DiehardFF Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Hello All. I am senior in High School located in the suburbs of Philadelphia(Bucks County). I came across this forum and have learned a lot so far, but wanted to learn some more on a personal level, to help me decide on what I want to do. Currently, I have been accepted into UNH (University of New Haven) for Fire Science/Paramedicine(Bachelors). I have a strong interest in health care and the idea of becoming a PA, sounds really cool. I love helping people and giving back to the community. My background up to this point has been in the "field", if you will. I joined my local fire dept. when I was 14 with my father and have been a active volunteer ever since. I became an EMT when I was 16 and currently ride with the local ambulance(12+ hours a week) which gets around 5,000 calls a year. I have been exposed to many things, seen a lot of things and have made a difference in peoples lives. Out of all the specialties out there, Emergency Medicine and Surgery, really grab my attention. I am just looking ahead and really care about my future. The question I do need answered sooner rather then later is, being a Paramedic before a PA worth it? UNHs program is designed that the first and last year are General-Ed/Fire Science and the second and third year are Paramedicine and Fire Science, and you are ready to take the exam by the end of your third year. I would pretty much have my medic cert for about a year prior to starting PA school. I just want to know if this helps me at all or is counter-intuitive. I would still like to ride in the field later in life as well. Any thoughts would appreciated and can answer any questions what you may have. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted January 13, 2014 Moderator Share Posted January 13, 2014 sounds like a great plan. Make sure you research prereqs for programs you would likely be interested in. use your electives in your BS program to fulfill those prereqs. This will help you avoid having to do additional coursework after graduation. get a few years medic experience under your belt before applying to PA school. Being a paramedic(or rn, or resp. therapist or military medic) are likely the best possible routes to a later career as a PA. best of luck. feel free to PM me with questions. Emedpa Paramedic since 1992 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NathanLe Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 First off, congrats for being a stud at such a young age. The PA career has a lot of perks, but put plenty of time into figuring out why PA would be a better fit do you than MD, etc. Better yet, get out there and shadow a PA or two or three, doctors, and other avenues that interest you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoRyou Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 FWIW, you have plenty of time to figure out what you want to be when you 'grow up' lol so take advantage of this time. Most adults do not explore and learn about the world the way they did when they were young; adult life lacks discovery and endless novelty of childhood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiehardFF Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 Plenty of time, indeed lol. Nothing is set in stone. I am just looking at my options. While it would be cool to become a ER doc, I think it is just too much school and time investment. How would one go about shadowing a PA around here? Sounds like a fantastic learning experience. A dream that I have is working in a Level I Trauma Center, making some decisions, and making a difference. I would no doubt do a residency after school, to increase my knowledge. My only issue is, I want to really be apart of the main ED, working along side with the docs, etc. Just want some insight from current PAs and other health professionals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wet Dog Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 It can be hard to find a PA to shadow. I didn't believe it, but networking works best. Ask around to see if any family friends are PAs or MDs or can get you in the door with one. I got lucky and when I switched PCPs and called for an appointment, they set me up with the PA. I asked about shadowing there, she asked the DO, and I was in the door. I constantly got the door slammed in my face at the local hospitals and bigger organizations - primarily because of HIPAA and insurance reasons, I think - so private practices might be your best bet. I would also look into volunteering in the ER, or better yet getting a job as an ER tech (if they actually get to do some patient care other than transport). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiehardFF Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 Volunteering in the ER or becoming an ER tech, is not really practical for me. I do get a sense of how the ER works by talking with nurses and docs when transferring care etc. You also get clinical time, to get your paramedic cert, so that will help as well. Another big thing that I would like to talk about it, the relationships between PAs and MD/DOs. The really reason why I am afraid of going the MD/DO route is the amount of school, competiveness and frankly, the debt. I would rather be 24, be done with school and be out there, then be 30, and trying to land a ER doc job. That much of a commitment is above all else. However, maybe my perception of a PA is wrong and maybe someone can tell me. I perceive being a PA as the doctors robin, helping to making decisions, even handling some cases, performing ACLS/ATLS protocols. Pretty much being a part of the main ED, and a respected healthcare provider. I have a high self-esteem, I believe respect is given, where its due. The neat thing is, being an EMT has open me up to the world of Pre-Hosp/Critical Care and I love it. My knowledge is beyond my scope of practice, but I research everything I don't know and I love to discuss cases with medics and doctors that I work with. The other thing is, what about the future of healthcare? 4 1/2 years from now, I will be graduating from UNH, will everything be different? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiehardFF Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 I also wanted to add that, UNHs Paramedicine degree got approved by the state last year, and I will be the first class(Fall 2014). What really peaked my interest was that you take your general-ed classes at UNH but all my medical/clinical classes at Yale(5 minutes away) and clinical time at Yale-New Haven Hosp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 It is difficult sitting at any age and trying to think of what you want to be doing many years in the future. You have found something you like to do -- EMS -- and you are interested in being a paramedic and then a PA. I did the same thing, "kind of." It was a huge advantage being an EMT-P in PA school. I was used to dealing with all kinds of patients and not reluctant at all to touch them or do procedures. I had learned about cardiology, the patho of many conditions, and field treatment options in a way that you could remember if you were rousted out of bed in the middle of the night. It was a good base to build on in PA school. Some people know they want to be physicians from an early age and more power to them. Some people just know what they want to do next, and more power to them as well. So, becoming an EMT-P might be a way for you to take the next step FOR YOU and also gain some important knowledge and experience. Things do change for all of us. Coming from EMS, I figured that I would end up an EM PA. In the end, I decided that (a) being a PA in the middle of the night isn't the same as being an EMT-P (where we sleep much -- but certainly not all -- of the time), (b) in rotations, I found that I wanted to see how my treatments turned out, © I liked the patients and often -- though not always -- wanted to see them again, (d) I wanted to work with a limited subset of supervising physicians, and (e) I wanted to be on my own more. That said, I knew none of these things before my rotations, which is where a lot of us decided what we wanted to do next. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted January 15, 2014 Moderator Share Posted January 15, 2014 UGL- EMS was also my "plan" for gaining experience to get into pa school. I was an emt/er tech in college and worked with PAs at that time and realized that was what I wanted to do. at the time emt/er tech was not considered enough experience to get into pa school and medic/rn/rt were the recommended routes. I planned my college courses around a future as a pa so that I would not need to take any additional coursework after graduation while working as a medic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Goose Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Yes, being a paramedic is worth it. Full disclosure, I'm biased having been a paramedic for the past five years. I had an interview last Friday, where the program director's first words were "you have more experience than anyone else here." Many PA programs are moving away from requiring years of experience from applicants, but having it won't hurt you, and programs do tend to value it. But, they may not value it more than a high GPA. My advice: keep your options open and remember that being a career firefighter and/or paramedic could be the best choice for you. Take the pre-requisite classes for both medical school and PA school, earning a high GPA. PA is a good option, but in four years, your goals may be different and having the MD/DO option available isn't a bad thing. Besides, PA programs tend to be moving their pre-requisites more in line with medical school pre-requisites, so you'll be ahead of the curve. When you finish school, shadow both PAs and physicians, so you'll have a better understanding of what each role is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medic25 Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 I'll also echo those who said that being a paramedic gives you a great advantage in PA school. You will have a big leg up when it comes to patient assessment, EKG interpretation, ACLS, etc. As far as shadowing, you should know that during your clinical rotations at Yale you will be paired with an emergency medicine PA for several shifts. During the later part of the program there are clinical assessment rotations, where you will perform the H&P with the PA, and formulate a differential diagnosis and prehospital treatment plan. Yale ED has over 40 PA's, so you will get plenty of exposure to the profession during rotations, especially if you let the PA know that you are interested in PA school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiehardFF Posted January 16, 2014 Author Share Posted January 16, 2014 Thanks for the reply guys! I am actually really excited going forward. I really try my best to learn as much as I can, looking up things I don't know etc. jems.com is a great website, that I use(blogs). If it weren't for the long-haul commitment and tons of debt and the amount of years in school, I would love to become a ER doc. However, it seems becoming a PA is the next best thing, and you can still expand your knowledge. Problem is, you might not be recognized for it and not get more compensation, unless I am wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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