<p>I can imagine that EMT would be a big plus - but, as I'm sure Shraf will tell you, it is also a big time commitment.</p>
<p>Make sure that you spend some time in hospitals or clinical settings. This is a big deal - it's how you prove to schools that your interest in medicine is more than just "hypothetical", or based on watching too much ER.</p>
<p>yes, this is true, it is a pretty significant time committment, but in my view its the closest you'll get to actually being responsible for the life/well-being of a patient as a pre-med so it is worth it. </p>
<p>The specifics of the time committment are that you will need to take a 75 hour course to become an EMT and then time committment thereafter will depend on your ambulance corps.</p>
<p>At my S's college they offer an EMT course in the HES department. After receiving the EMT, my understanding is that one can vounteer with the campus emergency service. Sounds like a great opportunity. He's a freshman, so cannot take the class yet, but plans to check into it.</p>
<p>i'm sorry, but what are EMT and ER? what do they do?</p>
<p>EMT stands for Emergency Medical Technician It is basically a situation where they train you to be a paramedic - to treat people on site and, if necessary, prepare them for transport to a hospital.</p>
<p>ER is a longstanding television show on NBC about doctors in Chicago's major hospital. It is full of drama and is quite unrealistic and has inspired many college students to make foolish choices about their careers.</p>
<p>watch out bluedevilmike, EMT and paramedic are two different things.</p>
<p>The levels of being an EMT are EMT-B or EMT-D, EMT-I, and EMT-P with the lowest level being the level of training that you will get by taking an EMT course and the highest level being paramedic, which usually requires experience, sponsorship and alot more time. The basic job of an EMT-B is to keep someone alive as you transport them to the hospital...you dont really get to "treat" anyone on site really except for stopping bleeding and administering oxygen and doing other things of that sort.</p>
<p>I stand mildly corrected. Thanks, Shraf.</p>
<p>so, leadership is not that important for medical school application? how about volunteer hours and undergraduate research?</p>
<p>They are all good things! And medical schools WILL pay attention to all of them.</p>
<p>Research and clinical experience are, I think, the two mandatory ones. Volunteering is also very good, and leadership is also very good.</p>
<p>There is no magic formula, and you should NOT pick things to do just because medical school wants you to do them. Pick them if you think they'll make you a better doctor.</p>
<p>A good idea is to find something about which you are trully passionate. Whether it is playing an instrument, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, running your fraternity/sorority, etc. From what I gather from some of my friends and relatives, an important aspect of medical school admission is showing the school that you can feel passionate about something. Basically, if you did your premed, took the MCAT, spent the time to write out you application and answer your secondaries, most medical school will see you have some impetus to study medicine (you would be crazy to do all of this if you weren't excited to be a doctor). In general, medical school admission committees will tend to admit a person who shows the ability and the drive to pursue his or her passion to the fullest extent.</p>
<p>Thanks, Dores, for the spot-on message. Don't do things to get into medical school - do them for the love of the game.</p>
<p>sorry to bother you guys again, i am very new to this topic...what are "secondaries?"</p>