Medical Assistant vs. EMT-B dilemma

[medicallyours]

Hi guys,

Here is my dilemma for getting HCE/PCE.

So I am trying to get 500-1000 hours through either Medical Assistant (MA) or the EMT-B certification, ideally within 1 year. 

EMT-B takes 2 months to get, MA takes 10 months.

EMT-B is about 1.5k, MA is about 4k for certification. 

However, the good thing about MA program is that I don't have to worry about finding experience with physician/PA.

Where-as, even if I do emt-b I would still have to find doc/PA to work under. 

What would you guys suggest?

I am also open to other options to get HCE/PCE.

 

 

[PAdude27]

I would recommend trying to find a job as a MA without the certification. It can be difficult but it’s definitely possible. Apply to private practices. If you already have a bachelors degree or are in college on a pre-PA track you will probably be able to find something. I worked at a derm office right out of college. A year later I moved and was able to get a job at an ENT office tho I wasn’t medical assistant certified. 
 

avoid applying to hospitals because they have more rules and regulations. Highlight any experience you have in healthcare on your resume, that will help 

[medicallyours]

6 hours ago, PAdude27 said:

I would recommend trying to find a job as a MA without the certification. It can be difficult but it’s definitely possible. Apply to private practices. If you already have a bachelors degree or are in college on a pre-PA track you will probably be able to find something. I worked at a derm office right out of college. A year later I moved and was able to get a job at an ENT office tho I wasn’t medical assistant certified. 
 

avoid applying to hospitals because they have more rules and regulations. Highlight any experience you have in healthcare on your resume, that will help 

thanks for the input. thing is i graduated from a non-science major, so it would be very hard to get a MA job without getting a certification. 

[PAdude27]

Ah I gotcha, if it were me, I would try to find an accelerated MA program. I know they have them online and can be done quickly. I wouldn’t spend another 10 months just to become certified and then start working on hours. Or just go with the EMT-B since it is shorter and you can start working on hours. That is just my opinion, but of course, go with what you think you will enjoy more and what will be more meaningful for you 

Edited May 6, 2020 by PAdude27

[medicallyours]

3 hours ago, PAdude27 said:

Ah I gotcha, if it were me, I would try to find an accelerated MA program. I know they have them online and can be done quickly. I wouldn’t spend another 10 months just to become certified and then start working on hours. Or just go with the EMT-B since it is shorter and you can start working on hours. That is just my opinion, but of course, go with what you think you will enjoy more and what will be more meaningful for you 

100% agree. Like i said, I would opt for EMT-B for the faster turn-around, but then would still have to get working hours with MD/PA at a clinic setting with EMT-B. I kind of prefer the MA route, since it will give me all the HCE/PCE/(working with MD/PA) hours that i would need

[DiggySRNA]

I obtained my EMT-B and worked at an Urgent Care alongside MDs/PAs/and NPs as a MA.

A lot of outpatient urgent cares are willing to train you on the job if you make it clear you're a fast learner and willing to do the job safely. 

You can also use your EMT-B to obtain other Tech positions in a hospital (nurse tech, nurse assistant, radiology tech assistant, ER Tech).

[katyk360]

If this helps, I graduated in 2017 and went back to community college to get my MA. Truthfully, I think it helped me tremendously. I obtained my EMT-B when I was a sophomore (2015), but the license had lapsed before I had the opportunity to work due to school research opportunities. If you choose to do MA through school, CASPA takes those classes and puts a lot of them into your science GPA and overall GPA. I opted not to take any MA certification test as I had been offered a job after finishing the program.

Working as a MA, I was more prepared for PA school applications and interviews than I ever imagined. The doctors gave me mock interviews and were willing to help anyway they could. I have seen many procedures, been invited to round, and my primary MD has taught me to read chest imaging in his free time. Two MDs and my supervisor wrote my letters of recommendation for school and have been invested in my process and growth from day 1. The networking with other physicians/administration has been wonderful and I have been asked multiple times if I plan to return when I finish school.

I can't say everyone has a positives experience like this as a MA, but it was the right stepping stone for me preparing for school.

[eeg86]

On 5/6/2020 at 4:25 AM, medicallyours said:

Hi guys,

Here is my dilemma for getting HCE/PCE.

So I am trying to get 500-1000 hours through either Medical Assistant (MA) or the EMT-B certification, ideally within 1 year. 

EMT-B takes 2 months to get, MA takes 10 months.

EMT-B is about 1.5k, MA is about 4k for certification. 

However, the good thing about MA program is that I don't have to worry about finding experience with physician/PA.

Where-as, even if I do emt-b I would still have to find doc/PA to work under. 

What would you guys suggest?

I am also open to other options to get HCE/PCE.

 

 

Hello! I just wanted to start off by saying that I am in no way associated with any admissions committee and I'm obviously not in their heads, but I figured I'd offer my most educated thoughts from talking to PA's I know, advisors, as well as looking on different PA schools websites. I think both are a great way to get patient care experience, I'm actually an EMT-B and my roommate is a Medical Assistant. From personal experience I'd say you should go for the EMT-B for a couple of reasons. First, you can get it in such a short amount of time, and if you link up with a specific EMS squad they might even pay for your class (this is what happened to me, but my squad was volunteer so the state technically payed for it). Another good reason is that I've found that having your EMT-B certification can open up a lot of doors for you. I've gotten several other jobs partly because I have my EMT-B (got a clinical research job). Also, I'm not sure where you are located but I'm from Pittsburgh and the main hospital here is UPMC, which hires Medical Assistants regardless of if they have an MA certification from a program. I know this for certain because my roommate DOES NOT have her MA cert and got a job as an MA. I also got a job as an MA through UPMC with my EMT-B, and no MA cert. However, I do know of a lot of other areas where you for certain need the MA cert to be an MA, so it's kind of case-by-case basis. Lastly, paramedics/EMT-B's were kind of the original paramedics, so that could be something to bring up during an interview or on your application.

Overall I truly do not think you could go wrong with either position, however I'd lean toward EMT-B for the reasons above. Also I've met several Doctors through my time as an EMT-B, and they have all offered to hook me up with a PA to shadow. Granted, I do understand this makes it a little bit harder to get those shadowing hours and it is less likely you will get a letter of rec from a PA role if you stick with EMT-B (this comes from the fact that my roommate who is an MA is getting a PA LOC but I am having a harder time doing so because I don't know any PA's as personally as she does from working in an office). I think both positions will make you a competitive applicant as long as you build relationships and work hard. Lastly, also think about what job you want (aka the negatives with each). With EMT-B you might have to work 12 hour or 24 hour shifts and that can definitely mess up your sleep schedule. Also EMT's need to be better at handling emergency situations than MA's, and this can sometimes stress people out. Whereas with MA you might work more consistent shifts (8 hours 5 days a week or 10 hours 4 days a week) but you will most likely be on your feet all day and not get a chance to rest, which can be different for EMT-B's.

Hope all this helps! Wishing you the best with your decision and your future! If you have any questions I might be able to help answer them from my experience or my roommates! (PS, typically there is more room for adding on extra shifts as an EMT-B compared to an MA, so if you are in a crunch to get the hours EMT-B might be more effective for that. 

[alysd]

On 5/6/2020 at 6:16 PM, Diggy said:

I obtained my EMT-B and worked at an Urgent Care alongside MDs/PAs/and NPs as a MA.

A lot of outpatient urgent cares are willing to train you on the job if you make it clear you're a fast learner and willing to do the job safely. 

You can also use your EMT-B to obtain other Tech positions in a hospital (nurse tech, nurse assistant, radiology tech assistant, ER Tech).

I second this. I got my EMT-B through a community college while volunteering at a local health clinic, and levied that experience to get a job as an MA without MA cert. You might be limited in where you can work and might get paid a little less than actual certified MAs, but there are totally still jobs out there you can land. Knowing some medical terminology and being comfortable taking vitals is a plus. 

I'm glad in retrospect that I did the EMT class even despite taking a different path, because I learned a lot that I still use to this day. Good luck!

Edited May 8, 2020 by alysd

[medicallyours]

On 5/6/2020 at 9:16 PM, Diggy said:

I obtained my EMT-B and worked at an Urgent Care alongside MDs/PAs/and NPs as a MA.

A lot of outpatient urgent cares are willing to train you on the job if you make it clear you're a fast learner and willing to do the job safely. 

You can also use your EMT-B to obtain other Tech positions in a hospital (nurse tech, nurse assistant, radiology tech assistant, ER Tech).

Thanks a lot for the input!

How difficulty and long do you think it would take me to get a EMT-b job right after passing the certification?

The EMT-b program i am looking at right now will be completed by Jan 2021, and I am really hoping to start asap afterwards.

 

[medicallyours]

14 hours ago, eeg86 said:

Hello! I just wanted to start off by saying that I am in no way associated with any admissions committee and I'm obviously not in their heads, but I figured I'd offer my most educated thoughts from talking to PA's I know, advisors, as well as looking on different PA schools websites. I think both are a great way to get patient care experience, I'm actually an EMT-B and my roommate is a Medical Assistant. From personal experience I'd say you should go for the EMT-B for a couple of reasons. First, you can get it in such a short amount of time, and if you link up with a specific EMS squad they might even pay for your class (this is what happened to me, but my squad was volunteer so the state technically payed for it). Another good reason is that I've found that having your EMT-B certification can open up a lot of doors for you. I've gotten several other jobs partly because I have my EMT-B (got a clinical research job). Also, I'm not sure where you are located but I'm from Pittsburgh and the main hospital here is UPMC, which hires Medical Assistants regardless of if they have an MA certification from a program. I know this for certain because my roommate DOES NOT have her MA cert and got a job as an MA. I also got a job as an MA through UPMC with my EMT-B, and no MA cert. However, I do know of a lot of other areas where you for certain need the MA cert to be an MA, so it's kind of case-by-case basis. Lastly, paramedics/EMT-B's were kind of the original paramedics, so that could be something to bring up during an interview or on your application.

Overall I truly do not think you could go wrong with either position, however I'd lean toward EMT-B for the reasons above. Also I've met several Doctors through my time as an EMT-B, and they have all offered to hook me up with a PA to shadow. Granted, I do understand this makes it a little bit harder to get those shadowing hours and it is less likely you will get a letter of rec from a PA role if you stick with EMT-B (this comes from the fact that my roommate who is an MA is getting a PA LOC but I am having a harder time doing so because I don't know any PA's as personally as she does from working in an office). I think both positions will make you a competitive applicant as long as you build relationships and work hard. Lastly, also think about what job you want (aka the negatives with each). With EMT-B you might have to work 12 hour or 24 hour shifts and that can definitely mess up your sleep schedule. Also EMT's need to be better at handling emergency situations than MA's, and this can sometimes stress people out. Whereas with MA you might work more consistent shifts (8 hours 5 days a week or 10 hours 4 days a week) but you will most likely be on your feet all day and not get a chance to rest, which can be different for EMT-B's.

Hope all this helps! Wishing you the best with your decision and your future! If you have any questions I might be able to help answer them from my experience or my roommates! (PS, typically there is more room for adding on extra shifts as an EMT-B compared to an MA, so if you are in a crunch to get the hours EMT-B might be more effective for that. 

Thanks for writing such a detailed response!

I live in NYC. Of course now with coronavirus, there is no shortage of emt-b jobs. But with the emt-b program i am looking at, the completion date is mid Jan 2021. I am not experienced to know the landscape of EMT-b job market in NYC by then. Hopefully the city will be mostly cleared of the virus by then. 

Do you also mind walk me through a typical day for EMT-b at the job? I am curious of the breakdown of the job.

[eeg86]

9 hours ago, medicallyours said:

Thanks for writing such a detailed response!

I live in NYC. Of course now with coronavirus, there is no shortage of emt-b jobs. But with the emt-b program i am looking at, the completion date is mid Jan 2021. I am not experienced to know the landscape of EMT-b job market in NYC by then. Hopefully the city will be mostly cleared of the virus by then. 

Do you also mind walk me through a typical day for EMT-b at the job? I am curious of the breakdown of the job.

No problem! Yes I definitely see where you are coming from with your concern about the future job market. I cannot speak to NYC but I know that I've never had an issue getting a job as an EMT-B in Pennsylvania or New Jersey. One method you could try if looking online doesn't help you is going to EMS Squads in person and asking for a job application/if they are hiring. I know this has worked for several people I know here in PA, so it could work for you as well. If not, many hospitals will often hire you as an ER technician/Patient care technician if you are an EMT-B (I know this is the case for NJ and PA). Again, I can't give you a definitive answer, but I think you have a solid shot at getting a job as long as you are putting in the work and making connections. You could also make yourself more marketable by getting extra certifications (some of which you can get while you are in your EMT-B class) such as water rescue or EVOC training. These definitely make you more competitive and are relatively inexpensive in my experience. Sometimes your EMT-B instructors are able to hook you up with a job or know of a service that is hiring so definitely take advantage of that! 

A typical day for an EMT-B normally involves checking the ambulance and equipment at the beginning of your shift. After that you are pretty much just waiting for calls to come in. Depending on your EMS Squad/Ambulance Service you might be extremely busy and not get a chance to sit down in between calls or you might only have 1 call in a 12 hour shift. It truly depends on your location and your patient population. Days often vary in terms of what you are doing. Sometimes you get called to car accidents or other traumas and your main goal is to check for any bleeding or injuries and provide supportive care like splinting and giving oxygen. Other times you may get called to more of a medical call in which a patient is experiencing a heart attack, stroke, or something else. In these cases you might be administering aspirin, getting a good patient history, and providing supportive care with oxygen and taking vitals. It definitely is variable and I would say some of the negatives are that you aren't on a set schedule so you always have to be ready to go out on a call and that sometimes (depending on location) you can be dealing with very emotionally challenging situations. There are also ambulance companies that just do scheduled transports, meaning you are not responding to 911 calls but rather taking patients to doctors appointments or dialysis treatments. I would recommend as a first time EMT-B you stay away from transport just because you don't get to practice as many of your skills and you don't get as much experience (you're mostly just transporting and taking vital signs, which can be extremely boring). 

I can't speak as much to a day in the life of a medical assistant but from what my roommate has told me she spends most of the day taking patients back into exam rooms, taking their vitals, giving IM injections, and collecting urine samples. She really enjoys it, but there obviously isn't as much "action" so to speak or diversity in your patient care as with an EMT-B. 

I hope this helped! If you have anymore questions just let me know, and again others might have different thoughts and perspectives that are also valuable! 

[KuchiKopi]

I did not read all the replies, but most Emergency rooms use techs that have an EMT certification (at least the ones I have worked in). If this info has been mentioned then my apologies. Then if you work in the ED you will work alongside PAs, DOs, MDs. They will know you by name, you can shadow, and get great LORs. Good luck!

[Halsey]

It’s hard to advocate for the hours that you have to work as an EMT-B or ED Tech; however, learning on the medical model prepares you well for patient assessment at all levels. If you master your ABC’s as a EMT it will set a great foundation for PA school and I know schools appreciate those applicants. The bell curve definitely falls on EMTs with my class but I know all schools are different. I often fall back on my previous experience to reason through patient cases and exam questions. I think the experience I missed as an MA was learning health care systems and routine internal medicine stuff.