In need of a mentor and some advice

[TheLastStone]

Hey y'all. I hope everyone is doing well! I've been really busy with my emt stuff now that the semester is over with. I have, however, run into an issue. I have another year and a half of school, and my ems agency is only full time; I live in Charlotte and it's huge. It's an amazing agency with amazing equipment, huge, great people. I have made a spreadsheet of what all I need to complete still. I will attach it. I want some advice on whether I should commit to this, working MWF 14 hour shifts, and having all of my classes on tuesday and thursday, and still being able to do everything necessary, like study, sleep, have some kind of family time. I have to get my HCE hours and I'm beginning to feel like I will stretch myself too thin and end up shooting myself in the foot. If it's impossible then I'd definitely like some suggestions tossed my way. I should include that I am a brand new EMT, so my hours are very minimal at this point.

 

Thanks

[Ollivander]

I'm not sure I'm in a position to give advice given that I'm still pre-PA, however I have finished my bachelors degree and all of my prerequisites. I've also taken a couple of masters level SMP courses during a point in which I was gunning for acceptance into dental school. So I'll just give my thoughts instead of advice per se.

 

I know that there's no way I could have handled organic chemistry or physics (if that's physics) during a ~15 credit semester while working 14 hour shifts three days per week. I feel like that sort of load of work and school will drop you a letter grade just due to the lack of time you'll be able to devote to certain courses. Although it's worth noting each school, professor, etc is its own individual situation. No two experiences will be the same. I just know that it took a lot out of me to get by with simply a B in something like the second portion of organic chemistry during a 16 credit semester. I can't even fathom how difficult it would have been while holding a full time job. If you can do it I commend you, as that will be super impressive.

 

As much as factors such as PCE/HCE, GRE scores, volunteerism, etc matter, I still think GPA trumps all for most admissions committees. I think GPA should always be priority number one. I might suggest that if you think after the first semester that your work/school schedule is too intense, take lighter loads in semesters thereafter and just push back your target application cycle by a year if necessary. It could be the difference of gaining acceptance on your first try versus your second or third. It could also be the difference in being forced into GPA repair versus not having to do that.

[newton9686]

Here my advice as a PA student, keep the EMT job. Its extremely difficulty to find full time or part time paid EMT work and you will rack up a bunch of quality hours. As for your schedule, I think it would be extremely difficult to maintain a 3.5 or above if you took 13 to 16 hours a semester, especially in the harder science courses. 

 

If I were in your shoes, and if you have parents paying for your school they probably will not agree, but I would go down to part time for that first year. Take about 8 hours a semester. That way you still have time to work, study and make good grades. Then once you have a year of experience you could move on as a ER tech PRN or part time and you likely will not delay your intended application date. 

 

But the first poster is right, you cant compromise the GPA. So I say start slow, get 1 year of experience under your belt and you will be able to transition into something within the hospital environment or you will have a better grasp on what it takes to make above a 3.5 while working full time on a truck if you did want to bump up the hours after 1 year. 

[LadyNichiavelli]

Yeah, taking and getting an A in all of those courses, even without a job, would be very difficult. Definitely lighten the load.

[corpsman89]

You could accomplish this if you stay focused and driven to your end point. However, I wouldn't recommend it. You will get burnt out pretty quick. Try getting some more air in your schedule. Either less work or less school. Good luck brother. I am still rooting for you to do medical school rather than PA school, but you've got a while before you need to make that decision. Good luck.

[TheLastStone]

First off, thank you everyone for responding! It means a lot. See, this is why I love this place: I can get busy and come back months later and get great support for people. 

 

I want to stay with this agency because it is so amazing.. it truly is. I think having the perspective from y'all's point of view makes me slide that pill of reality a little better. I know I've stacked quite a bit and its made me impatient mostly because of my age; I'll be 27 this year, so it just makes me anxious to get it all done and be in PA school already, but knowing that won't be for another handful of years is tough to swallow. Realistically, I think I've known all along how intense doing what I scheduled in the above spreadsheet would be. Guess I just was in some kind of denial. Better to take a year longer or so and get it done right and not sacrifice my GPA, I suppose. 

 

And corpsman, I've always appreciated the faith you have in me, brother. It's still up in the air, but the more and more I learn about the PA profession, the more I love about it. We will see! 

 

Thanks again, everyone. Will keep y'all updated. Take care!

[MusicalPA]

Don't worry about age...my husband was 36 when he started PA school. Just be smart with work/school load.

[fishbum]

So, you're really the only person who can answer this and the advice you've been given so far is good...BUT I'll offer another perspective. I was able to do my entire BS and PA school prerequisites while working in EMS full time, though I did cut out the part time and overtime work when I was taking the harder science classes. Part of the reason I was able to is that there's quite a lot of down time at work that can be used for studying (even at a busy service like MEDIC). You're especially fortunate that you have that schedule (not sure how you did it being the new guy...I'm betting that just about everybody wants that shift) so you can schedule TTh classes.

 

Anyway, I'm not saying that you should take 15 hours on top of your work schedule, but it can be done and has been done before. 

[Ollivander]

First off, thank you everyone for responding! It means a lot. See, this is why I love this place: I can get busy and come back months later and get great support for people. 

 

I want to stay with this agency because it is so amazing.. it truly is. I think having the perspective from y'all's point of view makes me slide that pill of reality a little better. I know I've stacked quite a bit and its made me impatient mostly because of my age; I'll be 27 this year, so it just makes me anxious to get it all done and be in PA school already, but knowing that won't be for another handful of years is tough to swallow. Realistically, I think I've known all along how intense doing what I scheduled in the above spreadsheet would be. Guess I just was in some kind of denial. Better to take a year longer or so and get it done right and not sacrifice my GPA, I suppose. 

 

And corpsman, I've always appreciated the faith you have in me, brother. It's still up in the air, but the more and more I learn about the PA profession, the more I love about it. We will see! 

 

Thanks again, everyone. Will keep y'all updated. Take care!

Honestly I think a lot of us on this forum that are gearing up to apply are in the age range of 24-30, so you're not alone. I'm not saying do this, but in hindsight if I were in your situation I'd spread your course load out over an extra year so that I could heighten my odds of receiving better grades. It's just one year, and it will probably end up being the difference between sweating out your first application cycle versus going into it feeling as though you stand a pretty strong chance of getting into your top choices. It sucks, but it's so much more worth it than going into GPA repair due to overloading yourself when you started out. I hope it works out regardless of what you decide!

[TheLastStone]

So, I've made the decision to just focus on school full time over the next 1.5 years, no ems, and then pick up with the agency when I'm done to gain my HCE. I'm not leaving on bad terms or anything so I think they'll understand. But I feel like the above schedule is doable since it'll be my only focus and not having to worry about work. I'll graduate in spring 2019, my emt cert is good until 2020 so I have from May 2019 until 2020 to work full time and spend time with family when I'm off. I'll be 29, turning 30 later in 2020, so I works out. What do y'all think about that decision? Thanks again to everyone for always being so supportive. I can't tell y'all how much it means

[LadyNichiavelli]

So, I've made the decision to just focus on school full time over the next 1.5 years, no ems, and then pick up with the agency when I'm done to gain my HCE. I'm not leaving on bad terms or anything so I think they'll understand. But I feel like the above schedule is doable since it'll be my only focus and not having to worry about work. I'll graduate in spring 2019, my emt cert is good until 2020 so I have from May 2019 until 2020 to work full time and spend time with family when I'm off. I'll be 29, turning 30 later in 2020, so I works out. What do y'all think about that decision? Thanks again to everyone for always being so supportive. I can't tell y'all how much it means

 

If you feel like you can ace all/the majority of these courses with no PCE, then it sounds like a great idea! Although personally, if I were in your shoes, I would try to find part-time EMS work and spread out my classes over the course of 2 years, if I were planning to apply by 2020 or so anyway. I'm basing this off of how I did this past year balancing 12 science credits each semester with 2 jobs. I did fine, but I probably would avoid that type of situation until I had no other options. But whatever you decide to do, I'm sure you'll be successful.

[TheLastStone]

If you feel like you can ace all/the majority of these courses with no PCE, then it sounds like a great idea! Although personally, if I were in your shoes, I would try to find part-time EMS work and spread out my classes over the course of 2 years, if I were planning to apply by 2020 or so anyway. I'm basing it off of how I did this past year balancing 12 science credits each semester with 2 jobs. I did fine, but I probably would avoid that type of situation until I had no other options. But whatever you decide to do, I'm sure you'll be successful.

Thanks Nikki! I was looking at a part time EMS agency but my city is so huge that the closest one to me, outside of my county, just the base, is a 30 minute drive and they cover a lot of ground, so those would be some long days, but it's still on the table. I think the supervisor told me all that would be required of me is 36 hours every two weeks, so that'd be like a weekend and another day. So I am looking into it. And if that's the case then maybe spacing out would be better because I definitely want to get the best grades possible. I just don't want to mess up the application cycle. I'm curious how much dead time that agency has, though. It's a very rural agency, so I'd be curious as to how they operate. If they had a NET truck that'd be great. At the agency I started, every truck was ALS, but this agency has ALS and BLS trucks so I guess I've been pampered a little. I've heard rumors that they even have protocols for basics to intubate because of how long the transports can be. That's just what I've heard! Haha.. not saying it's true or anything. But yea, I absolutely want to make sure I do it right. 

[nikki386]

Hey Michael, don't be discouraged about age. But I know exactly how you feel about it. I am 31 and applying to programs next cycle (2018) at which point I will be 32. You aren't the only one! :) Better late than never.

[TheLastStone]

Hey Michael, don't be discouraged about age. But I know exactly how you feel about it. I am 31 and applying to programs next cycle (2018) at which point I will be 32. You aren't the only one! :) Better late than never.

Wow, two Nikki's in a row; this has to be some kind of a sign! haha. I'm certainly ot discouraged, and I definitely feel the support from everyone and I really appreciate it! Good luck!!! :)

[Ollivander]

So, I've made the decision to just focus on school full time over the next 1.5 years, no ems, and then pick up with the agency when I'm done to gain my HCE. I'm not leaving on bad terms or anything so I think they'll understand. But I feel like the above schedule is doable since it'll be my only focus and not having to worry about work. I'll graduate in spring 2019, my emt cert is good until 2020 so I have from May 2019 until 2020 to work full time and spend time with family when I'm off. I'll be 29, turning 30 later in 2020, so I works out. What do y'all think about that decision? Thanks again to everyone for always being so supportive. I can't tell y'all how much it means

I think that's a lot more doable. That's what I did as well -- finish school first, then focus on the PCE/HCE. Since you won't be working those 14 hour shifts that frees up a lot of time for studying and spending time with family. I think you'll find it will be much easier to do well in your courses this way.

[TheLastStone]

Correction* EMT cert is good until 2021, not 2020, so I definitely have enough time and then some to finish my schooling in 1.5 years and work full time for the agency and bang out as many hours as possible and relax in free time before I go to PA school :) Also, I've made my list and it's 8 schools. All in NC. Is that a good enough amount? I feel like it is but just curious what others experience with applying to less than 10 schools is and if I should broaden that list. 

[TheLastStone]

I think that's a lot more doable. That's what I did as well -- finish school first, then focus on the PCE/HCE. Since you won't be working those 14 hour shifts that frees up a lot of time for studying and spending time with family. I think you'll find it will be much easier to do well in your courses this way.

Definitely agree! Also, I'm just now noticing your avatar! Born and raised right near the stadium in CLT and been a lifelong fan! Oh and Cam just happens to be my favorite player ever ha. Extra points to you, man!

[corpsman89]

Good on you Michael. I think the part time EMT gig is a smart move if you decide to pursue that. It will come in handy come application and interview time. Because of my experience I found that when I interviewed I felt more confident and didn't struggle with my answers, I didn't have to search for anything meaningful, I already had it because I had experienced working in health care, and not ordinary health care either. Keep in mind, a lot of EMTs who apply to PA school just had their EMT and worked in a hospital. Working in the field gives you a unique advantage in my opinion.

[TheLastStone]

Good on you Michael. I think the part time EMT gig is a smart move if you decide to pursue that. It will come in handy come application and interview time. Because of my experience I found that when I interviewed I felt more confident and didn't struggle with my answers, I didn't have to search for anything meaningful, I already had it because I had experienced working in health care, and not ordinary health care either. Keep in mind, a lot of EMTs who apply to PA school just had their EMT and worked in a hospital. Working in the field gives you a unique advantage in my opinion.

Oh, I've loved working in the field. Before I was even certified and still doing my ridealongs, I was called the black cloud because we literally had the craziest calls, and the paramedics I rode with were like "this shit never happens!" and my EMT classmates all had boring 12 hour shifts when both of mine were non-stop action jackson.. and I loved it! I hated it for the pts, but I loved the exposure and getting the opportunity to be hands-on because things were so crazy that I had no choice, and that right then in there in those shifts that i was on, that solidified it all for me that I was in the right field. Under the pressure I always stayed calm, people might be going crazy because of what they're seeing their friends and family go through, and when stuff goes down hill in the truck or staying to help console... it all attracted me and knew I wanted to continue my knowledge. But I've decided to just finish the schooling in 1.5 years and then go full time with the agency I was with. Nothing against that part time agency but I seriously love everything about the agency I was at and I still have all the protocol books and everthing, so it's just an easier transition. But yea, I'll bust out these next 1.5 years and just work full time and spend free time relaxing and doing things I enjoy before PA school comes a'ringin'! Y'all seriously feel like a small family. It's always a pleasure to hop on here and see what y'all have to say and share my points too. I seriously hope the best for all of you awesome people.

[TheLastStone]

So I spoke with my medic supervisor today and my spot is good for a year from my last assessment, and my last assessment was may 4th 2017, so basically I'll have to start next spring to go back before then. So, it'll take longer because I'm not gonna try and pull 14+ credits while working full time(full time only agency) so I'm gonna knock out this semester and next semester, and then I guess go part time with schooling while working. Should still finish around the same amount of time, and have enough PCE hours so I won't have to wait to fill out apps, so that's good. I want to make sure to do great on the GRE though so hopefully I'll find a class for that or a bunch of great resources. Just updating y'all! 

[Ollivander]

Definitely agree! Also, I'm just now noticing your avatar! Born and raised right near the stadium in CLT and been a lifelong fan! Oh and Cam just happens to be my favorite player ever ha. Extra points to you, man!

Haha that's so dope! I adore Cam. I've been an Auburn fan all my life and was a freshman at Auburn during his Heisman season. I've definitely enjoyed the ride of watching his success as he's transitioned into the NFL, as it's not something that's a norm for Auburn QBs.

[bocc54]

So I spoke with my medic supervisor today and my spot is good for a year from my last assessment, and my last assessment was may 4th 2017, so basically I'll have to start next spring to go back before then. So, it'll take longer because I'm not gonna try and pull 14+ credits while working full time(full time only agency) so I'm gonna knock out this semester and next semester, and then I guess go part time with schooling while working. Should still finish around the same amount of time, and have enough PCE hours so I won't have to wait to fill out apps, so that's good. I want to make sure to do great on the GRE though so hopefully I'll find a class for that or a bunch of great resources. Just updating y'all! 

 

I think you are making the right move by focusing solely on classes first. That schedule along with full time work seems really rough. GPA is the most important "number" factor with regards to admissions and it is much harder to go back and fix a lower GPA than to accumulate PCE. Take it from someone who worked a non-HCE job all throughout undergrad and really regretted it later when I had to do some GPA repair.

 

With regards to the GRE many people do online self study courses using Magoosh. Most people say they studied for about a month and did well on it. I planned on doing this and bought all the books, but ended up not taking the GRE so I have a couple of unused practice books. If you want any of the books let me know. I would hate for them to not get used.