Need some advising

Nontraditional Premed Discussion
1

Hello again,


I’m having a hard time deciding whether to pursue an EMT-B certification this spring or retake 3 boring undergrad classes from many years ago to raise my gpa slightly and begin on a diy post-bac.


Reasoning for pursuing EMT-B is to gain exposure/experience to medicine by working in the ED since I have none.


If I decide to re-take a few classes and start on a diy post bac instead, I won’t have the dread of needing to do it later and make progress more quickly. To gain exposure I’ll just volunteer.


Working in the ED feels a little more realistic and like I’ll have a little more worth since I’ll be getting paid for my actions with patients vs. volunteering. Maybe it’s better just to focus on school though.


Bottom line is I still need more exposure to medicine and am open to an alternate path in which some of the basic science pre-reqs will need to be met.


2
  • Simplyput Said:
I'm having a hard time deciding whether to pursue an EMT-B certification this spring or retake 3 boring undergrad classes from many years ago to raise my gpa slightly and begin on a diy post-bac.

Reasoning for pursuing EMT-B is to gain exposure/experience to medicine by working in the ED since I have none.



What's your timeframe for applying to medical school? One year from now or three? If you have some time in front of you, you don't necessarily need to worry about shadowing/exposure right this moment.

Also, what are the classes? If they're BCPM, those are important, boring or not.

At the same time, EMT-B will give you the opportunity to get some volunteer hours. Don't underestimate that.

  • Simplyput Said:
If I decide to re-take a few classes and start on a diy post bac instead, I won't have the dread of needing to do it later and make progress more quickly. To gain exposure I'll just volunteer.



I think this sounds like the best all-around plan.
3

I’d like to point out that there are other opportunities to work in the ED or other parts of the hospital that may not require anything in the way of certification.


I’m currently a medical scribe that works in the ED, all that took was a few days of OTJ training. Plus, the hospital that I work at hires nursing assistants with no certs or experience. You may want to consider some options like this rather than paying for, and taking a course to get your EMT-B cert.


That said, I have my EMT-B and I enjoyed the coursework and fieldwork for it. I was hoping to work with our local ambulance service part-time while I was in school, but, as I found out, that service won’t hire newly minted EMT-Bs on a part-time basis. There are also no volunteer ambulance services in my area. These are just a few things to consider before dropping your money for the course.


Good luck!

4

Hi Fedaykin


Thanks for the response. I don’t have a strict timeline that I’m following. I would apply within the next 2 years. I need to finish all the post-bac stuff first as well as gain experience.


The classes I’d be retaking are Eng., Psych, and MicroEcon.



5

Hi Bennard,


Thanks. I’ll have to call around to the hospitals and see if there are any positions that don’t require certifications. I think there’s some places that hire newly grads with EMT-B certs. I’m recalling a few people I’ve talked to but ya you probably need to know the right people and find the right place.