what to do next? hoping for more posts/advice

[pay1000]

i am 21, graduating with a hbsc from utsc in neuroscience and psychology major. bad undergrad (good first year 80-90s, bombed after 60-70s), personal problems, and family problems. still wants to go to med school, wants to stay in ontario for med school, and at the same time be qualified for a good, well paying career as backup.

 

options looked at so far, doing a 2 year paramedicine program, working for 1.5-2 years, save some money, take leave of absence, go back to school, do second degree in a useful field such as ------- technologist, -------- therapist, or pharmacy (some kind of second entry professional program, 2 years, do mcat again, apply to queens, western, ottawa, or the states if i can get a loan from the bank.

 

option 2 - going for a second degree right away, minus the paramedicine part from option 1.

 

concerns for both:

 

will there be a demand for paramedicine jobs IN TORONTO in 2 years

 

how well does paramedicine job pay (personal experience/official stats - a lot of range out there, can't find specific for toronto) and the hours. first two years of job

 

could i shorten my paramedicine program and still be in toronto

 

will it be a good life experience/or permanent career with areas for expansion and raises (paramedicine)

 

what will be a good program to go into for second ug and why (salary, demand, and hours please; or personal knowledge)

 

IS THE FIRST OPTION A GOOD PATH, PROS/CONS, AND HOW COULD I IMPROVE ON IT/CHANGE IT (LOOKING FOR ADVICE)

 

IS THE SECOND OPTION A GOOD PATH, PROS/CONS, AND HOW COULD I IMPROVE ON IT.

 

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR REPLIES, AND SPECIAL THANKS TO THOSE WHO CAN PROVIDE RELEVANT INFO ON EITHER PARAMEDICINE IN TORONTO, OR SECOND DEGREE IN ONTARIO

[DanInVan]

This is going to sound harsh.

 

Instead of sitting here and asking the posters on these boards to essentially make this decisions for you, why don't you think about what you really want. Research the options for yourself (anything on here is hearsay), contact the administration of programs you might be interested in, and by all means, take a year off. You have no idea how much a difference being out of the university vortex will make. Make a five year plan, have a backup plan.

 

And before you even think about applying to a second undergrad or professional program, think about if it is something you could seriously see yourself doing and if it is a program that you legitimately have a chance to get in to (for instance, pharmacy is a very competitive program and a 2.x will not get you in). Don't go in to PT or OT or whatever because you think it will help your chances of getting in to med - you'll be taking the spot of someone who legitimately wants to be there.

 

I know you're set on Toronto, but I think you need to consider if you can realistically get yourself to the point where you will be competitive. The average entering GPA for the class is about 3.9.

[pay1000]

i have thought long and hard about these, and planned them out. did my research, and called people and schools. but still wanted get some personal insights, from people who actually gone a similar path.

[hking03]

Hi Pay,

This post is based on my own personal opinions and experiences... in BC. It may be completely different in Ontario... I debated about becoming a paramedic and researched it as well.

 

options looked at so far, doing a 2 year paramedicine program, working for 1.5-2 years, save some money, take leave of absence, go back to school, do second degree in a useful field such as ------- technologist, -------- therapist, or pharmacy (some kind of second entry professional program, 2 years, do mcat again, apply to queens, western, ottawa, or the states if i can get a loan from the bank.

 

So, you want to go into medicine... there are a ton of different ways to do it and people will debate about what path is best or should you try and cater to the traditional application (from what I understand, the answer is yes- you should try and cater to the traditional application- ie. good grades, one or two university degress, ec's, some work experience, solid mcat).

 

I would say- why go into paramedics at all if you are only considering it as a back up to a back up at this time? If I were you, I would try and simplify the plan- instead of going from school (current program), to paramedicine (2 years of school), to work force, back to school, write the mcat, apply to med school or start work in back up field... why not remove one of those options and apply a couple of years earlier? Find out if the paramedicine program is something you can use to apply to different schools in Ontario... Also, did you already write the MCAT? If you did then I would say try and avoid rewriting if you scored relatively well (around 30R)- this would all depend upon when you wrote and what cutoffs you are dealing with... but if you have an eligible score for Ontario schools, try and use it before it expires.

 

 

option 2 - going for a second degree right away, minus the paramedicine part from option 1.

 

I would say this if your best option...(I didn't read this until I had already written out the above.)

 

concerns for both:

 

will there be a demand for paramedicine jobs IN TORONTO in 2 years

 

this is taken directly from the Ontario Paramedic Association...

 

Employment for this occupation is expected to grow about as fast or faster than the average occupation for the next few years.

 

Ambulance services typically do not advertise for workers. Graduates from college programs tend to send in unsolicited applications. Large urban centres run "centralized testing" for new hires where one application will be used to screen you for up to 5 or 6 Paramedic Services. As a general rule, workers are initially hired on a temporary basis and from there are moved to regular part-time and then to full-time positions, as vacancies become available. Many Primary Care Paramedics are upgrading their qualifications immediately after graduating College to become an Advanced Care Paramedic; this greatly increases your job prospects not only in Ontario but also across Canada.

 

how well does paramedicine job pay (personal experience/official stats - a lot of range out there, can't find specific for toronto) and the hours. first two years of job

 

Also, taken from the OPA Site: Paramedic wages vary from service to service. A Primary Care Paramedic, the level obtained after graduation from college, typically is paid an hourly wage of between $21 & $29 per hour (2003) with annual wage increases, which have typically outperformed inflation over the past 5 years. Advanced & Critical Care Paramedics are paid more for their additional training & responsibilities.

 

could i shorten my paramedicine program and still be in toronto

 

Also, taken from OPA: In Ontario, high school graduates who wish to become a paramedic must attend a recognized college Paramedic program. Almost all college Paramedic programs are 2 years in length.

 

EDIT: http://www.ehow.com/how_4448822_become-paramedic-ontario.html

 

will it be a good life experience/or permanent career with areas for expansion and raises (paramedicine)

 

Being a paramedic could be a very great career... based on the information on the website there are opportunities for growth within... but I think you have to enjoy the job- otherwise like other frontline services you will be quick to burn out. As for a permanent career- this would depend upon your style, where you want to work, if you can work night shifts, if you like working night shifts, if you like the work... but it could be. As for life experience- I think it would be a good life experience...

 

what will be a good program to go into for second ug and why (salary, demand, and hours please; or personal knowledge)

 

hahaha, this is a very subjective question... you need to go into a second undergrad that you like... because you want to get good grades. The salary of an engineer is pretty high... being an architect would be nice... social workers get paid decently (that's what I'm doing)... the opportunities are out there, but I would say first point out some job prospects that you want to look at... other than just saying- I want to be a technologist or a paramedic... I also think it's important to determine what second undergrads the schools you want to apply for will accept- ie. does the paramedic 2 year program count?

 

IS THE FIRST OPTION A GOOD PATH, PROS/CONS, AND HOW COULD I IMPROVE ON IT/CHANGE IT (LOOKING FOR ADVICE)

 

IS THE SECOND OPTION A GOOD PATH, PROS/CONS, AND HOW COULD I IMPROVE ON IT.

 

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR REPLIES, AND SPECIAL THANKS TO THOSE WHO CAN PROVIDE RELEVANT INFO ON EITHER PARAMEDICINE IN TORONTO, OR SECOND DEGREE IN ONTARIO

 

life is full of twists and turns my friend... you need to do the leg work in order to determine what options are open to you and what would be the best decision to make in your life. The first option seems like a lot of work just to apply to med school... I like the second option more, as it is more streamlined, but you should look into paramedics if it is something you could see yourself doing long term.

 

It's good to ask questions and be curious about what you can do, and I see what you're saying about asking for insight... but your post comes across as something entirely different... I'm responding to it because I want to help you, but when you ask stuff like- what should I do next? what will be a good second ug to do? It just seems a little weird- don't worry about what we think is good... worry about what you think is good. We're not adcom members, we don't run admissions... some of us may help with the process, but ultimately, the schools you are interested in applying to are the ones you want to speak with... find out everything you can from those schools, decide on a path that you want to do and it will work out.

 

I hope you don't take this as an offensive post or an attack... that's not the intention. I just want to make sure you get that people want to help, but you need to show us that you have put in the effort (beyond saying that you have) so that we can help you form a decision... not make the decision for you.

 

Good luck!