EMS degree to Medical School

[JPINFV]

I misunderstood (though he was making a DO dig at you). I didn't realize he was talking about the test prep material at first. I guess that's what I get for trying to play with you two before I am ready.. :sad:

Are you taking COMLEX and USMLE back to back, or do you have some time between the two?

I'm actually surprised no one has made a "haha" comment regarding First Aid.

Personally, I'm probably going to take USMLE and COMLEX Step/Level 2 back to back, but it depends on the schedule. Most people I know took Step 1 back to back because why waste time relearning the material again later? The only people who didn't were the people who had their vacation month first, and took a few extra weeks to prepare for USMLE. The only thing my school cares about is that we take COMLEX Level 1 prior to starting 3rd year, even if the first block is the vacation block.

 

[JPINFV]

While he only had the benefit of gross examination, Dr. A.T. Still's observation of structure implying function holds true to this day at every level of pathophysiology as well as physiology.

Yea, but at the same time there was an astonishingly high amount of BS. While BS coming out of medicine in the late 1800s is hardly unique to osteopathy, the fact that we continue some of the same BS (i.e. any indirect techniques, cranial, and a few others) doesn't help out US osteopathic medicine.

 

[Veneficus]

Yea, but at the same time there was an astonishingly high amount of BS. While BS coming out of medicine in the late 1800s is hardly unique to osteopathy, the fact that we continue some of the same BS (i.e. any indirect techniques, cranial, and a few others) doesn't help out US osteopathic medicine.

Nobody is perfect.

Medicine is a dying art, I am one of the few holdouts

 

[WTEngel]

I do not dig on DOs.

They are for all intents and purposes, doctors.

The only US school I considered going to was a DO school (LECOM)

While he only had the benefit of gross examination, Dr. A.T. Still's observation of structure implying function holds true to this day at every level of pathophysiology as well as physiology.

I am fully aware of how DOs make great physicians like MDs do. If I came off inferring that DOs are in any way inferior, I apologize, and I hope it was only because of certain aspects of communication being lost over the internet.

The suggestion I made about you digging on DOs would have been in a "good natured, ribbing" sort of manner. Nothing serious at all.

At this point I would be happy for an MD or a DO (foreign or domestic) to help me remove my foot from my mouth...lol

 

[WTEngel]

I'm actually surprised no one has made a "haha" comment regarding First Aid.

Personally, I'm probably going to take USMLE and COMLEX Step/Level 2 back to back, but it depends on the schedule. Most people I know took Step 1 back to back because why waste time relearning the material again later? The only people who didn't were the people who had their vacation month first, and took a few extra weeks to prepare for USMLE. The only thing my school cares about is that we take COMLEX Level 1 prior to starting 3rd year, even if the first block is the vacation block.

So the tests are pretty comparable in terms of rigor? Do most people use the same study/prep material for both (minus any OMM material.)

I understand that students are expected to have picked up the same amount and type of material (for the most part) at the point which they take each step or level respectively, but I was not sure how the tests compared on format or manner in which the material is tested...

Sorry for all the questions...but as a guy who hopes to be where you are one day, I am just really curious.

 

[JPINFV]

Nobody is perfect.

Medicine is a dying art, I am one of the few holdouts

That wasn't meant to be a dig at Dr. Still. The moral/ethical judgement surrounding a treatment can only be made based on the background of the time period it was used, and medicine today compared to 130 years ago bears no resemblance. My problem is not Dr. Still, but the old guard running the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) today who think that perserving the rapidly decreasing "difference" (more allopathic schools are becoming "hollistic (even though I think it's more the individual regardless the letters) and less osteopathic physicians are using OMT) between MDs and DOs is more important than training and empowering physicians.

It's getting dangerously close to where the difference between MDs and DOs is present because those who profit the most from a difference are fighting to keep it, not because any difference actually exists. That is a problem.

 

[Veneficus]

because those who profit the most from a difference are fighting to keep it, not because any difference actually exists. That is a problem.

Sounds like medicine to me

 

[msaver]

This has been a great help everyone. I greatly appreciate it! Hopefully all works out haha

 

[zmedic]

I disagree with the poster who said stats is worthless. Probably the most useful class I took in college in terms of medical school. You spend a lot of time reading medical research.

 

[JPINFV]

I disagree with the poster who said stats is worthless. Probably the most useful class I took in college in terms of medical school. You spend a lot of time reading medical research.

Qualify worthless? Worthless in terms of practicing as a physician or worthless in terms of the admissions game? O Chem was drastically important for the admissions game... not so much for actually practicing medicine.

 

[eprex]

You can major in anything you want and get into medical school as long as you take the prereqs. I studied neuroscience and came out with a BS in Psychology. There have been history majors, math majors, and music majors that have gotten in. In fact many see NOT majoring in biology as a bonus because you offer diversity compared to every other student whose parent made them study biology so they could go to medical school.

These are the requirements for medical school

1 year of english
1 year of chemistry
.5-1 year of organic chemistry
1 year of biology
.5-1 year calculus
1 year of physics (can be algebra based thankfully)

Not all schools require calcII and I've heard not all require orgo II but take that as a grain of salt.

Courses that you are NOT required to take but will benefit you are

physiology
biochem
genetics
microbio

 

[eprex]

...because with the increasing US medical school class sizes and relatively flat number of residencies, the foreign med school graduates (FMGs) are going to start having a real problem finding residency spots outside of IM and FM spots in BFE.

Not to mention Caribbean schools have no problem failing you out and it happens quite often. It's a much different story in the US

 

[JPINFV]

Courses that you are NOT required to take but will benefit you are

physiology
biochem
genetics
microbio

I can easily find places that require biochem or genetics, but they're relatively rare.

 

[zmedic]

Qualify worthless? Worthless in terms of practicing as a physician or worthless in terms of the admissions game? O Chem was drastically important for the admissions game... not so much for actually practicing medicine.

I think stats is somewhat worthwhile for admission, very useful for medical school, and somewhat worthwhile as a practicing physician.

When everyone is gung ho about some new treatment and you read the study and can say "it's crap because of XYZ in terms of their control group, the power calculation etc," that's stats.

 

[fortsmithman]

Correct me if I'm wrong it's my understanding that the BSc in paramedicine offered by the University of Toronto at Scarborough can be used to enter the University of Toronto Medical School.

 

[JPINFV]

Correct me if I'm wrong it's my understanding that the BSc in paramedicine offered by the University of Toronto at Scarborough can be used to enter the University of Toronto Medical School.

Assuming the Canadian requirements are the same as the US requirements (I know the systems are essentially the same), the major itself doesn't matter. You can have a BS in Underwater Basket Weaving for all they care, just as long as you took the pre-req courses.

 

[Dwindlin]

To echo the "major doesn't matter" theme, I am a 4th year US MD candidate and my undergrad degree is a B.M. in Percussion Performance.

 

[Tigger]

Many of my pre-med friends are chemistry majors and it's common mistake by others to assume that you need to be a "science" major to go to med school. It makes sense to be a chem major since you have to take at least four classes (usually), putting you well on the way to satisfying the major. Plus many undergrad institutions provide many more research positions to the hard sciences than other departments.

 

[JPINFV]

To echo the "major doesn't matter" theme, I am a 4th year US MD candidate and my undergrad degree is a B.M. in Percussion Performance.

Percussion? Ever do winter indoor in high school or college?

 

[hogwiley]

Seems like half of my EMT class were pre med students. This was a few years ago and to my knowledge NONE of them got accepted into medical school. This is despite the fact they were attending a pretty well respected University and pursuing a pre med degree tailored to prepare them for medical school.

Of course a couple of them failed the EMT course because they thought it would be a total blow off class, which would be a pretty good indication they maybe should have been rethinking their career decision.