School forever and balancing everything out

[rugbyguy]

So I searched through and haven't seen this asked, so bear with me.

I currently work FD and start my medic in the fall. Recently had a close call in a fire and kind of made me realize, no matter how much I prepare for this job, there is a chance something could happen that would not allow me to work in the field anymore. So I've really buckled down on school and it has made me realize, I want to get my BA in chem or bio to keep options open for PA school, or possibly med school if I do get injured in the future.

My plan right now is to have my AA in paramedicine by fall of 2015 when my medic class will be done, then get my BA in fire science, then BA in chem or bio. I am currently looking into what classes I can and can't do online, and was thinking of just taking some time off to pound out those classes I can't take online.

Has anyone here done this sort of thing before? I have always had a knack for school, just never a drive to actually do it, so this is all sort of new to me.

 

[lynnethesunny]

Following...

I just finished medic school and doing my hospital clinicals had me thinking that I would enjoy/flourish in nursing/nurse prac./PA, etc., but that I hated being trapped inside. So for now, I wonder what I might do.

 

[rugbyguy]

Yea, I just want to get my BA to leave my options open. As I said I recently had a close call, and really made we come to terms with the fact that I could very well get an injury that would end my career in this field, and need a back up.

 

[joshrunkle35]

I was/am on a similar path. I have finished paramedic school and my associate's. I decided not to do a Bachelor's in Fire...while many places said I could transfer and finish a 4 year degree in 2 years, it was really 2 years and some prerequisites. Also, none of the prerequisites worked for any other degree I was interested in. I had considered doing a BSN, but after a few courses, realized that nursing wasn't for me. I have settled on eventually going to Med school.

A few tips:

#1, I am fortunate in that Fire/EMS is my second job, and that I make enough in another field to pay cash for school. This is an important distinguishment: if you are taking loans for school, you can usually only take about 150% of the total credits necessary for a bachelor's degree. In my case, I have over 180 semester credits, as I started school 10 years after high school and they made me retake tons of easy classes. I have yet to gain a bachelor's degree. For example, while I may only need one year of strong physics to be competitive after 2015, I had to take 7 math classes just to get to take a physics class. While I may only need two biology classes, I had to take two other biology classes just to take the ones I needed. If it has been a while since high school, you may not need this stuff for an associates, but you may need it when it comes to completing the requirements for Medical school. If you can only take loans, you may not physically be able to take all the schooling you want to. I would advise skipping the bachelor's in fire, most places only care that you have a degree in fire (your associates) and that you have a bachelor's for promotion (chemistry or biology should do).

#2, if you are planning on Med school, know that unless you are a gay, bi-racial, Eskimo from an Island no one has ever heard of, you can't get in with just the "average" acceptance grades/scores. Most medical schools require about a 3.8 GPA and a 30-35 on the MCAT to apply. If you are not extremely unique by virtue of your birth/upbringing, then plan on getting a 3.95 GPA in ALL of your schooling, including your associates and paramedic school, and then rocking out a 40 on the MCAT just to get in. If you have a 3.6-3.7 GPA, you might get in to a very small school or one that few people go to. If you have below a 3.5, you should look into PA school.

#3, Even if you still have great grades, you should still consider PA school. First, the cost of schooling is dramatically lower and it's two years including residency/internship, vs 5-9 years of medical school including residency/internship. Additionally, doctor's salaries across the board (with a few exceptions) are projected to decline over the next ten years while doctor's costs like malpractice insurance are expected to go up. PA's salaries are expected to go up, and they usually have a hospital/doctor pay their associated costs. Also, while the average doctor makes more, they don't make that much more when you look at a per hour salary. The average doctor works around 60 hours per week, while the average PA works less than 40.

#4, I did Paramedic school two years ago. It nearly broke any personal relationships I had. The first 3 months were a breeze. After that, I sincerely spent 8-12 hours per week in the classroom, 40+ hours a week doing clinicals or ride-alongs, and another 20-40 hours per week of studying, just to stay in class (this is aside from working a full time job as well). People dropped like flies every week for one reason or another. Point is, I had prepared for it to be like that, and I was fine with the sleepless nights and never seeing my loved ones...but...after a while, they weren't ok with not seeing me. Could you do that for 4 years in med school?

Me: I decided that after I had explored everything, I still wanted to be a Doctor. It's the work that interests me most. My loved ones are still very supportive. I have taken every quiz in every class from day one as if my career depended on it, as medical school acceptance does factor grades. I have time working in the medical field, a few years of volunteer experience, I am starting to shadow a few doctors (trying to get in about 500 hours) and gonna try to work in a lab for a year or two and get published. I had a 4.0 until my first A- this spring, and now I have a 3.98. I am taking a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Humanities with Honors and Honors Research and a Bachelor of Science in Public Health with Honors and Honors Research. I am good at taking tests, but plan on studying for the MCAT for 6 months and taking a prep course before my first MCAT try. I am 30 and Caucasian and from Ohio, meaning, I may still have trouble getting in to a school. But, I'm going to give it my all.

You should search long and hard about whether Med school is the right option for you, and if you are really willing to do the extreme amount of work required just to get accepted. If so, then give it your all and don't look back.

 

[rugbyguy]

I really appreciate you taking the time to say all of that. Really nice to see someone else out there.

I plan on PA and just keeping med school as a maybe thing. My father is a cardiologist, so I know exactly what it takes to not only go to ked school, but if I even would want to be an MD.

You said you work fire, how was school and working fd? My department is paying for my medic they work me on my schedule. And for sciences, how much of it can you do online?

Again thanks for the response, I really appreciate it.

 

[joshrunkle35]

Fire/EMS is my second job. Actually just EMS for me as a part-time, one long day a week, thing. My full-time job is as a firearms instructor. The hours for that are very odd. You might do 20-40 hours a week of your own training, practice, research, schooling, and then you might only work 2, 8 hour days but make a ton of money for that time...but I also don't get paid for the rest of the work at all, and sometimes I have to spend my own money on stuff. IE: you might make $4,000 for two day's work, but you might spend $1,000 on work expenses and then work 20-40 hours and not get paid. So, it all evens out. I also worked and still work another part-time gig in consulting. So, I don't have unit days to work or anything like that. Also, I'm very blessed that I set my own schedule for all 3 jobs.

You can do a lot of sciences online, though the lab fees may be more expensive. For example, I go to The Ohio State University, which offers few online courses. However, they accept almost all courses from a local community college, Columbus State Community College. The community college offers online science classes, and I had to pay a $300 lab fee and all of the experiments were sent to me. The experiments were the exact same ones whether I did it in class or online. Frankly, it was a lot harder online. Experiments that could be done in class with a group in an hour often took me 6-8 hours to do at home by myself with the kit. It's not necessarily harder, just confusing and longer to do online. If you want to do biology or chemistry, I would highly recommend doing as much as you can online, and then doing the coursework for your major in class. You get a lot out of meeting lots of professors in your field who can become new mentors to you. This will get you excited about new projects in the field, and perhaps you might even find something else you love.

My sister wanted to go to med school and then settled in on PA. She had all of the requirements for either. Ultimately, she ended up trying for some more clinical experience before PA school, and got a great job as a case manager at a major Cancer Research hospital. She loves her job now, and within 2-3 years she'll almost be making the same as a PA with no school debt...and most importantly...doing something she loves.

 

[cmyk]

I haven't been in your situation, but I've been looking into all the different health professions for a while. One thing to consider is that some PA schools either require or recommend that the pre-reqs are taken within 5-10 years of applying, and to retake them if they weren't. Some don't accept online science labs either -- I guess this depends on how the course is listed on transcripts compared to the in-person version. Med schools might have similar requirements, including MCAT test dates.

 

[Carlos Danger]

So I searched through and haven't seen this asked, so bear with me.

I currently work FD and start my medic in the fall. Recently had a close call in a fire and kind of made me realize, no matter how much I prepare for this job, there is a chance something could happen that would not allow me to work in the field anymore. So I've really buckled down on school and it has made me realize, I want to get my BA in chem or bio to keep options open for PA school, or possibly med school if I do get injured in the future.

My plan right now is to have my AA in paramedicine by fall of 2015 when my medic class will be done, then get my BA in fire science, then BA in chem or bio. I am currently looking into what classes I can and can't do online, and was thinking of just taking some time off to pound out those classes I can't take online.

Has anyone here done this sort of thing before? I have always had a knack for school, just never a drive to actually do it, so this is all sort of new to me.

Chemistry and bio are not the easiest degrees in the world. I personally would have a hard time staying focused enough to do well in them, if my only motivation for earning them was to have a fall-back "in case I get injured".

That said, if you are interested in PA or med school and you plan to earn a baccalaureate degree anyway, than taking the pre-reqs makes for med school makes sense.

But in the interest of time and economics, do you really need THREE degrees? Why not find a way to streamline your education? Rather than do a BA in fire science AND one in chem or bio, I would simply take the med school science pre-reqs as electives for the fire science degree, and skip the paramedic degree. Or, a better idea if you are focused on a career in healthcare, might be to skip the fire science degree AND the two-year paramedic degree, and instead, do a 4-year degree in paramedicine which includes the pre-reqs for med school.

College is expensive and time consuming and frankly it sucks - unless you really have a desire to earn a degree in something or you know it will benefit you in the long run, don't spend more time in school than you need to.

 

[J B]

If you are not extremely unique by virtue of your birth/upbringing, then plan on getting a 3.95 GPA in ALL of your schooling, including your associates and paramedic school, and then rocking out a 40 on the MCAT just to get in. If you have a 3.6-3.7 GPA, you might get in to a very small school or one that few people go to. If you have below a 3.5, you should look into PA school.

This isn't entirely true. Getting into medical school isn't a walk in the park, but it isn't impossible.

Of course you should aim high, but 3.7 GPA and 33 MCAT will do you very well if the rest of your app is strong: good ECs, volunteering, clinical experience, shadowing, good LoRs, research. Apply the first day you're able, apply broadly (20-30 schools), don't screw up the interview and you'll get in somewhere.

Also, PA schools get more competitive all the time - some of them are more competitive than medical schools now.

You can do a lot of sciences online, though the lab fees may be more expensive. For example, I go to The Ohio State University, which offers few online courses. However, they accept almost all courses from a local community college, Columbus State Community College. The community college offers online science classes, and I had to pay a $300 lab fee and all of the experiments were sent to me.

FWIW, medical schools discriminate against community college courses in general (though maybe not so much in the case of non-traditional students), and I imagine they really wouldn't like to see science pre-req's taken online.