Overview

Well, I should probably just advise you to go to my old TTU “Pre-med Advice” page , my personal website pre-med page, and other pre-med sites and work on getting into med school first!  However, if you are really ambitious, there are a few things you can consider.

 

Keys to your success

1. I shadowed an Emergency Physician (EP) one summer during college, and I got somewhat of a feel of the medical field in general, but it is too early to learn much since you do not have the basic medical knowledge at that time.  Still, you learn a lot by osmosis if you hang out with EPs, nurses, and patients in the Emergency Department (ED).  This would be beneficial for applications to medical school and residencies.

2. I know of friends and classmates who did EMT courses prior to med school.  This is not necessary, but could be useful for getting into med school and an EM residency. 

“I was an EMT in the Boston area for about 8 years and then moved to Texas where I became an EMT I.  I finished the paramedic class, but began working in the UTMB urgent care center as a "nurse" so I never took the test.  It was a big help to me for the first two years of schoo, from a POM [Practice of Medicine]clinical aspect, but my experience played a little role when I hit third yearas there was so much more to learn”  -Jim Dowling, UTMB SOM class of 2005

“The class was good for several reasons.  One, it gives you good exposure to ER and trauma.  Second, it is a great thing for resume purposes.  It shows experience and gives you some practical exposure to medicine to talk about.  Lastly, it is a useful class.  It is a month to two months (I don't remember specifically) so you can have a summer vacation while doing this.  It’s offered by a lot of community colleges.  I didn't take the test to become certified though because I didn't want any liability/responsibility, plus I didn't want to study.”  
-UTHSCSA SOM class of 2005

3. You could do research related to EM, but once again, not necessary.  It would be a nice jump start and connection builder.  Research experience and/or a publication would be helpful for getting into med school and eventually, an EM residency.

 

My experiences

I came into medical school wanting to be a heart surgeon, but that changed in third year during my surgery rotation.  I started researching the EM field and programs in the middle of my 3^rd year so I had a late start, but things worked out fine.

 

***Remember, you may change your mind 10 times during medical school, but if you stick with EM, then the early start and foresight would most likely help you be a pretty strong applicant come 4^th year.

 

Be sure to check out the links page for other resources (EMRA, SAEM, etc.) to learn more about this topic.

 

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Last updated on 3/12/04

 

Questions, comments, suggestions?  Feel free to contact me at [email protected] (I will reply as soon as possible.)

 

(EM=Emergency Medicine, ED=Emergency Department, EP=Emergency Physician)