Impact of ems education on emergency medicine ability and career choices of medical students

Abstract

Objective. To determine whether a course in emergency medical services (EMS) impacts on the perceived ability of medical students to render care in emergencies such as choking and cardiac arrest, and affects their choice of emergency medicine as a career. Methods. An eight-question pre- and postcourse survey was given to first- and second-year medical students. The elective course lasted a semester (four months) and dealt with prehospital emergency care, including ambulance rides and helicopter observation. Surveys were collected over a period of seven semesters. The eight-question survey assessed the student's experience, interest, and perceived competence. Precourse and postcourse results were compared using a chi-square with p < 0.05 considered significant. Results. Two hundred ten students enrolled in the EMS course. A total of 384 surveys were completed, 190 precourse and 194 postcourse surveys. Eighty-three students (44%) had a family member in the medical profession, five students (2.6%) had experience as an EMT or EMT-P, and 67 students (35%) had worked in any capacity in an ED. There was a statistically significant positive shift in the responses to both questions relating to self-perceived competency (p < 0.01). Thirty-eight students (20%) precourse and 58 students (30%) postcourse were interested in emergency medicine as a career (p = 0.03). Conclusion. A course in EMS has significant impact on the perceived ability and career choice of medical students. Further study of an EMS curriculum design is needed to determine what information is critical to medical students' education and valuable in their career choice decisions.