So lets just say I want to be a doctor

[Baldrick]

Just wondering, how competitive is it to get into an MBBS program?

Very is the short answer. I say MMBS although at one or two universitys the letter after your name vary. Although regardless of which course you do, graduate or non graduate you still receive the same degree. The graduate medicine is even more competitive. For some reason lots of people want to be doctors.

I did see a document which gave an indication of the number of applicants vs spaces to UK medical schools I will do some hunting around for it.

[JPINFV]

I did see a document which gave an indication of the number of applicants vs spaces to UK medical schools I will do some hunting around for it.

Thanks. I know in the US MD schools [there's also Osteopathic (DO) which is slightly less competitive, but United States DO education and scope is comparable to allopathic (MD) education) have around 30k applicants for 15k spots. The school where I'm currently doing my masters program had over 6 thousand completed applicants, interviewed around 800, accepted 400, and had a first year class this year of 175 students.

[rock_shoes]

Baldrick do you have bridging programs for paramedics wishing to become physicians at some point in the future? I ask because with the direction things seem to be headed in BC I suspect critical care paramedics may go the way of the dodo bird and be replaced by a new class of physician. Most likely an ER physician with some specialized field training.

[Baldrick]

Baldrick do you have bridging programs for paramedics wishing to become physicians at some point in the future? I ask because with the direction things seem to be headed in BC I suspect critical care paramedics may go the way of the dodo bird and be replaced by a new class of physician. Most likely an ER physician with some specialized field training.

As far as I know it would still be a case of doing the full degree. Although they may get on a graduate cource if they were a graduate or had some other form of HE qualifcation as a couple of the universitys offering 4 year cources tend to be bias to existing health care prodessinals.

[Doczilla]

For US medical schools, there are about 45-50,000 applicants for ~16,000 positions. Many though are repeat applicants from previous years. Of those that are accepted, there is a 90% pass rate.

I don't really forsee a bridge program from paramedic to physician. The material needed to successfully matriculate as a physician is so extensive that the small amount of time spent in paramedic school wouldn't in the end make much difference. The anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, pathophysiology, etc. that a paramedic learns is very rudimentary compared to what is expected in medical school.

That's not to say that a physician can just do a paramedic's job. Paramedics have certain skills that are desirable in physicians, such as self-reliance and the ability to prioritize and perform care in environments where help is relatively scarce and treatments are limited. Physicians only obtain training in prehospital care while in residency (only ER residency). It would make more sense to make the physician work with EMS, than to bridge the medic to physician.

'zilla

[rock_shoes]

I was thinking of it more as an entry point for people from programs where you do a full three years worth of university credits to get to ACP (ie. it's recognized as acceptable pre-med to get you into first year). It used to be quite common for people to do 3 years of pre-med rather than a full bachelors prior to entering med-school. At least as a paramedic you would be better able to support yourself through the rest of your schooling. The prospect of someone from a 6 month zero to hero program getting into med-school scares the crap out of me.

Like Doczilla stated the depth of education required to be a physician exceeds that to be a paramedic. That's why I would never suggest that paramedics be allowed to bypass any of the 4 years required for med school (plus your residency of course). I just long to see pre-hospital providers out in the field who have the scope of a physician(with adequate education of course) and the self-reliance/prioritization of a good paramedic. Maybe I'm living in a dream-world but that's the point I want to see things get to. I know that's the point I want to get to as a provider.

[kristo]

I think I've mentioned this before, but this is actually how it is done in Iceland. In the capital city (Reykjavík), the physician acting as medical command is actually on a special ambulance. That ambulance usually does not transfer, but in all calls fitting certain criteria, it is dispatched along with a "regular" one. In some cases, the doctor will join the patient in the transporting ambulance and "his" car will follow. The doctor provides online medical command through his/her cell phone and if he/she deems necessary, he/she will come to the scene, even if not dispatched originally.

The ambulance that has the doctor is equipped just like the other ones, plus a heatbox for neonatals and some extra meds. It is usually staffed with (in addition to the doctor) two paramedics. The paramedics (and maybe EMT-I's?) take turns in doing shifts on this one, as it gives good experience (always go to the "good" calls). All students on ambulance rotations are put on this one (I hear the student seat is almost never empty...).

The doctors who perform those duties are provided by the ER. They get some training, complete with ride alongs, before they are put out there, obviously.

[Dustdevil]

I like that. :-k

[rock_shoes]

Sounds like the rest of us could stand to learn something from the Icelandic system!

[Baldrick]

I was thinking of it more as an entry point for people from programs where you do a full three years worth of university credits to get to ACP (ie. it's recognized as acceptable pre-med to get you into first year). It used to be quite common for people to do 3 years of pre-med rather than a full bachelors prior to entering med-school. At least as a paramedic you would be better able to support yourself through the rest of your schooling. The prospect of someone from a 6 month zero to hero program getting into med-school scares the crap out of me.

Like Doczilla stated the depth of education required to be a physician exceeds that to be a paramedic. That's why I would never suggest that paramedics be allowed to bypass any of the 4 years required for med school (plus your residency of course). I just long to see pre-hospital providers out in the field who have the scope of a physician(with adequate education of course) and the self-reliance/prioritization of a good paramedic. Maybe I'm living in a dream-world but that's the point I want to see things get to. I know that's the point I want to get to as a provider.

While we are on the subject of comparisons it probably worthy of note to mention that most undergrad degrees in the UK are 3 years (4 in scotland) so someone would walk away from university after 3 years with for example a BSc in biomedical science.