Current ER tech and aspiring PA. Questions for paramedics that became a PA.

[u/SAYONARA9273]

Good evening everyone like the title post says I’m a current ER tech working my way to become a PA. I have my EMTB cert and have thought about joining my cities FD for multiple reasons.

I see online that it isn’t uncommon for paramedics to go on and become PAs especially great ones from what I’ve read.

So my questions today to former paramedics who became PAs are the following.

How did you guys balance being a paramedic and doing classes?

Does being a paramedic help you stand out when applying for PA schools?

How did being a paramedic help you out on your journey to being a PA? (Application process, PA school, job as a PA)

Thanks for taking time out of your day to answer my questions it’s greatly appreciated.

[u/Automatic_Speech8574]

I would imagine that being a paramedic could help. But with the end goal of becoming a PA I would prob just go PA route. School is awesome but no point of becoming a paramedic with the goal of becoming a PA.

[u/ggrnw27]

I think paramedics can make excellent PAs and it almost certainly stands out on their applications. But it is the years (and years) of experience as paramedics that does that, not just because they have a paramedic card. In other words, become a paramedic if you genuinely want to, but know that it’s going to push back PA school by at least 5 years.

[u/Salted_Paramedic]

The best skill you can get as a paramedic is learning how to interview a patient which you also get as an emt, skip the paramedic and go straight to PA.

[u/SuperglotticMan]

I was in your shoes, now I’m a paramedic in a busy 911 system. I wish I had just finished my bachelors instead of going to medic school cause then I’d be halfway through med school rn instead I’m currently finishing my bachelors

[u/Livid_Role_8948]

I would say there is no balancing being a PA student and a road medic….if you wanna be a good PA and get the most outta school, you likely won’t have a FT gig (I didn’t even have a part time gig!)

Being a paramedic has definitely helped me through PA school and in practice. Knowing cardiology well was HUGE when it came to learning it in PA school. In practice, well, I work ED soooo I guess it’s kinda obvious. I think I’m pretty good at determining a toxic patient right from the door or the history, I think that comes from experience and training

[u/DuVanyali]

Not a PA but a medical student. Being a paramedic did not help me get in. Most people, even in medicine, have no idea the difference between EMT and paramedic. It has given me a huge leg up in rotations though. If your goal is PA just go straight through you'll get the experience eventually anyways. Also consider med school, you'll make 3x the money for a similar job and you won't be told what to do by 20 year olds for the rest of your life. It's only 2 additional years... And a residency

[u/FutureCalligrapher97]

I was a paramedic for 13 years before I went to medical school. I was able to work as a medic while in school but it was at a quiet, outlying station where I was essentially paid to study and not take runs. I did help me stand apart and get accepted but once I was in school it really only helped me in clinical skills and in talking to people. What I knew as a paramedic was so superficial compared to what you learn in med school that it wasn’t super helpful. I’d imagine this is true for PA school as well since my wife was a PA and I also saw what her schooling and education was like.

[u/EeHundo]

I’m a paramedic. Never took the plunge. A lot of my friends that have made the move towards PA, Nursing, MD or even law; have indicated the benefits of having a Paramedic license. It is largely due to the paramedic mindset that aided their decision making abilities through school. It also helped form good study habits. As a paramedic, there’s a lot of overlap between the fields.