Should I become an EMT/Paramedic first?

[Kwame E]

I'm noticing that a lot of people don't go straight to PA school from college. However there are some that do.

 

I feel as though I won't have enough hands-on health care experience to be a competitive applicant for PA school. I'm 2 semesters away from my bachelors in Exercise Science w/ a biology minor. I've yet to start volunteering. (it's difficult because I'm taking a lot of hours this sem and the hours offered conflict my schedule)

 

Every PA school website I visit emphasizes "hands on patient contact."

 

I'm estimating it would take about 8 months to complete an EMT and paramedic course, and I don't know how long it would take to get a job so I'm gonna say it'll take about a year to do this and about ~$3,000. Is it worth it? I don't know about contracts and what not, but I would only work the minimum amount of time required (no longer than a year hopefully) before applying to PA school, and I would be about 25/26.

 

What do you guys think?

[DiggySRNA]

EMT courses are anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months. Paramedic courses are 1.5 years - 2 years (9 months in class and the rest is clinical/internship). 

Depends on how quickly you want to enter the PA profession.

 

PS: Paramedic courses are like $10,000...well in Massachusetts, not sure about other states.

[EMEDPA]

emt and paramedic are both excellent ways to get hce for pa school. this is the route I took and highly recommend it.

Emedpa, PA-C, EMT-P

[UGoLong]

Some people go directly to a PA program from a BS and some take years and years. Some of this is the nature of individual career choices; I didn't know what a PA was until I was into my late 40s. Go figure.

 

I think that there are several things to consider in making your own decision:

 

1. Do you know enough about being responsible for patients, caring for them, and understanding the healthcare system to be sure that you want to be a PA? There is nothing worse than a long, arduous climb up the wrong mountain.

 

2. Different programs have different requirements for experience and, even for those that don't, more experience is better than less.

 

3. If your goal is PA school, try not to get too sidetracked getting credentials in other fields. Keep your real objective in mind. That said, and even though EMEDPA and I were both paramedics when we went to school (and countless others, I'm sure), you don't have to be a paramedic to be in EMS in many parts of the country. But, if you've got the time and money, go for it. I've kept my EMT-P card and still ride with my old buddies a few times each month. Nothing builds confidence like working in EMS.

 

4. Some people are fortunate enough to get good paying jobs while they gain experience and some don't. EMS doesn't pay particularly well in my part of the country, but there were opportunities to do it as a volunteer (which many schools do count, if it's relevant) or part-time paid. That let me keep a well-paying day job and then put in EMS time on nights and weekends.

 

So, fashion your own life. Be prepared for the sacrifices involved, but have a good idea where you want to go. Even if you could get into a PA program with no experience, wouldn't it be awful to spend all of that time -- and maybe owe all of that money -- just to find out that you hate dealing with patients? That is probably the strongest argument for experience before you apply. Everything else is whatever you need to do to be a competitive applicant.

 

Good luck!

[EMEDPA]

 

 Nothing builds confidence like working in EMS.

 

this is so true. when the ER is falling apart it's easy to keep your head because you have so many more resources there than you would in the field. once you've intubated someone in a ditch at night at the side of the road in the rain with a flashlight in your mouth or cared for a patient in an upside down car that the fire dept is tearing apart around you nothing else really seems to rattle you.