Planning on going to medic school

[Foxbat]

I'm currently a volunteer EMT-B and a junior in a university. I'm considering becoming a paramedic after finishing my BSc degree, but I have some doubts. I plan to stay a volunteer, which in my area (pretty low call volume) means having, on average, only a couple patient contacts a week (with the number of hours I am currently doing). So I am afraid it might not be enough to maintain ALS skills in the long run.
Do you think my doubts are justified?

 

[marineman]

Yes your fears are justified and they should also be the fears of your patients. With that little amount of contacts your skills will definitely suffer. Your department might have agreements with local hospitals to get you in there to practice up on some of the skills but that is even more time you're giving away for free.

In addition the cost and time of medic school is nothing to take lightly especially when your only plan for using it is as a volunteer. Once you have your medic cert you will also have to devote a certain number of hours to continuing ed to remain certified which again is even more time you're giving away for free.

If you really want to do it, there's always a way to make it work but with minimal patient contacts your skills will suffer and you need to be ready to invest a lot of extra time into making it work.