Letter of Recommendation... EMT prof?

[marsle85]

I am taking an EMT certification course at a local community college by a very spirited and very experienced teacher. I am going to get an A in the course. How would admissions view a letter of rec from him? The course is 8 credit hours and a semester long. 

[cop to pa]

It's been said on this forum a few times that you REALLY need a LOC from a PA (at least one). If you have that nailed down and want to go for a Prof that can speak to your learning and educational capabilities, why not?

[Patho]

While its recommended to get an LOR from a PA, sometimes it is harder said then done to get connected with a PA and long enough for them to write you an LOR unless you work with them directly. Getting 1 LOR from a college professor is also recommended by most schools.

 

I got LORs from a college professor, work supervisor, and the manager of a health initiative I volunteered with, turned out fine.

[MedicinePower]

I'm impressed that you're getting 8 hours for the course. The EMT course at the college where I taught gave 5 credits. While it's not a bad idea to have a LOR from your EMT instructor do try to get at least one PA.

[PA2016!]

I guess I would consider his certification level...I know that the course I did a few years back was taught by firefighters, EMT-B's and a couple paramedics every now and then....So an LOR from somebody with only and EMT-B may not carry much weight.... I know a lot of school do look for PA, and/or Professors with a PhD to write LORs.

[Arthropathy]

My references were an EMT Instructor, EMS supervisor, and an old boss from when I was a dog trainer. Worked for me.

[UGoLong]

Just a repeat of one approach to LORs, assuming your school doesn't require one from a PA or some such direction.

 

Get people who can talk about your performance in some aspect of the critical skills you'll need to get through school and become a good PA. I would doubt that that would be someone who only knew you for a couple of hours. That way, the Adcom can learn something about the "you" that's behind the transcript and all the other numbers in you application.

 

 

I used:

 

1. An old friend who also was a senior executive where I used to work who knew something about my work ethic

2. A professor in college who knew something about my academic skills

3. The chief of the EMS unit that I work in who knew something about my patient care skills.

 

 

If you have to have one from a PA, I would get to know one well enough that he or she can write a decent letter. The people I've done that for shadowed for a fair bit of time and shared a lot more about themselves than I know I did when I  shadowed.

 

Good luck!

[winterallsummer]

For LOR I recommend: 1 professor, 1 provider (PA>MD/DO/NP), 1 person you have actually worked with.

 

The quality of the LOR trumps the name of whoever wrote it.  In other words, better to get a great LOR from an EMS instructor than a mediocre one from an MD that's a family friend.

[FcMike11]

Question, one from a PA I shadowed, and one from myorganic chemistry professor. I could get the final one from my nurse manager (ICU manager for five years) or the president of the organization I volunteer for. Both would be personal and pretty good letters. Do both? Or which one?

[BobSaget]

Is the organization that you volunteer for health related? If not, you should probably just use the ICU manager since I'm assuming that person has known you longer. Choose the person that knows your work ethic and character very well.