Vague medic school question

[griffithsgriffin]

those who got their Basic and eventually went into medic school w/little ems experience: was medic school "do-able" for you? took me almost a year and a half to get a job w/my emt-b cert. as posted previously, doing most exclusively wheelchair transfers. would like to go on to medic school, but am obviously a little rusty/out of practice. thanks!

 

[STXmedic]

You don't have to be a basic for years to be a medic. I went straight through, and didn't start working until 2 months into school.

What's more important for medic school is your ability to be studious and comprehend the material. You're not going to throw what you learned in Basic out the window. You're going to review it and expand on it.

 

[DesertMedic66]

I honestly can't say. For my medic school you have to have at least 6 months of working as an EMT to get in. We can tell the difference between the EMTs who have worked on 911 ALS units and EMTs who work on BLS IFT units.

 

[Brevi]

I know several great providers who went straight from b to p. They were intelligent, hard working people and very driven. They most likely would of been successful in whatever they chose to pursue.

Bottom line is you are only limited by yourself. Don't let anyone tell you what you are and are not capable of.

 

[gotbeerz001]

I would seriously consider getting at least 6 months (preferably 1 year) of solid 911 experience as an EMT before attempting medic school. There is already a HUGE learning curve going from 911 EMT to managing the scene, deciding appropriate treatment and owning every decision. Trying to make that jump before you've even seen the types of calls that you'll be responsible for is a tremendous leap. I'm not saying that you can't do it, I'm just saying that to really do it well would be difficult. In any other field, failure results in a lost client or substandard sales. A bad day on the ambulance means a lost life and possibly the end of your career.

As for a paramedic school that is "do-able", that is the wrong attitude. The job is the job. Paramedic school (ideally) prepares you to do the job. If you attempt to get your P-card with minimal experience on a BLS rig doing IFT, I would be looking for the best (maybe toughest) school around since you are bringing very little to the table.

I am not being harsh, the advice is sound. Best of luck.

 

[Brevi]

Here is a relevant article written by Thom ****. I usually like Thom's work, but I don't much care for this one.

 

[gotbeerz001]

Here is a relevant article written by Thom ****. I usually like Thom's work, but I don't much care for this one.

That's actually a pretty good article.

 

[STXmedic]

It's a played out argument, but it's a played out topic:

Do RNs have to be LVNs or CNAs before becoming an RN? No, and nobody says anything about it.

Do PAs have to do anything at all prior to becoming a PA? Nope.

Do MDs have to be PAs, NPs, medics, nurses, etc prior to becoming a physican? (Hint: again, no.)

So why must a paramedic go through a glorified first aid program prior to going through paramedic school? If you go to a good school, you will have enough clinicals to get your "scene management" down. Also, your employer should be providing you with an appropriate orientation period for that as well (though I know that's not always the case)

The only reason I can see to potentially need to work as an EMT first is if you are unsure if this is actually the field you want. If you're already pretty sure you enjoy this type of work, and paramedic is a goal, go to paramedic school.

Again, there is nothing taught in basic that isn't taught again in paramedic, and in more depth.

 

[DesertMedic66]

Again, there is nothing taught in basic that isn't taught again in paramedic, and in more depth.

Depends on the program. No BLS skills are taught for my medic program. Our first day of skills we were tested out on the BLS skills.

 

[gotbeerz001]

It's a played out argument, but it's a played out topic:

Do RNs have to be LVNs or CNAs before becoming an RN? No, and nobody says anything about it.

Do PAs have to do anything at all prior to becoming a PA? Nope.

Do MDs have to be PAs, NPs, medics, nurses, etc prior to becoming a physican? (Hint: again, no.)

I don't think anyone is saying it CAN'T be done. Just saying that in order to do it well, a little bit of time in the trenches can help with the transition.

Last I checked, RNs are generally a shoulder tap away from help when at pt takes a bad turn. MDs spend years in residency (also a shoulder tap away) before they are the top dog on the floor.

Furthermore, I'm not sure what the job outlook is like in your area. I do know that here in CA, getting a medic job almost requires that you have real medic experience (beyond your internship) or that you upgrade from 911 EMT.

Practically speaking, getting that 911 EMT job should help pave the way to a 911 medic job.

 

[STXmedic]

Ours were re-covered, and still emphasized during scenarios.

So OP, don't live in Cali

 

[Medic348]

Please

Get some experience and then go to school. It will help you in the big scheme of things.

 

[STXmedic]

Furthermore, I'm not sure what the job outlook is like in your area. I do know that here in CA, getting a medic job almost requires that you have real medic experience (beyond your internship) or that you upgrade from 911 EMT.

Practically speaking, getting that 911 EMT job should help pave the way to a 911 medic job.

So OP, don't live in Cali

Further proving this, OP

Ask Chase how accessible the physician always is. I know my wife sure doesn't feel like the physician is always right there to grab for every little problem, especially at night. And what's preventing you from calling your physician? Isn't that one of the reasons for med control?

 

[gotbeerz001]

So OP, don't live in Cali

Sadly, I think WA may be a tougher market than CA (wtf is "Cali"?)

 

[STXmedic]

Everyone likes to throw out the need for 911 experience. If you can get quality 911 experience, great. It will absolutely be beneficial.

Unfortunately, quality 911 programs are few and far between. Most EMTs will be at a private system playing the dialysis derby game, and the ones that do end up at 911, many will end up being the equivalent of a stretcher fetcher and driver. Most will not get a ton of experience running a scene, if any at all.

So if you can get good, quality experience as an EMT, the go for it. The vast majority will not get much of anything worthwhile, though. Nothing that couldn't be learned during your rideouts during class anyway.

 

[STXmedic]

Sadly, I think WA may be a tougher market than CA (wtf is "Cali"?)

Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know I needed to spell things out for you. Cali is one of the ways the rest of the country, except apparently you, refer to California. Since we're explaining things, what the heck is "wtf"?*


*I don't care. It's the irony that I'm alluding to. (Since apparently I have to spell things out...)

 

[gotbeerz001]

STXmedic is obviously speaking from his experience.
I am obviously speaking from my experience.

I really appreciated getting good EMT experience prior to medic school.
I did work in a system where I got to tech the majority of the calls.
That being said, there were things that I needed to un-learn that I had been shown.
Those in my class who were really smart and were coming from IFT generally aced the tests and did well in clinicals, but really struggled in their internship.
The real test is the first 120 hours of internship.
This is where you realize that your assessments aren't as solid as you thought.
This is where you realize that you need to take charge of your scene or someone else will do it regardless of your "Intern" badge.
This is where you find that NREMT helps, but that treating people is not a series of check boxes.

Your level of comfort in the role is the X-factor that can not be taught in class.

 

[STXmedic]

OP, will you be doing clinicals throughout school, or an internship after class is finished? I'm just curious. I've never seen a program like that.

 

[gotbeerz001]

We had a guy in our class who went from IFT to medic but somehow had an amazing story for every lesson covered. He now works in Texas.

Enrico? Is that you?

 

[STXmedic]

Those in my class who were really smart and were coming from IFT generally aced the tests and did well in clinicals, but really struggled in their internship.

Sorry to quote you again, but you're the only one posting now.

OP, don't take this quote as the blanket statement it sounds. This may have been his experience, but it was the polar opposite in my program. The students that went straight through and shined in class, also shined in clinicals. Of the guys that had previous experience, most had bad habits to unlearn, and many struggled in clinicals.

The point is, people are different. Like I said in my first post, what matters is how you are as a student. Are you able to comprehend the material, and dedicate time to study the material you can't? If so, go for it. If not, sure, get some more experience. It may or may not help you comprehend areas you may have struggled with.