http://www.wcu.edu/4637.asp
What do you guys think med schools’ take on these degrees are? This is the first I’ve learned of these, but personally, I’d rather get a degree in this rather than something else…a lot more relevant to being a health care provider.
Haven’t had too many people answer (only one so far) on SDN so I figured I’d post it here to get some more opinions.
Hm. It certainly looks interesting. It seems to be a fairly recent program, so it’s hard to tell what med schools will think of it. It does seem to be an interesting way of combining paramedic certification with the science pre-reqs for medical school.
You would have to investigate it and see if it would be worthwhile for you at this point . . . how expensive is out of state tuition going to be? how many of your previous college credits are they going to accept?
I would be concerned as to the “rigor” of the program. Do students from this school in other degree programs get accepted into medical school? If so, then the science courses are probably rigorous enough. I wonder if you contacted the program if they would tell you if any of their graduates have actually gone on to successfully apply to medical school.
As for the usefulness . . . although I think it is certainly an interesting degree, you have to remember that the mindset of paramedics, nurses, etc is quite a bit different from the mindset of doctors. Yes, this program would help you out with clinical skills, but your EMT experience will probably give you more clinical experience/patient contact than a lot of your med school classmates might have. I tend to think that if medical school is your ultimate goal, you may be better off taking upper level science classes that will prepare you for the basic science years of medical school - immuno, genetics, microbiology, biochemistry - things of that nature.
My 2 cents - hope that was what you were looking for. 
- Emergency! Said:
Hm. It certainly looks interesting. It seems to be a fairly recent program, so it's hard to tell what med schools will think of it. It does seem to be an interesting way of combining paramedic certification with the science pre-reqs for medical school.
You would have to investigate it and see if it would be worthwhile for you at this point . . . how expensive is out of state tuition going to be? how many of your previous college credits are they going to accept?
I would be concerned as to the "rigor" of the program. Do students from this school in other degree programs get accepted into medical school? If so, then the science courses are probably rigorous enough. I wonder if you contacted the program if they would tell you if any of their graduates have actually gone on to successfully apply to medical school.
As for the usefulness . . . although I think it is certainly an interesting degree, you have to remember that the mindset of paramedics, nurses, etc is quite a bit different from the mindset of doctors. Yes, this program would help you out with clinical skills, but your EMT experience will probably give you more clinical experience/patient contact than a lot of your med school classmates might have. I tend to think that if medical school is your ultimate goal, you may be better off taking upper level science classes that will prepare you for the basic science years of medical school - immuno, genetics, microbiology, biochemistry - things of that nature.
My 2 cents - hope that was what you were looking for.
You would have to investigate it and see if it would be worthwhile for you at this point . . . how expensive is out of state tuition going to be? how many of your previous college credits are they going to accept?
I would be concerned as to the "rigor" of the program. Do students from this school in other degree programs get accepted into medical school? If so, then the science courses are probably rigorous enough. I wonder if you contacted the program if they would tell you if any of their graduates have actually gone on to successfully apply to medical school.
As for the usefulness . . . although I think it is certainly an interesting degree, you have to remember that the mindset of paramedics, nurses, etc is quite a bit different from the mindset of doctors. Yes, this program would help you out with clinical skills, but your EMT experience will probably give you more clinical experience/patient contact than a lot of your med school classmates might have. I tend to think that if medical school is your ultimate goal, you may be better off taking upper level science classes that will prepare you for the basic science years of medical school - immuno, genetics, microbiology, biochemistry - things of that nature.
My 2 cents - hope that was what you were looking for.
Very good points you bring up Emerg! I'm not necessarily looking for a specific stance on it, I'm pretty ambivalent to these sorts of degree programs because it seems as if there isn't too much information out there on the usefulness of them. As with any online program (which it is primarily), there really isn't any way of knowing how rigorous it is, plus they don't provide any specifics on how you're expected to do the in-person stuff like organic chem, even though its an online program so they should have details on that somewhere.
At any rate, I'm going to at least start the medic program next year and do that before I transfer to UCSB...it'll take me a year longer, but I just honestly can't imagine working as an EMT in the event I don't get into med school the first time around, and I think it'll be a lot of fun to go through medic school and then work as a medic while going to UCSB. I'm definitely glad I'm at least working in EMS in the meantime though....I'd hate to have a "deer in the headlights" look when asked to go check on a patient and get a history at the start of 3rd year in med school because I had never done it before. Although some of the experiences I've had so far involving N/V I could do without..
Not sure how much immuno or micro I'll be able to take, but I plan to take a year of biochemistry and a class in genetics while I'm there, hopefully that'll be enough as far as that goes...that's about all the electives I'll have time for since I'm majoring in aquatic biology.
I’m kind of confused. Are you looking into this program to start? It’s in N. Carolina. Are you going to then transfer back to California?
Kris
- Krisss17 Said:
I'm kind of confused. Are you looking into this program to start? It's in N. Carolina. Are you going to then transfer back to California?
Kris
Kris
No, the only appeal this specific program would have is the fact it can be done online. I was mainly curious about these types of programs in general, and how paramedicine/emergency medical care degrees were viewed.
Oh…confusion removed!
Kris
- Krisss17 Said:
Oh...confusion removed!
Kris
Kris
Glad to help.
hope everyone had a happy thanksgiving btw.Hi Tim,
There are a number of EMS related bachelor programs although most seem to have an emphasis on management. This may be the first one I’ve come across to specifically mention a science concentration for premed.
I am a paramedic that is now working in the medical device industry (heart attack detector)… but am planning to use my paramedic skills to pay the bills while in school. I think this is a good plan overall, since the hours are so convenient (depending on your perspective) and can be worked out anytime.
Good luck to you!
Nick
Hi Tim et al,
paramedic/EMT is great preparation for some aspects of 3rd year medical school, but probably won’t help that much in MS1 and MS2 years.
Taking a physical history is a skill that’s typically taught in MS1. At my school, it’s now done in a lecture/lab setting, with opportunities to practice at health fairs and homeless shelters.
In my humble opinion based on sad experience, the primary challenge of medical school is years 1 and 2, and EMT/paramedic is not going to help very much. What will help is to take rigorous science courses: biochemistry, genetics, neurology, physiology, molecular biology, human biology, and whatever other 300 and 400 level courses you can find.
You’ll get plenty of clinical experience throughout medical school and I suspect that 3rd and 4th year will take you beyond paramedic training. I would recommend focusing on a rigorous academic schedule and only do the paramedic training if there’s time left over. I don’t know, but would guess, that this WCU program is not as rigorous as some since it is geared toward the EMT career, and it may not impress the average medical school admissions committee. But, I could be wrong.