting you go straight for med school if you're serious about going that route. That and remember that your 2 years (or more) spent working toward RN is that much time you're not working toward a medical degree.

I'm not going to go to med school. While I have the intellect and whatnot, it'll be too taxing on the family if I do and I don't mean $$$ problems. I'm not ruling out PA/NP school in another few years but for now, I'm pretty happy where I am, though I'll probably start a BSN upgrade program within a year. I've already got a BS degree and I'm an RN, so the upgrade coursework shouldn't take too long.

Just my two bits for ya!

 

[Tigger]

You're looking at seven or eight years of medical education after you get your four year degree...adding time to become a paramedic is probably not a good investment. Paramedic wages are not going to prevent any sort of higher ed debt.

 

[Seirende]

If you're seriously thinking about med school, don't bother with RN school. Just pursue med school. I have my medic and I'm and RN. Love doing both. Do be careful about using financial aid/loans. If you're using any kind of student loan to get RN done and then you go to med school, you'll still have to repay both before you can get out from under the burden of that loan repayment. That's why I'm suggesting you go straight for med school if you're serious about going that route. That and remember that your 2 years (or more) spent working toward RN is that much time you're not working toward a medical degree.

My thought is that for PA, NP, or med school you need a bachelor's. To my understanding it doesn't matter what your bachelor's is in, as long as you have the prerequisite classes. My plan is to see if I can get a BSN and pick up the prerequisites during the two years after the RN education. That way if something changes I'll have a nursing degree at least. Even after the first year you can become an LPN. Having a backup plan is important to me. I was able to pay for medic school partly with an interest free "student loan" from my mother and I'll probably be able to borrow for at least the first year of nursing school from my sister (technical colleges are pretty cheap). That way I avoid interest and I can pay it back as I have the money. I know that a lot of people think that borrowing from family leads to problems, but we haven't had any problems so far. I paid back my mother for medic school and so far I've borrowed $3000 from my sister and only have $514.50 of the current loan to pay back.

 

[Akulahawk]

My thought is that for PA, NP, or med school you need a bachelor's.

Yes, this is true.

To my understanding it doesn't matter what your bachelor's is in, as long as you have the prerequisite classes. My plan is to see if I can get a BSN and pick up the prerequisites during the two years after the RN education.

Part of this is a great idea. However, your best bet about the prerequisites is to do it while you are also doing your RN school prereqs. Getting into RN school right away isn't a guarantee so work on those med school/PA/NP school prereqs before you get into the program. This way when you're done with RN school, you can take the NCLEX and get your RN license. Getting the schooling without getting a license isn't a good way to go... and once you've graduated and working (that's a key thing) you may not have an easy time working while doing post-bacc work to do those prereqs. Oh, and once you've got that bachelors, costs tend to go UP per unit because you're a post-bacc student and not an undergrad or grad student.

That way if something changes I'll have a nursing degree at least. Even after the first year you can become an LPN.

Do be careful about this. You'd best check with the program you plan to attend to see if they would "sign off" on your application to do LPN/LVN. I actually failed out of nursing school and was able to return to it very quickly. One of the options that I had before I was offered a seat as a returning RN student was to transition to the LVN program. I was more than 1/2 way done and I still would have have been required to complete a semester of their LVN program before graduating from that program and taking the LVN boards. I couldn't just take the LVN boards, get an LVN license. That being said, sometimes program do set their program up so that students are able to (or are even required to) take the LVN boards between 1st and 2nd year of RN school. One community college where I volunteered at had their program set up so that you'd get your CNA, then LVN, then RN.Their idea is that you could, if you wanted or needed, start working in the nursing field while doing school. Just know ahead of time if the school and state law allows you to in your area.

 

[Seirende]

Yes, this is true.

Part of this is a great idea. However, your best bet about the prerequisites is to do it while you are also doing your RN school prereqs. Getting into RN school right away isn't a guarantee so work on those med school/PA/NP school prereqs before you get into the program. This way when you're done with RN school, you can take the NCLEX and get your RN license. Getting the schooling without getting a license isn't a good way to go... and once you've graduated and working (that's a key thing) you may not have an easy time working while doing post-bacc work to do those prereqs. Oh, and once you've got that bachelors, costs tend to go UP per unit because you're a post-bacc student and not an undergrad or grad student.

Do be careful about this. You'd best check with the program you plan to attend to see if they would "sign off" on your application to do LPN/LVN. I actually failed out of nursing school and was able to return to it very quickly. One of the options that I had before I was offered a seat as a returning RN student was to transition to the LVN program. I was more than 1/2 way done and I still would have have been required to complete a semester of their LVN program before graduating from that program and taking the LVN boards. I couldn't just take the LVN boards, get an LVN license. That being said, sometimes program do set their program up so that students are able to (or are even required to) take the LVN boards between 1st and 2nd year of RN school. One community college where I volunteered at had their program set up so that you'd get your CNA, then LVN, then RN.Their idea is that you could, if you wanted or needed, start working in the nursing field while doing school. Just know ahead of time if the school and state law allows you to in your area.

I begin the nursing program at my local technical college next semester, just taking general chemistry and CNA this semester to wrap up the prereqs and developmental psych because it's required later in the program. This program does let you test for LPN after the first year.

 

[RocketMedic]

I’m really glad that I decided to make paramedicine my terminal medical destination. Precisely zero interest in nursing, mid level or MD. I just don’t care about people and science enough for all that madness lol.

 

[Seirende]

I’m really glad that I decided to make paramedicine my terminal medical destination. Precisely zero interest in nursing, mid level or MD. I just don’t care about people and science enough for all that madness lol.

Out of curiousity, what drew you to become a paramedic?

 

[RocketMedic]

Out of curiousity, what drew you to become a paramedic?

I like the medicine, the role and the autonomy. Also really enjoy the operational side of it and how we can apply science to a dynamic, chaotic field. I reckon I’m smart enough for MD, but I just find myself not caring about the protocols and practices around medicine at the MD level too much, and I don’t want any part of nursing.

 

[EMSChief803]

Here's my $0.02 worth. I became an EMT-I while on active duty in the army and worked on a civilian volunteer rescue squad off base. I wish I would have taken a year to become a paramedic before starting my undergrad degree after the army (although many paramedic programs are now two years).

I continued to work (for low pay) as and EMT through college and on my local fire department (paid per call). I then went to PA school, and have been a Physician Assistant in Orthopedic Surgery for 15 years.

I still do EMS. I'm now the Deputy Chief for EMS at my local fire department. I still wish I were a paramedic, because having a PA license doesn't easily translate into advanced skills in Wisconsin, so I work as an EMT-B. We are a non-transport service, with a paramedic ambulance providing transport.

So...If it's possible, I would pursue it now. Beware that medical education is expensive, so pick the path with the least amount of loans. I see PA's coming out of school with $150K in loans. That's what doctors used to have. Docs now may have $250K or more in loans.

Good luck with your journey!