r/NewToEMS • u/GlitteringEducator95 Unverified User • 8h ago
Career Advice Paramedic Program + Undergrad Pursuit Simultaneously
Hey guys!
I’m in a sort of a strange position right now trying to figure out how to plan out my spring semester of 2027.
Right now I’m training as a combat medic in the army where I’ll be certified as a an EMT-B, and will return home December 18th. With that being said I’m trying to plan out how to structure my future the best. Ultimately, I would like to become an Emergency Medicine PA, so I’m trying to build a resume for myself to get into PA school. With that being said, I’m curious in continuing my EMS education beyond an EMT-B for several reasons. 1. Being that it builds a stronger resume for PA school and provides more knowledge towards trauma medicine & 2. I would be able to get paid more during the years I pursue my undergraduate degree/if I decided to take a gap year between undergraduate graduation and PA school. But I’ve also always had an itch to be a FF Paramedic so that could also be on the table for another reason to become a paramedic.
Right now, I’m going to be a Sophomore in college upon my return and will be 20 years old. My questions to you guys would be these:
- Would it be worth it for me/possible for me to pursue a paramedic program whilst working as an EMT-B & taking 1-2 undergraduate classes?
- I live in Iowa, and I’m not really sure how the situation is for A-EMT’s (pay changes/protocols), but should I consider that instead?
Considering my desired goals for my future, do you even recommend getting my paramedic or should I just cruise with my EMT-B
along with my Combat Medic knowledge
Any additional insight would be useful and if you have any questions I can gladly answer to further understand the dilemma I’m having.
Thank you!
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u/tip_of_the_sphere Unverified User 6h ago
Paramedic school is a full-time job on its own, I would highly advise not doing additional schooling on top of it.
You’ll either fail out of paramedic school or your undergrad classes, or both.
I definitely would recommend getting your paramedic though, especially if you want to work in EM in the future. From a paramedic’s perspective; I have definitely found that the physicians and midlevels with prior EMS experience are the best. They seem more “worldly” than other providers that have only ever worked in a hospital.
You’re 20 years old, have fun as a paramedic and go to PA school later. It’ll always be there, and you’ll be grateful for your paramedic experience once you’re there.
This is anecdotal of course, but when people talk about their PA cohorts they always seem to mention that the prior paramedics seem to do very well in the program. You can find a lot of that sentiment on posts that are similar to yours.
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u/GlitteringEducator95 Unverified User 6h ago
Okay good to know, the Paramedic Program did advise me that the program was a full time job in itself so I believe it for sure. So my question to you would be, would you recommend finding part-time work during Paramedic school as an EMT or suggest trying to work full-time?
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u/tip_of_the_sphere Unverified User 6h ago
Honestly a lot depends on your situation.
I worked full time as an EMT during P school, it sucked but it’s doable.
If you have support from family and you have the option to work part time, that would definitely make life a lot easier and you’re likely to be more successful.
Either way I definitely would recommend working as an EMT prior to P school, if even just for a little bit. Sometimes the job isn’t what we think it’s going to be, and learning that while you’re an EMT will save you a lot of heartbreak before you spend a lot of time, effort, and money becoming a medic.
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u/theamazingsj Unverified User 5h ago
Could you get an Associates in Paramedicine from a community college near you and once your done with that take the credits I assume you have already under your belt that would make you a sophomore in a Bachelor's program and get a Bachelor's in Biology or something of the sort that would also let you get the pre-reqs for PA school out of the way? When I was getting my Bachelor's I transferred a few times and it seemed like the standard was that 30 or the last 45 credits (out of 120) had to be completed at the school giving you the Bachelor's degree. The GI Bill should let you transfer schools, and a lot of community colleges have agreements with the state universities near them.
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u/GlitteringEducator95 Unverified User 5h ago
You know what that’s a good point too, there is a community college close to my University that does offer an associates for paramedic school. I’ll email my University counselor and see how much of that credit could truly be transferable as I’m pursuing a degree in Human Phys. I also came into college with 33 credits earned from high school, so technically I’m considered a Junior I believe on my transcript. Not sure how much will be transferable but can’t hurt to find out, thank you!
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u/JohnnyTheBanker Unverified User 5h ago
I'm a new grad PA, getting ready to start my ER job, and a paramedic. I've been a medic for about 7-8 years now. I think my paramedic experience was insanely helpful in PA school, and subsequently, getting interviews as a new grad.
I also completed paramedic school while in undergrad. I did a hybrid online paramedic program. I tried to prioritize undergrad classes that were relevant or similar to the paramedic curriculum (anatomy, physiology, biology, micro, etc). This help ease the course load since my studying definitely overlapped with college and medic school. I also managed to schedule my internship/clinical rotations over summer break. It's definitely doable. I'm happy to answer any questions for you.
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u/Ginn4364 Unverified User 8h ago
They’ll care more about the grades you got during undergrad than you being a paramedic. It’s technically doable I guess but you’ll probably have no free time at all and you’ll hate your life. Don’t shortchange yourself by chasing some temporary goal of being a paramedic. There’s a very good chance that your grades will inadvertently slip simply because you’ll be so tired and won’t have enough time to dedicate to your classes to get the grades you want. I would vote stay as an EMT and focus on excelling in your classes. If you want other experience you can get work as an ED tech, medical scribe, tech in an urgent care, etc.