I cant decide on which Medical field of study

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

ICANHITHIMMAN if your interested you could get your EMTB while taking your prerequisites to RN or PA school. That way you could work as an EMT Tech in an ER get your fill and also be on your way to your goal. Plus it will give you experience and familiarity with ER. You'll have way more hands on patient care hours before anybody in your classes even touches a patient. I believe EMT Techs at hospitals get paid more and are exposed to more than the ambulance scene as a basic.

I will look into it but to be honest I cant do both right now not enough time in the day.

Thanks to everyone for the continued advice. I have been thinking hard about everything you guys have said. I didnt get the best schedule this semester so time is super tight. The classes I'm taking are all high in demad so I had to pick crazy times and I'm here 3 days a week from 7am to 9pm the other 4 are for homework and life.

[snackgunner]

Not sure if it was mentioned here yet, but incase you didnt know, as of October 1st the post 9/11 GI bill will pay for non-degree programs such as EMT,Paramedic, or Fire Fighter schools.

And Im almost certain, that the Post 9/11 GI Bill is only for 36 months, as opposed to 48. If you qualify, you could apply for Vocational Rehabilitation and they would pay for 12 months of your schooling, making a total of 48 months.

I found this out when calling GI Bill 800 number. I called to see how many months I had left, and they told me the Post 9/11 GI Bill was only good for 36 months. I remember hearing 48 months when I was the Marines and paying into the Montgomery GI Bill. So maybe the Montgomery GI Bill is 48 months long, I dont know. But I found the newer Post 9/11 GI Bill to be better overall than the Montgomery GI Bill.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Semper Fi

[extrication]

After thirty years, flight nurses still impress me the most. It's not just the tight flight suits! The nurses with pediatric specialties are always a welcomed site on remote scenes with little vics involved. It's more dangerous than working an inner city trauma center but boredom is rare.

[chuckman]

After thirty years, flight nurses still impress me the most. It's not just the tight flight suits! The nurses with pediatric specialties are always a welcomed site on remote scenes with little vics involved. It's more dangerous than working an inner city trauma center but boredom is rare.

Well, actually....it IS pretty boring. The scene stuff is exciting and what I enjoyed, but scene stuff was 20% of what we did. Ninety percent of the interfacility transports were snooze-fests, though the patients were always sicker than stink. Now, to be a trooper-medic with Maryland State Police, or a similar high-speed service, that would be cool.

[Snareman]

+1 for the PA route. I've been one for over 10 years now and love it. I work in the ER where I get to see all sorts of good stuff.

As has been mentioned, NPs have to pick a track in school and that limits what they can do when they get out. PAs get a more broad education and can change to any speciality at any time (granted you might have a lot to learn when you switch over). NPs are more independent than PAs, although there are some states with pretty liberal PA laws. Really though its just a matter of knowing what you can and can't handle on your own and what you need to call in backup for. Many PA programs have sort of an all in one type deal now where you get your BS and MS all in line.

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

+1 for the PA route. I've been one for over 10 years now and love it. I work in the ER where I get to see all sorts of good stuff.

As has been mentioned, NPs have to pick a track in school and that limits what they can do when they get out. PAs get a more broad education and can change to any speciality at any time (granted you might have a lot to learn when you switch over). NPs are more independent than PAs, although there are some states with pretty liberal PA laws. Really though its just a matter of knowing what you can and can't handle on your own and what you need to call in backup for. Many PA programs have sort of an all in one type deal now where you get your BS and MS all in line.

Thanks for the reply I'm leaning in that direction now. RIT has the program you just mentioned but I need to knock out a few more pre reqs before I apply.

[kiwi57]

ICANHITHIMMAN,

Just an FYI. President Obama is supporting grant funding to help vets transition into PA training upon ETS:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-...ves-help-creat

What this means is that within the next 6-12 months the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will release guidance to assist PA programs who want to write grants to support "bridging" vets into PA school. Much too soon to know how/when these initiatives will take shape or what the scope will be.

Here's the PAEA president's response:

http://www.paeaonline.org/index.php?...963/pid/130963

Because you've mentioned RIT, you might want to ask their admissions person if their program is aware of this. They might be well-positioned to go after this funding because of their undergrad/grad model of training.

Kiwi57

[TehLlama]

The wife adds a +1 for the PA program. While P911GIB will cover non-degree programs, PA still looks like the winner in the long run.

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

KIWI

Thanks, to say the least. Im going to look in to it today. I know the vet rep at RIT. He has to be the most locked on rep in any of the local schools.

Jon

[Jmacken37]

I think medicine is a neat field; as an ER PA, I'm biased.

If you're young, single, and have the time and aren't concerned about stuck in one specialty, I'd consider medical school. Otherwise, without a nursing degree, PA training is a no-brainer.

Let's face it...physicians are captains of the ship in medicine. They are more comfortable with PA's because we are trained like they were and are tied to a dependent practice model acknowledging physician leadership.

Degree creep is crazy in healthcare. A doctorate to practice as a pharmacist, physical therapist, NP? Seems like blatant "doctor" envy to me.

Jake