Aspiring Non-Traditional Med Student (Experienced Paramedic)

[doc1490]

Hey All,

I'm looking for suggestions on strengthening my application to either an MD or DO program. I'm in my mid 30s and have been a paramedic/flight paramedic for over 10 years. I hold a bachelor's degree in EMS, but I have a somewhat checkered/weaker academic history (especially right out of high school). I'm working on completing the outstanding pre-reqs for an application (Orgo, Biochem, etc.) while working full time.

Specifically, I had the following questions:

1) Does volunteer experience that is all medical or medical adjacent (i.e. volunteer FD, Red Cross disaster response, peer support organizations) weaken my application (i.e. do I need to branch out with volunteer work)?

2) Given my extensive exposure to the healthcare system, should I still attempt to shadow a physician outside EM or critical care?

3) How much effort should I expend attempting to get involved in research? For example, would serving as a peer reviewer for a prehospital journal be effective or should I attempt to get a position in a traditional lab in a university setting?

4) If my grades are just mediocre (cumulative and science right around 3.1 but a bunch of failures/withdrawals in the remote past), will I need to pursue a Master's Degree or would strong performance for two years in nearly full time academics for pre-reqs keep me competitive?

5) If I need to strengthen my academic record to improve my application, would a Master's in some human factors discipline (i.e. human factors engineering, etc.) be more or less helpful than a special master's program (as my backup plan/other professional interests are centered on HFACS).


Thanks in advance for all your input and assistance!!!

(also, I posted this in the MD and DO threads, sorry for the duplication!)

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[Doctoscope]

1) Yes, although you have a great amount of clinical experience (which can be paid OR volunteer), you also need non-clinical volunteering. So look to volunteer at a homeless shelter, food bank, women's shelter... etc. for a year or two.

2) I think you should still shadow a primary care physician for 40-50 hours, so you can get a feel for that side of healthcare.

3) Research is overrated, according to Goro. Many applicants get into great schools without research. This should be at your bottom priority.

4) You should pursue undergraduate coursework in your postbacc. I've read non-SMP masters programs are not advised over undergraduate coursework postbacc.

5) SMP should be a last resort, as it's high risk high reward. If you mess up your SMP, your med school plans are toast.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

I would apply DO or DPM unless you can show a very strong 2 yr undergrad performance in the pre reqs with a strong MCAT. Then I would apply MD also. Essentially agree with @DoctoOcto . Get some volunteer time with the less fortunate. Being a paramedic is an advantage and a disadvantage. Good clinical exposure, but I have had a couple reluctant to shed their mid level training and embrace being a physician scientist. Paramedics are trained to follow protocols, where physicians practice medicine. I had one former paramedic med student try to lecture me on how to hold a laryngoscope. I taught city paramedics how to intubate for 15 yrs. It requires a little re training. Regardless, good luck and best wishes.

 

[doc1490]

Thanks ladies/gents, I really appreciate the input.

Ironically, despite desire, it'll actually be tough for a while to get into any meaningful direct non-clinical volunteer work in my area with COVID restrictions. I also genuinely appreciate the guidance regarding SMP programs (something that I had honestly not heard of before I started looking into med school again after my early collegiate days).

Also, to Dr. Avagadro, I definitely appreciate the thoughts about paramedics. I've been fortunate enough to work in some high performing systems and with some fantastic physicians that have helped me fully appreciate how little I actually know (I definitely cringe at the memories of thinking I had more accurately interpreted a 12 lead than an ED physician...the spoiler is that I definitely didn't). Truthfully, it seems like the more I learn/experience, the more intense that awareness becomes, which is one of the motivating factors to pursue medical school.

Thanks again to both of you!

 

[Darth Doc]

Hey All,

I'm looking for suggestions on strengthening my application to either an MD or DO program. I'm in my mid 30s and have been a paramedic/flight paramedic for over 10 years. I hold a bachelor's degree in EMS, but I have a somewhat checkered/weaker academic history (especially right out of high school). I'm working on completing the outstanding pre-reqs for an application (Orgo, Biochem, etc.) while working full time.

Specifically, I had the following questions:

1) Does volunteer experience that is all medical or medical adjacent (i.e. volunteer FD, Red Cross disaster response, peer support organizations) weaken my application (i.e. do I need to branch out with volunteer work)?

I disagree with DoctoOcto, especially during COVID times. I think any sustained volunteer work will support your application - as long as it was unpaid. My National Guard time did NOT count. I had some very old healthcare for the homeless volunteer work that did count.

2) Given my extensive exposure to the healthcare system, should I still attempt to shadow a physician outside EM or critical care?

I disagree with DoctoOcto on this also. Any physician shadowing will count for your application. Would it benefit you personally to have exposure to other types of medicine? Possibly? Will it hurt your application to only have worked with EM and CC physicians? No. I was a PA first and had no "shadowing" exposure, just on the job experience with the family medicine docs I worked with.

3) How much effort should I expend attempting to get involved in research? For example, would serving as a peer reviewer for a prehospital journal be effective or should I attempt to get a position in a traditional lab in a university setting?

Zero. Unless you want to do research.

4) If my grades are just mediocre (cumulative and science right around 3.1 but a bunch of failures/withdrawals in the remote past), will I need to pursue a Master's Degree or would strong performance for two years in nearly full time academics for pre-reqs keep me competitive?

There are a number of ways to approach this. Sometimes proving yourself in the current time frame is enough, but other times not. Goro is a much better person to make that recommendation. There are a lot of posts on this topic specifically.

5) If I need to strengthen my academic record to improve my application, would a Master's in some human factors discipline (i.e. human factors engineering, etc.) be more or less helpful than a special master's program (as my backup plan/other professional interests are centered on HFACS).

Not sure. I won't comment on this one either.

Best of luck.

 

[Dral]

If you have not technically shadowed a physician, you need to do that. It’s not just a check mark on an application to show health care exposure. Part of it is to show people that you have at least attempted to realize what you are getting into in your future day to day job.

If you have shadowed EM physicians, then you are probably good and I don’t think you necessarily need to go outside of that for shadowing experiences (but it never hurts).

 

[deleted1085158]

For non-trads, do volunteering and shadowing experiences "expire" if you did them in the past but you did not continue them up until applying?

I'm currently in the same boat right now and I have some great shadowing and volunteering experience dating back to the early 2010's. How is that looked at considering I did those for a few years each and then left those to go work somewhere else?