<p>I'm currently a freshman in high school, and I am currently deciding what courses I should take next year. Is it advisable to train to be an EMT or a Pharmacy Tech while in high school by taking courses at a community college? Although it will hurt my GPA, I feel that it will open up a wider range of job opportunities during my junior year and beyond. So do the pros outweigh the cons? Thanks for any help.</p>
<p>I'm a third grader even though i say i am a freshman</p>
<p>PLEASE DISREGARD THAT LAST POST!!!!!!!
My brother's at it again! He keeps on posting nonsense when I'm not at the computer!
So sorry.</p>
<p>NO, I am not a third grader, I am really a freshman. i hope that second post isn't preventing you guys from answering. I apologize for my brother's rudeness (i've done this 4 times already on other threads, and I just joined).</p>
<p>Taking EMT classes during high school is possible - most EMT-B courses are taught at community colleges twice a week in the evenings. However, in terms of job opportunities, I don't know how much this will help - it would probably be hard to find paid work on an EMS unit working part time around a school schedule. (If you do decide to get certified, many colleges have emergency response units that you can volunteer with - just fyi)</p>
<p>Thanks, tanman. So in the long run, would it be to my advantage to take the EMT course, or should I take a GPA-boosting AP course instead? Will it improve my chances of being accepted to colleges?</p>
<p>I took a First Responder course in 8th grade, which in my state is comparable to EMT. Job opportunities are simply not there, but I respond to emergencies within my school, which is a lot of fun. I was lucky enough to not have to take it from a community college.</p>
<p>Should you take it instead of an AP course? Depends. If you are loading up on AP classes anyhow and plan to take a ton, the EMT course should be no problem. It helps you stick out and shows you have a big interest in medicine. But academics do come first. If you are not thinking of going all-out academically, you may think of boosting your GPA. In my case, they didn't conflict and I wound up taking the most advanced curriculum and the class.</p>
<p>Is it possible to take the course over the summer?</p>
<p>Yes, it is possible to take it over the summer, but you have to pay about 500 dollars for tuition. I actually never thought of taking it during the summer. Actually, do you think it would be better if I trained to be a pharmacy tech or an EMT? Thanks dulce2 for your help.</p>
<p>i don't know anything about pharmacy techs... but i do know a thing or two about emts.</p>
<p>you're a freshman in high school. you've got to be eighteen years old to get an emt certification. if you're younger (sixteen and up, i think) you can take a cfr (certified first responder) course. this will allow you to do basic things on the rig... you'll have your own cfr number, you can perform some basic duties... but you're still not an emt.</p>
<p>if you want to get involved in the medical field, sure--definitely get involved with your local ambulance corps. take cpr, take cfr, take the emt course when you're old enough. but i was reading some of your earlier posts and ... to me, at least ... it seems like you're getting yourself into this just to get into harvard or the likes. </p>
<p>if you're going to do it, do it because you love it. </p>
<p>as for job openings... you might get paid more at a particular job if you have lifeguard training or cpr or an emt certification. if you're old enough, you could probably get a job as a paramedic (in my town, at least, medics get paid while emts volunteer because they like it). </p>
<p>again, let me reiterate--do things because you love them. this is high school. you're going to have a whole life ahead of you... but right now is the only time you can do things for here and now. you seem really preoccupied with getting into harvard. </p>
<p>maybe you will. maybe you won't. </p>
<p>just relax a little bit. everything's going to be okay.</p>
<p>Cooljoe: Are you freshman or sophomore or junior or senior? Because I remember you said.............</p>
<p>That's not quite true... Depending on the state, you can become an EMT at different ages.</p>
<p>I had laid out a bunch of this stuff in some posts, they got erased by the server troubles.</p>
<p>hoganwan: I am really a freshman--that was my brother on the second post or so.</p>
<p>igrok: I really have a passion for medicine, and I'm not doing it for Harvard. The only thing I am doing for Harvard is the academics stuff.</p>
<p>I think that you should do what you think you will love to do, do it well, and college will take care of itself.</p>
<p>IMO it would be a big mistake to become an EMT specifically to enhance your college resume. In fact, I know kids who have done that. They did not get into their top choice schools.</p>
<p>So, pick pharm tech versus EMT based on which you think you will like better. If you don't know, then explore both until you can decide. </p>
<p>On ECs versus AP: if your school offers APs, you will need both to get into Harvard. So IMO it would be a mistake to avoid involvement with ECs simply in order to take an extra AP.</p>
<p>I became a first responder (comparable to EMT in my state) and still got into my first-choice school (Stanford). So I don't buy in.</p>
<p>Do it! You'll enjoy it and learn something new.</p>
<p>How do you get an internship with a doctor at a local hospital (shadowing)? Would this be better than training to be an EMT in terms of how much I would learn?</p>
<p>if you're serious about this, just contact your local volunteer ems. They'll usually sponsor you through the classes, and you'll have a great volunteer EC when you finish.</p>
<p>Thanks boxesarefun. Would I do this thru the local hospital?</p>
<p>ive been in EMS for four years, CFR for 2 and EMT for a few months...im a senior in HS getting ready to graduate and head off to UVa.</p>
<p>I found it to be no problem to keep my 3.9 GPA and juggle 5 APs every year</p>
<p>feel free to ask me any questions.</p>
<p>Hi, Doogie311. I'm really interested in doing this EMT thing as I'm really interested in medicine. Where would you suggest I start? What are the minimum age requirements for EMS and CFR? Thanks.</p>