13yo son struggles with writing and math - is his dream to become a paramedic or combat medic over before it began?

[BananaMilkshake2026]

Our 13yo son struggles with writing and math. He reads well though.
He is very hardworking and respectful and teachers say he is a pleasure to have in class. He gets along well with other kids.
He is doing very well in PE.

He wants to be a combat medic or paramedic and safe some lives.
We had his IQ tested. He has an IQ in the average range and did best on the processing speed scale scoring above average (120) for processing speed. We had him tested for legasthenia and dyskalkulia. He does not have it. He did a little bit, really just a tiny little bit too well on both tests.

We had him tested for ADHD. Not only he does not have it but he even did better on the tests than the average person.

He has worked very hard but still struggles with writing and math and he is beginning to feel very bad about himself.😔

Paramedics/medics need to be able to accurately calculate medication dosages on the go. Maintaining detailed and up to date notes on each patient is also very important in any healthcare related role.

At 13 I wouldn’t rule anything out completely but I do think that he’d struggle if things don’t improve. To be frank OP I’d invest in some good tutoring rather than constantly putting him through needless testing (nobody needs to know their IQ score!!)

Get some tutoring perhaps but there is still time. Also he could consider the armed forces where he could choose medic. Might be worth exploring especially if he enjoys physical exercise. Look at local colleges for courses that might suit him post 16. Some may be more vocational but be able to get him a Btec which could then lead to a uni course that he might like.

It is very rare to know what you want to do at 13 and actually go on to do it. I only know one person whose life took a direct line from what they wanted to do at school, straight the that career. He’ll find his niche eventually. I’d pay for tutoring to help him with his schoolwork regardless of what he thinks he wants to be at this age.

I think it depends on the extent of his struggles. Many jobs require passes in English and Maths GCSE - does it look like he could scrape a pass if you give him some extra support at home? If he really is miles below that level, your SENDCo at school might be able to support further. Although he’s already been tested for a few things, there are other things that could be going on.

As well as supporting his school work, is hrbin Army Caderts, St John Ambulance Ccadets or similar?

So, he’s only13 and has quite a bit of time to improve. He needs to focus on passing his English, maths and science GCSE’s. How badly is he struggling? Are school worried he’s very behind? I would ageee that if you have the money some tutoring would be a good idea.

The army medic I knew had qualified as a medic first and then joined the army. He’d need a medical degree. Medicine has high entry grades, is very competitive to get into and a hard 5 year degree plus post graduation training posts. You need to be academically able to get through it. Would your son consider an allied healthcare profession with lower grade requirements like nursing or operating department practitioner (ODP)?

How bad is he at maths and English? I work in a comprehensive school, albeit a very good one. 85 to 90% of our students get at least a 4 in maths and English. That would meet the entry requirements for a combat medic technician. The students who didn't get these grades this year were mainly completely disengaged from school, poor attenders or had really quite severe learning needs. Have you spoken to his teachers,is he on a pathway to pass these subjects, that information should be available to you.

Are you in the UK? The way you write math instead of maths and getting his IQ tested suggests you might be in the USA.

Combat medics are doctors who have specialised so that is unlikely to be an option as he will need 9 very strong GCSEs, A levels in bio & chem, a good result in the medic university admissions test and then a stroke of luck to be one of the ones offered a place to study for five years. That may not be possible.
However, there will be other roles which have fewer academic hurdles and the armed forces do operate very good internal education & training courses to get you up to speed for your next role so that may be a route to consider.
I know less about paramedic routes. One thing to bear in mind is that this is an area where I think AI could have a significant influence which could benefit your DS. Are we really going to rely on humans - who could be tired, stressed, hungover - to manage calculations for medicines when as AI agent can do that and a human simply administers it? Even now GP surgeries are moving away from writing up notes to dictating them during a consultation and AI transcribing them. This will become more widespread and will benefit your DS.

I think you are overthinking a bit..

If he is struggling with both, help him. Either yourself or through tutoring or both.

But no need to tie it to a future that probably will never happen. Almost all of us don't end up becoming what we imagined at 13. Not because we always can't, but because we change our minds. I would bet that he will change 2-3-4 different timed before he is 18.. and who knows what he will end up doing.

Help him because he needs help. Stop looking for diagnosis and just give him plenty of help,and he will be fine.

I assumed the OP meant the equivalent to a paramedic in the army, not an army doctor.

https://jobs.army.mod.uk/roles/army-medical-service/combat-medical-technician/
Which include a level 3 qualification (equivalent to Alevels)

This is the starting point and then he can build it up to the degree. https://www.lancashire.ac.uk/news/military-paramedics

A civilian route would be BTEC uniformed protective services https://www.nottinghamcollege.ac.uk/courses/uniformed-protective-services-level-3 (just an example college) or less military focused https://www.nottinghamcollege.ac.uk/courses/health-and-social-care-btec-level-3-national-extended-diploma-16-18-full-time

I agree that he should consider cadets - either army or St John’s - to see if he would enjoy it.

Obtain tutoring in both Maths and writing ASAP. Then he will catch up before falling further behind.
Help him with Maths yourself by using concrete materials, like rocks, pies etc.when doing his homework.
Have him write a page, copying from a book etc every night. DS might need to train his hand and eye muscles - his fine motor skills.

I agree, pay for a private tutor. I would also consider testing for dyslexia.

At 13, it’s quite possible he’ll change his mind on a career before he gets to the point of having to decide.

At 13, I wanted to be a radiographer and then a doctor - this was largely because I had a bit of a romantic notion on what both of these roles entailed. By the time uni came around, I’d done a 180 and decided I wanted to study English and be an English lecturer.

Today I’m neither a doctor or a lecturer but do something completely different which is paid well and very fulfilling.

I don't think it's that unusual to know what career you want to do at 13 and go on and do it. I've only ever wanted to do one career and it's the career I'm doing. It's pretty common in my career as most people have committed very early to it.

A basic level of Maths and English are useful in any career but if his current motivation is to get to be a paramedic, you can use that motivation in tutoring to improve his skills.