<p>I was thinking of taking a CNA class so I can work in a hospital as a CNA during college. Since EMT is directly related to doctoring and a CNA is related to nursing, do you think med schools would rather see that I was an EMT? I just think it would be better suited for me to be a CNA rather than an EMT (although I would rather be an MD than a nurse). Does this makes sense? Haha. Help?</p>
<p>I'm kind of weighing my options between these two, as well (actually, I already have my EMT certification). I'm going to take a year off before PA school, and I'm deciding what I want to do during that year off.</p>
<p>Where I live, anyway, most of the CNA jobs aren't in the hospital but are in nursing homes or private jobs caring for a disabled/elderly individual (helping with personal hygiene, toileting, feeding, etc). There may be some jobs available on hospital floors, but I'm not sure. However, I believe that if one has both the EMT and the CNA, then one can get a job in the emergency department as a ER tech which would allow more exposure to different patients with different problems. I have no idea if things are the same in your area, though...</p>
<p>If you're an EMT and your campus has a volunteer EMS, then you can take shifts with them...then it's not a full-fledged job that you have to juggle and you can work around your schoolwork, but you'll still get exposure to different things/scenarios.</p>
<p>Either one will give you great medical experience and patient interaction skills that you can use in your medical career though, in addition to helping you make sure that medicine is right for you! :)</p>
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Since EMT is directly related to doctoring
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Whoa, careful here. EMT is nothing like doctoring; maybe it's slightly related to emergency medicine, but even that's a stretch. If there's one thing I've learned as an EMT, it's that what we do is nothing like real medicine. Note that I'm not trying to diss EMS; I enjoy doing things as an EMT and it does seem like a good way to get your feet wet in the world of medicine.</p>
<p>I guess the point I'm trying to make is that both CNA and EMT will give you some insight into medical care, and everything that juba2jive said is correct. Either one would be a great avenue; pick the one you like better and go with it.</p>
<p>What interests me is the underlying question: if you'd rather do something "like nursing" than something "like doctoring" -- even if your assumptions are wrong, it's a revealing statement -- then why do you want to be a doctor?</p>
<p>I just think that during college, I would be able to handle a structured CNA environment rather than an EMT one, where you have to be on-call and ready during the night.</p>
<p>i think that both are beneficial as a premed student. i volunteer as an emt and just started a job as a nurse assistant in a nursing home (not a cna because i didn't get a chance to start the class yet and i am not certified, but it's the same exact job). i do feel a little isolated at my job because it is more related to nursing and most of the people doing it plan on going to nursing school. however, it does give you a LOT of patient contact and teaches you good bedside manner. i do warn you though that's it's kind of a degrading job. you do all of the nurse's dirty work, literally. i still enjoy it nonetheless because i like meeting and talking to all of the residents. as for being an emt, it definitely gives you a heads-up on some medical terminology. it also helps you get used to stressful situations. overall i think being an emt is probably better since being a cna is definitely more for prenursing students, but it's still a satisifying job.</p>
<p>I think what matters most is what is on paper, ultimately all that matters is your acceptance into a preferred Medical School. Diversifying your "portfolio" is your best bet with volunteering not only as an EMT but at your major hospital in the area, Ronal McDonald house, etc. to show not only your activity in the Medical Field but also your people's people skills. Even if EMT's say that it is nothing like being a Doctor, it looks like it on paper but not only that you are involved with Doctor's who you can look up to. CNA's sort of look like you wanted nursing maybe but decided you could try being a Doctor which isn't usually the case. We all know only 50% are accepted every year so just do whatever looks good on paper and gives you the right experience to project your future capabilities. </p>
<p>EMT vs. CNA = EMT
+becoming immuned to the various health scenes
+experience is not being a Doctor but surveying more than a CNA
+just being out there and experiencing more than a CNA in a hospital
+looks better on paper</p>
<p>Many doctors look more favorably on CNA's than EMT's. CNA's are generally respected in the hospital as honest, hard workers who know their limits and follow directions.</p>
<p>CNA's often know more than they think, EMT's less.</p>
<p>well my mom was a cna while in nursing school and im going to school ths fall for my emt. i think both have their goods and bads. thin of which one you would like better and go that route. me, personally,i am taking the emt route only becuse i know alot of people in ems(my bestfriends dad is a chief at a fire dept.) and enjoy the job,most of the time, more than i woluld being a cna.altough ms has its bad moments too</p>
<p>@ my$0.02: your assertion that CNA’s are better qualified or “know more” than EMT’s is a completely baseless value judgement that serves only to obfuscate the actual truth. CNA’s and EMT’s exist for two entirely different purposes, as is implied in their respective titles. EMT’s are technicians, and as such perform medical care from general and standing instructions as prescribed by various and sundry agencies (DOH, usually)- they exist to perform life saving measures that are universally accepted as being substantiated by science (eg, BLS skills as prescribed by AHA)- as well as other skills for the treatment of non-life threatening illness or injury. A CNA by contrast, is an ASSISTANT, and exists to perform the rudimentary and (often) tedious, non-license-requiring tasks that would otherwise consume an inordinate amount of time out of an RN or LPN’s shift (such as ambulating, bathing, feeding, taking vitals). Certain tasks may be performed by both EMT’s and CNA’s- such as BLS, taking vital signs, and Ambulation. CNA’s do not, generally, provide “first-aid”, as they are not, again generally, trained to do so. EMT’s do not, usually, aid in feeding or bathing, as these are not deemed emergency services. CNA’s, usually, are not certified to pass meds, to plant IV’s, to draw blood, or to perform EKG’s-- EMT’s are, by contrast, able to perform some or all of these tasks with some training beyond the normal 100 hour EMT course.<br>
As far as these two professionals showing up in the hospital, and the respect that will be garnered by their credentials- there is not standard. An ER care tech is more likely to be and EMT with EKG training because they are trained in an urgent/emergency treatment modality. A tech in maternity, oncology, LTC, pediatrics, is more likely to be a CNA because of the need for palliative care and a focus on treating “the patient” rather than “the symptoms”. In mental health, you may see either. In a general Med/Surg unit, again either; more likely than not an PCT will be a nursing student trying to log hours on the floor.</p>
<p>If one is interested in nursing, it makes sense, perhaps, to be a CNA- the implication is a mode of delivery and training in line with that of Nurses (that is unless alread in nursing school, which would defeat the purpose of being a CNA).<br>
IF one were interested in Physician Assistant, or other mid-level provider- EMT may be the way to go, though there is no absolutely correct path- just to have a certain number of “responsbile direct patient care” hours.<br>
AS FAR AS Medical school: 50% of all applicants are rejected, so the goal is to be in the non-rejected 50%. The classes one takes (Gen bio, Gen chem, organic chem, physics, A&P, Microbio, genetics, psychology, sociology, english), grades in courses central to the Medical Model, community service, and an understanding of the fundamental tenets of biological science is more central to the admissions process, and increases the chances of admission much, much more than working as a CNA or EMT. Also, scoring well on the MCAT is an absolute necessity, as it is common practive for med school admissions offices to automatically reject the application of a student who scores (even one point) below a score considered acceptable by the school.</p>
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<p>More importantly, working in the ED allows you to work with physicians in a hospital setting. This is more valuable to med schools than working in the field on an ambulance because it exposes you to actual physicians rather than just other EMTs in a prehospital setting.</p>
<p>I think the best thing for you to do would be to go with whatever path you find more interesting–which seems like CNA, from your post. I interpreted your question as “I want to be a CNA, but I don’t want to be a CNA if being an EMT would look better on my resume.” Apologies if that is incorrect.</p>
<p>I doubt either would be viewed as a huge “hook” to your future med school application because many premeds are CNAs or EMTs. So if neither one is going to make you really “stand out” against the rest of the pool, then your best bet is to go with the one that seems more interesting and worthwhile to you. If you choose the one that seems more interesting, then it is more likely that you will really immerse yourself in your job and therefore may come away with some incredible experiences. If, on the other hand, you choose the one that’s just going to look better on your resume, then you might end up thinking your job is a hassle and potentially might not care about it. Would having that type of experience–one that might look good on the surface, but deeper down didn’t mean much–really improve your resume more than the opposite situation–a great experience which at the surface looks standard? </p>
<p>I’d much rather have a significant experience that I enjoy working hard for, rather than just another line to add to a resume. Perhaps you’re concerned with the strength and sophistication of your resume, in which case you might want the opposite of what I want. </p>
<p>In summary, if I liked one but was tempted to pick the other because it could look better down the line, I’d pick the one I like better, and then develop it really well so that it ended up looking better anyway. I think it would be better to be a really great CNA than just a so-so EMT (assuming your heart’s currently with CNA).</p>
<p>Wow, this thread is kind of old…</p>
<p>I think in reality any sort of paid (not volunteer) healthcare experience will help you in med school - you can say “oh, I saw that when I was working, and I remember what it looked like.” Granted, I may be biased because I am in PA school and we were all required to get healthcare experience, but I think it gives you a big leg up just going out there and interacting with/laying hands on patients. (I ended up working as a medical assistant in primary care for a year instead of going EMT/CNA route, although I did volunteer as an EMT during college).</p>
<p>I like to say to all… Just because you went to EMT, CNA, MA etc school… Experience is what teaches you… I have been assisting with doctors either in office or hospital… Drawing blood before you needed a license… Become an active EMT… You will not only learn more medically but compassion… Them if you want one on one with all forces try to get in the ER…I personally work on an infectious disease and new MAs being hired are complete I…iots… Go volunteer 1st… Get CPR very and join your local firehouse or squad and start running with them.</p>
<p>D. did none of these, she was accepted to few Med. Schools.</p>
<p>Another zombie thread-OP originally posted over 6 years ago, and hasn’t posted on CC at all since 2011; why was this very very old thread resurrected?</p>