Medicine

Kevin98

Hi, I am in the red cross for some time now and I have decided I want to become a doctor. My original plan was to become a paramedic and then become a doctor but due to nerve damage on my back working as a paramedic would be too painful, I'm going to study nursing and enter medicine as a post graduate in UCC. I am in 6th year. I would like to get into emergency medicine.
I have a few questions
1. How could I become a pre hospital emergency care doctor in ireland
2. What is it like been a doctor
3. Is there a demand for jobs as a doctor
4. Can anybody give me information they think would be in anyway helpful at all
I would appreciate absolutely any help I can get

Nonoperational

Kevin98 wrote: »

Hi, I am in the red cross for some time now and I have decided I want to become a doctor. My original plan was to become a paramedic and then become a doctor but due to nerve damage on my back working as a paramedic would be too painful, I'm going to study nursing and enter medicine as a post graduate in UCC. I am in 6th year. I would like to get into emergency medicine.
I have a few questions
1. How could I become a pre hospital emergency care doctor in ireland
2. What is it like been a doctor
3. Is there a demand for jobs as a doctor
4. Can anybody give me information they think would be in anyway helpful at all
I would appreciate absolutely any help I can get

1. You can be a GP with an interest in emergency care, or because an ED consultant. All required a medical degree and a large amount of post graduate training.

2. Tough. Rewarding. Hard work.

3. Huge demand. You are guaranteed a job or some sort for life.

4. Do medicine straight from school if possible, no point doing nursing first. If you don't get the points thats a different story.

Flange/Flanders

Nonoperational wrote: »

1. You can be a GP with an interest in emergency care, or because an ED consultant. All required a medical degree and a large amount of post graduate training.

2. Tough. Rewarding. Hard work.

3. Huge demand. You are guaranteed a job or some sort for life.

4. Do medicine straight from school if possible, no point doing nursing first. If you don't get the points thats a different story.

I agree about trying to get medicine straight away. However, as a Grad Entry student, I always thought that nursing would be the ideal degree to have before starting GEM. Just make sure you get your 2.1 degree!!!

eagle_&_bear

Absolutely agree with all that's said here...
If you don't get the points from LC/HPAT then look at the nursing degree but what is fundamentally crucial,,,and really a stop in the road if you don't get it is a 2.1H (upper second class honour) in your degree.

It doesn't matter if you have a masters or even a PhD... if you don't have a 2.1H from your primary degree, you will not be allowed into the offer scheme with the cao.

Acer (the company which govern the gamsat exam) will allow you pay the €310 to sit the exam and all that but you will not be processed by the cao.

If you get a 2.2 then the only option open to you is to study in a limited number of colleges in the U.K.

A science based background will absolutely help you and it will make a lot of the introductory lectures easier as well as the pharmacology (study of medicinal drugs and how their interact in the body and how the body interacts with them).

A Neurotic

Kevin98 wrote: »

Hi, I am in the red cross for some time now and I have decided I want to become a doctor. My original plan was to become a paramedic and then become a doctor but due to nerve damage on my back working as a paramedic would be too painful, I'm going to study nursing and enter medicine as a post graduate in UCC. I am in 6th year. I would like to get into emergency medicine.
I have a few questions
1. How could I become a pre hospital emergency care doctor in ireland
2. What is it like been a doctor
3. Is there a demand for jobs as a doctor
4. Can anybody give me information they think would be in anyway helpful at all
I would appreciate absolutely any help I can get

If you've got back trouble, studying nursing (which involves a large amount of practical placements) might not be ideal. It can be very physically demanding. Have you thought about a more theoretical primary degree, like biomedical science or the like?

Kevin98

If u have seen my other post you will notice I am in a lot of confusion as to what to do. I absolutely love science, medicine, working with people and been a team leader. I am currently sitting my EMT exams and I am going into a nursing degree in September. The decision I am struggling to make is whether to go for a career in medicine or go for paramedic and work up to advanced paramedic.
I have a huge interest in both in hospital and pre-hospital care. I am a red cross volunteer. And in my years in red cross I have found that I always want to achieve the next level. For example I started off with an OFA as soon as I had that I had my EFR, the day I passed my EFR exams I was already going for my EMT. I find I always want to learn more about the body, science and healthcare. I also noticed very early on I push to be a leader. I am both a youth leader and the unit officer in my local red cross unit and achieved all this in 3 years and I am only 18.
I love the idea of been a paramedic or advanced paramedic they do truly amazing work. However a career in emergence medicine is just as appealing to me and I like the life long learning aspect of medicine and been at the front of medical progression.
I ask that anyone with experience in either careers or with a good knowledge of the careers to tell me the pros and cons of each and also express their opinion and any advice as to what I should do.
Any help Is honestly HUGELY appreciated

Parapara2017

Try reach out to Wicklow Rapid Response (find them on facebook etc) Dr. Menzies is an emergency medicine consultant in St Vincents Hospital and NAS resource as a responding Doctor. Hes also involved in the paramedic programmes in UCD and a bunch of other emergency medicine stuff.

Theres also a few people you can find on twitter who are former paramedics now doctors / similar career paths.

I imagine it would be hard to actually get specific advice of someone whos done both as it would be a small group... Best talking to a range of docs and a range of paras.

E: to answer one of your original Qs; there aren't really any PHEC doctors in Ireland. There are 3 (4?) Rapid response schemes in Ireland crewed by Doctors and APs - these are all voluntary and done in their spare time though. And I imagine you'd need to be very experienced anyway to get a shoe in.

There are critical care ambulances staffed by nurses and doctors but they're more for transporting intensive care patients I think.

There isn't really a PHEC doctor system in Ireland like they have in the UK for example.

laserlad2010

Kevin, I gave you some feedback in your last post but you haven't responded to that and seem to have asked the same question again.

I would warn you against doing nursing before medicine, it's pointless as a stepping stone unless you initially wanted to become a nurse and then changed your mind. In Ireland there is no stepping stone to becoming a doctor - you either get it as your primary degree or just apply as a postgrad.

I studied with nurses, lawyers, physios, accountants, anyone who met the GAMSAT standard got in. Doing nursing does not give you an advantage really.

Potentially doing Biomedical Science would give you a small amount of insight into some of the scientific background but again, I haven't touched the biomedical bit since probably 3rd year of medical school so at some stage it becomes pointless.

As I've mentioned before, the guys involved in prehospital care (such as Dr. Menzies in SVUH) are Emergency Medicine Consultants with 10-15 years experience in their fields. We simply don't have prehospital emergency care doctors in Ireland.

With regards your back pain, you will have to work long hours on your feet as a doctor. Perhaps if qualifying as an Occupational Health or Public Health specialist you would get to do office work but the vast majority of other specialities will require you to put in long hours so choosing medicine because of your back seems like a risky option.

Look, why don't you find out the name of a consultant in your local emergency department, ask him/her for a bit of shadowing for a week or two, see if you like it. At the end of the day, you still have to prove yourself with either the LC or the GAMSAT so personally I'd advise you to work had on your academic ability first.

If you've any other questions please feel free to ask or PM me.

Kevin98

laserlad2010 wrote: »

Kevin, I gave you some feedback in your last post but you haven't responded to that and seem to have asked the same question again.

I would warn you against doing nursing before medicine, it's pointless as a stepping stone unless you initially wanted to become a nurse and then changed your mind. In Ireland there is no stepping stone to becoming a doctor - you either get it as your primary degree or just apply as a postgrad.

I studied with nurses, lawyers, physios, accountants, anyone who met the GAMSAT standard got in. Doing nursing does not give you an advantage really.

Potentially doing Biomedical Science would give you a small amount of insight into some of the scientific background but again, I haven't touched the biomedical bit since probably 3rd year of medical school so at some stage it becomes pointless.

As I've mentioned before, the guys involved in prehospital care (such as Dr. Menzies in SVUH) are Emergency Medicine Consultants with 10-15 years experience in their fields. We simply don't have prehospital emergency care doctors in Ireland.

With regards your back pain, you will have to work long hours on your feet as a doctor. Perhaps if qualifying as an Occupational Health or Public Health specialist you would get to do office work but the vast majority of other specialities will require you to put in long hours so choosing medicine because of your back seems like a risky option.

Look, why don't you find out the name of a consultant in your local emergency department, ask him/her for a bit of shadowing for a week or two, see if you like it. At the end of the day, you still have to prove yourself with either the LC or the GAMSAT so personally I'd advise you to work had on your academic ability first.

If you've any other questions please feel free to ask or PM me.

Thank you so much for the advice apologies for not replying sooner. Thanks for all the help!!