Can i just quit? Repercussions?

[MattSmith45]

So, I have been accepted to a medical school this cycle and look forward to beginning in August.

However, since May 2014 I have been working like a dog. I have been working 3 jobs (Research Assistant, ER Scribe, EMT) that require me to work 7 days a week which ends up equating to 80-85 hours a week; EMT is only 8 hours a week. Those hours don't even include my 3 hour total commute every single day.

All these jobs are 1 year positions and I have told my employers that I will quit this June. But I am really burned out and want to quit now. I get no time to hang out with friends or family because I am constantly working or commuting. I have already been accepted to medical school and am really in a "IDGAF" zone.

But my hesitation with quitting comes from the fact that I am an ER scribe at a hospital which is literally my dream residency. I like emergency medicine a lot and the hospital I work at has an incredible program that I hope to match at some day. I'm scared I'll burn bridges if I quit early.

Quitting my research position also brings me hesitation because I work at UChicago in a lab that does research in a sub-specialist field. If I quit before June, I'm afraid that the PI will think badly of me and I wouldn't have a chance to come back to the lab to do research in case I decide to do a competitive field later on.

So yeah, do you guys think I should just quit and relax? Or keep on working even though I'm slowly resenting it?

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[NickNaylor]

You made a commitment, you should stick to it.

 

[mspeedwagon]

I'd talk to your employers and ask for reduced hours. Explain to them that you took on too much and that you really need to cut back a few hours. You'll be surprised at how reasonable some people can be.

 

[pinstriped1992]

Why not stop your work as an EMT? That or ask for time off from any of the positions and explain your situation. Quitting before a promised date is never advisable. Start by meeting with your PI to explain your situation.

 

[JPA178]

Quitting EMT will probably hurt the least in the long run.

 

[hoihaie]

You should stick to the research and scribe position. Keep building those relationships!

 

[MattSmith45]

Ugh. Not the responses I hoped to get, but thanks

 

[miszfifi820]

Lmfaooo what ?! You should quit. It's not that serious. Chances are, you are in your 20s, you are about to commit the rest of your life. There will be a time you have a whole bunch of loans, a mortgage, and kids and you won't have the option to choose. Enjoy your free time

 

[miszfifi820]

Please let me repeat, stop trying to kill yourself with work. How can anyone on here advise you to stick to jobs where you are working 80+ hours a week BEFORE you're even in med school, com' on...

 

[miszfifi820]

You made a commitment, you should stick to it.

No.

 

[NickNaylor]

Lmfaooo what ?! You should quit. It's not that serious. Chances are, you are in your 20s, you are about to commit the rest of your life. There will be a time you have a **** ton of loans, a mortgage, and kids and you won't have the option to choose. Enjoy your free time

This is called immaturity, it tends to be a thing you grow out of. OP shouldn't have made the commitment if he/she didn't intend on honoring it.

 

[Incis0r]

Please let me repeat, stop trying to kill yourself with work. How can anyone on here advise you to stick to jobs where you are working 80+ hours a week BEFORE you're even in med school, com' on...

Please let me repeat, stop trying to kill yourself with work. How can anyone on here advise you to stick to jobs where you are working 80+ hours a week BEFORE you're even in med school, com' on...

Listen to this wise man, young padawan. Your life is too precious and too short to be squandered doing things you hate. While your goal for that residency is admirable, many things can change during Med. School.

Enjoy your summer and make some nice memories. That'll matter more to you in the long run than running yourself crazy.

 

[Incis0r]

This is called immaturity, it tends to be a thing you grow out of. OP shouldn't have made the commitment if he/she didn't intend on honoring it.

It's likely that OP made the commitment due to passion, which is amazing. However, this is OP's life. When something turns into burnout, the higher priority is health and happiness. I say pull out while explaining your situation. If they mind too much and won't prioritize your health and happiness, then do you really want to do a residency under them?

 

[NickNaylor]

It's likely that OP made the commitment due to passion, which is amazing. However, this is OP's life. When something turns into burnout, the higher priority is health and happiness. I say pull out while explaining your situation. If they mind too much and won't prioritize your health and happiness, then do you really want to do a residency under them?

Maybe, though I'm sure he also didn't mind listing those things on his application. Think the OP would be forthcoming about quitting all of these things 6 months in with the school(s) he has been accepted to? Of course not. It's flakey.

I agree that self-care is important - don't think that I don't. OP made a mistake by committing to all of these things. That's unfortunate, and certainly he could try and work with his supervisors as someone else mentioned to reduce his involvement. But just quitting is a ****ty thing to do. It's interesting that the discussion is about whether there will be consequences, not whether it's the right thing to do.

Call me old school. If you tell someone you're going to do something for a year, you should do everything you said you would for that year. It's not the OP's supervisors' fault that he did these things. Why should they have to deal with that? From the start OP could've aimed for less involvement with these things or maybe picked one or two of them. But that wouldn't look as great on the application and people probably wouldn't have been enthused about bringing someone on something - be it research or scribing - if their involvement was limited.

 

[Incis0r]

.

 

[beachside]

When in doubt, just hit this button.... Indentured servitude is not a thing in the US anymore. If you feel that you need to quit, then take the future relationship repercussions into consideration, and then make a decision. Those few bucks that you're working for now are irrelevant compared to your future physician salary. I say quit the EMT job, and then either the research or scribe position. Perhaps keep the one you find most valuable.

 

[ski89]

This is called immaturity, it tends to be a thing you grow out of. OP shouldn't have made the commitment if he/she didn't intend on honoring it.

People make commitments all the time that they end up not keeping due to new opportunities that come up. Especially in professional fields like business, law, medicine, and sports. As long as it is done in a professional and respectful way (giving plenty of notice - say a month - and showing gratitude for the opportunity). I think that this is especially acceptable for the scribe job since (A) it's a job with lots of interest by other premeds so they won't have a problem replacing him. (B) it's a job where the physicians he works with absolutely understand that he is about to commit the rest of his life to medicine and should have the opportunity to take some time for himself. When I got my first acceptance email a few weeks ago I was at my scribe job. Two of the docs that were around were like "so when are you going to quit this job and enjoy your free time!?"

As far as the research position goes, I would consider keeping that one because you are likely the least replaceable in the short term.


Sent from my iPhone

 

[Psai]

People like you give premeds a bad name and make it harder for people in the future to get those jobs. You're being incredibly immature and selfish. No one forced you to take all those jobs and no one's forcing you to keep them. But you're a typical premed, just doing the rat race until you get in with no character whatsoever. I look forward to working with you

 

[Incis0r]

People like you give premeds a bad name and make it harder for people in the future to get those jobs. You're being incredibly immature and selfish. No one forced you to take all those jobs and no one's forcing you to keep them. But you're a typical premed, just doing the rat race until you get in with no character whatsoever. I look forward to working with you

Honestly, I'd rather have @MattSmith45 as my doctor than a machine who tries to do everything and lives an uber-stressed-out-life or someone who criticizes others for trying to take time for themselves.

People like @MattSmith45 show that pre-med does not have to be a 10000% stressful experience, and I'm so glad that he's thinking about self-care this early...it'll serve him well.

For the record, He didn't quit immediately after getting in...he's quitting after eight months of seven-days-a-week work.

EDIT: Also, I think he is being MATURE for recognizing that the real priority is health and happiness. I think that if he gives notice and doesn't abruptly quit, that it will be a MATURE transition.

 

[beachside]

People like you give premeds a bad name and make it harder for people in the future to get those jobs. You're being incredibly immature and selfish. No one forced you to take all those jobs and no one's forcing you to keep them. But you're a typical premed, just doing the rat race until you get in with no character whatsoever. I look forward to working with you

Don't hate the player, man, hate the game. Med schools expecting students to do all that nonsense is what is forcing kids like him to work 80-hr weeks. I find it a bit crazy, personally. Have you ever been to a job interview and had them ask you how many hours of volunteer experience you have? It's just nonsense.

 

[Incis0r]

Don't hate the player, man, hate the game. Med schools expecting students to do all that nonsense is what is forcing kids like him to work 80-hr weeks. I find it a bit crazy, personally. [...] It's just nonsense.

YES! If I could like this post a million times, I would.

 

[ski89]

People like you give premeds a bad name and make it harder for people in the future to get those jobs. You're being incredibly immature and selfish. No one forced you to take all those jobs and no one's forcing you to keep them. But you're a typical premed, just doing the rat race until you get in with no character whatsoever. I look forward to working with you

"no character whatsoever" - wow, thats incredibly harsh coming from someone who knows very little about the OP. Give me a break.

 

[Ismet]

The next 6+ months will be crazy boring with nothing to do. I'd plan to keep at least one of the jobs (I'd go with research) unless you have something else in mind for that time.

I guess I'm between the two camps that seem to have emerged here. I too think that you made the commitments, and you need to honor them, either by working through to the end or respectfully coming to an agreement on termination/hour reduction with your bosses. If you agreed to a 1-year position for all 3, perhaps ask for fewer hours/fewer shifts. But I think this is all very dependent on your employers and the terms of your employment, which we can only speculate on.

Ask yourself why you really want to quit. I know it's exhausting and you're feeling drained, but is that why you want to stop? Or is it because you were recently accepted to medical school and thus don't see the point in continuing? The latter is pretty shallow IMO, but you're free to do what's best for you.

You really shouldn't worry about the scribe position and potentially matching at that hospital. That's something that's at least 4 years away, and you'll have more important things on your app. Especially if you're not applying to the EM program. And if you leave on good terms, there's really no bridges burnt.

 

[Tappinfool66]

I understand where others are coming from about honoring your commitments, but if you're working as much as you say you are, I would definitely leave one of the positions if I were you. You're going to be starting what I've heard is one of the most challenging time periods of your life and you should feel rested and prepared going into it. I'd suggest at least dropping one of the jobs you've got going on, probably the scribe position. I know you're nervous about burning bridges at a hospital you'd like to do residency at but realistically it's very possible you'll change your mind about the specialty you'll end up pursuing and certainly about what residency program you'll end up at. And, if you work for a scribe company and not the hospital (which is what I do and what most other scribes do), leaving wouldn't burn bridges with anyone at the hospital, just those at the scribe company.

 

[blackroses]

Don't hate the player, man, hate the game. Med schools expecting students to do all that nonsense is what is forcing kids like him to work 80-hr weeks. I find it a bit crazy, personally. Have you ever been to a job interview and had them ask you how many hours of volunteer experience you have? It's just nonsense.

I don't think I have seen a single medical school that requires students to experience 80 hour weeks for a year prior to matriculation.

Don't try to pass someone's choice off as something they were forced into - the overwhelming majority of matriculants were perfectly competitive without working 80 hours a week for a year (and by overwhelming majority, I mean all).

 

[Psai]

No one forced him into anything, he chose it willingly

 

[bc65]

I think I'm in the minority here, but I say you should quit. Do it respectfully, but quit.

Short version: your employers probably won't care, will understand, will easily replace you, and won't remember any of this 4 years from now. They probably won't be in a position to affect your life anyway. Most likely they barely know that you're there, despite your thinking otherwise.

Long version:

It's true that you should honor your commitments, and it's true that you shouldn't burn bridges. However, people quit jobs all the time, and for lots of reasons. In all likelihood your employers won't care very much about your quitting, and even if they care, they won't remember much about this a few years from now, and even if they remember, they won't remember that they cared. Besides, I think it's unlikely that you will benefit long term from your current research position. You will have ample research opportunities in med school. In any case, you should be able to explain the situation to your PI and perhaps find a replacement, or cut back your hours until you can be replaced, or in some way mitigate your leaving. Again, it's likely that the PI won't care much that you're leaving, and will understand why you want to quit. Of course, I could be wrong. You will know your situation better than I do, but probably your opinion of your importance is exaggerated.
The same goes for your job as a scribe. Just tell them your situation: you're sorry, but you bit off more than you can chew. Ask them if they can replace you. Again, it's most likely that you won't end up in ER medicine 4 years from now, and if you are, you may find that another residency is better. In any case, I think it's unlikely that the person who you report to will remember that you quit your scribe job 4 years earlier, or if they remember, it's not likely they will care, or think that it should affect your performance as a resident. It's also not likely that they will be in a position to be making that decision in 4 years.

Just be nice, regretful, and offer to transition to fewer hours for a while if it will help.

In the end, you have to look out for yourself. Believe me, if your employers needed to lay you off for some reason, they will usually do it without worrying this much about you.

Warning: Anecdote ahead:

I quit a job working for a national test prep company when I got into med school. I was working out of the national headquarters. After I got in, I quit in the middle of a course. My boss, the national supervisor, was annoyed, and aked me if I had planned to quit all along. I hadn't, and said so, and was truly sorry. ( I still feel a little bad). Three months later, in another city, as I started med school, I get a call from someone starting a new branch of the company in that city, and the main office told them to call me to help them get started. I taught MCAT and LSAT for them, and helped them get organized. My point: even though I quit, there were no hard feelings, and they asked me to work for them again three months later.

 

[beachside]

You're going to be starting what I've heard is one of the most challenging time periods of your life and you should feel rested and prepared going into it.

QFT.

 

[NeuroMaster316]

As a lot have said above, QUIT! Seriously, you're a human and its you're life. You need to rest before you start something as big as medicine. Just inform them of your situation and tell them you need to leave, and if they're not ok with it too bad, it won't affect you in the slightest.

 

[beachside]

I don't think I have seen a single medical school that requires students to experience 80 hour weeks for a year prior to matriculation.

Don't try to pass someone's choice off as something they were forced into - the overwhelming majority of matriculants were perfectly competitive without working 80 hours a week for a year (and by overwhelming majority, I mean all).

They do want to see research experience, leadership experience, volunteering experience, clinical experience, shadowing experience, work experience, a personal hobby, and a strong GPA/MCAT. Generally, they expect you to have more than just a few hours in each of those categories. Taking classes full-time alone is going to give you over 40-hrs per week of class and study time required, that's why it's called full-time, and that's especially true if you need to keep a 3.9.

My point stands: no one asks an attending, or a professional in any other profession, how much time they spent doing community service.

 

[beachside]

In the end, you have to look out for yourself. Believe me, if your employers needed to lay you off for some reason, they will usually do it without worrying this much about you.

Words of wisdom.

 

[Promethean]

You are an at-will employee, I presume. So, while you may have said that you intended to work until June, that didn't create a contract. That is, if the employer came up with some reason why they needed to let you go between now and then, they wouldn't be forced to keep you on because you had an agreement with them.

People need to get out of their head that employees owe any more loyalty to their employer than the employer owes to them. If they wanted to lock you in, they could provide you a guarantee of employment via a contract. If they don't want to give you that assurance, then why should you owe them any greater level of commitment?

There are ways to quit without burning bridges. Give at least 2 weeks notice, write a resignation letter that expresses your sincere appreciation for the opportunity that they have provided and your regret that circumstances in your personal life dictate that you must depart from the position at this time. Be professional about it, and while working out your notice, give them the same degree of dedication and service you provided throughout your term of employment. Then leave, and don't look back.

Several years from now, when you are ready to apply for that residency, no one is going to look back and say, hey that is the kid who needed a little time off and quit respectfully. And if they did, if the place were filled with vindictive people like that, then you should be grateful not to get stuck there for an additional 4+ years.

 

[ridethecliche]

Nick Naylor telling the op to keep going is like people claiming that they'd still work their minimum wage job if they win the lottery.

 

[operaman]

There is absolutely nothing unprofessional about leaving a position or seeking reduced hours. This should not burn bridges in any way and if it does, maybe those were people you don't want to work with long term.

What it all comes down to is how you go about it. I'm a big fan of face-to-face meetings, so I would do that and then look your supervisors in the eye and tell them you want to work fewer hours or leave the position. Have a frank discussion and offer to work a long notice, train your replacement, etc. Continue to be as professional as you have been all along. There is constant turnover in jobs like these because that's what they are - jobs, not careers.

Be professional, honest, give notice, help get your replacement up to speed, and enjoy your time before medical school.

 

[Mad Jack]

Quit everything but the research. Scribing and EMTing won't kill you in the long run, but losing a letter from a researcher and future access to their facilities might.

 

[YogaBe@r]

I don't think I have seen a single medical school that requires students to experience 80 hour weeks for a year prior to matriculation.

Don't try to pass someone's choice off as something they were forced into - the overwhelming majority of matriculants were perfectly competitive without working 80 hours a week for a year (and by overwhelming majority, I mean all).

Please have a look at the requirements for Stanford medical school.

From their website:
A minimum of 3,000 hours of direct patient care experience must be completed in the USA and by the application deadline. Hours accrued as a student in a training program or idle time cannot be used towards this total. This requirement can be met with 18 months of full-time work experience or equivalent part-time hours.

I think many of the responses are overly critical of the OP. He has made it into medical school and he should be able to relax before entering the most difficult period of his life. I think the OP should reduce his hours at all of his jobs if possible. Or worst case is to quit the EMT job and continue your other commitments.

 

[cactus8910]

Please have a look at the requirements for Stanford medical school.

From their website:
A minimum of 3,000 hours of direct patient care experience must be completed in the USA and by the application deadline. Hours accrued as a student in a training program or idle time cannot be used towards this total. This requirement can be met with 18 months of full-time work experience or equivalent part-time hours.

I think many of the responses are overly critical of the OP. He has made it into medical school and he should be able to relax before entering the most difficult period of his life. I think the OP should reduce his hours at all of his jobs if possible. Or worst case is to quit the EMT job and continue your other commitments.

Are you referring to this? http://pcap.stanford.edu/admissions/prerequisites.html That's not the MD program.

 

[keevwu]

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[mehc012]

Nick Naylor telling the op to keep going is like people claiming that they'd still work their minimum wage job if they win the lottery.

That's bull. I similarly overbooked myself in the past few years, but I stuck with everything until the time commitments were up. Did I quit most of them as soon as the period I had agreed to was up? Absolutely. Did I want to quit earlier? Yup. Would it have actually hurt me to bail early? Not in the slightest. I stayed only because I wanted to honor my agreements.

Not saying OP has to keep it up, or even should (though I think it's valuable experience working such jobs while heavily booked...how many years of 80+ clinical hours are ahead of them?) just that it's not BS and some people definitely follow through.

 

[YogaBe@r]

Are you referring to this? http://pcap.stanford.edu/admissions/prerequisites.html That's not the MD program.

Oh, thank you! I hadn't noticed that

 

[PlaqueBuster]

Quality
Unlimited
Individual
Time

 

[Bea5T]

No doctor in his/her right mind will tell you to keep working up until school starts. Take time off now, because from this point on you won't have any worry free periods in your life.

 

[MattSmith45]

I appreciate the comments from both sides. Trust me, I will be very disappointed in myself for quitting. But working all these hours has been at the expense of my health and time. When you work 80-85 hours a week, and spend 21 hours a week driving, it leaves you with very little time for anything else. And this becomes more annoying when you realize that what you are doing (Scribing, Being a research tech, etc.) is so minuscule in the grand scheme of things. I want to spend my time and energy as a medical student, resident, & physician. (Disclaimer: I am thankful for what I have learned as a scribe, research tech, EMT but honestly I can't take these jobs that seriously).

I'm just scared of burning bridges. But I might just take that chance. There are other PIs out there, there are other residency programs out there..

 

[beachside]

.

 

[Incis0r]

Quality
Unlimited
Individual
Time

I see what you did there...

 

[LaceyMD]

I appreciate the comments from both sides. Trust me, I will be very disappointed in myself for quitting. But working all these hours has been at the expense of my health and time. When you work 80-85 hours a week, and spend 21 hours a week driving, it leaves you with very little time for anything else. And this becomes more annoying when you realize that what you are doing (Scribing, Being a research tech, etc.) is so minuscule in the grand scheme of things. I want to spend my time and energy as a medical student, resident, & physician. (Disclaimer: I am thankful for what I have learned as a scribe, research tech, EMT but honestly I can't take these jobs that seriously).

I'm just scared of burning bridges. But I might just take that chance. There are other PIs out there, there are other residency programs out there..

Not coming down one way or the other on the ethical question of honoring you commitments, but I do think you are reading way too much into your scribe experience and how it might relate to a potential residency in the same hospital. Do you work for a scribe company that contracts with the hospital? If so, I highly doubt that the doctors and decision makers at the hospital know or care about the length of employment you committed to. Chances are, the bridges you'll be burning, if any, are with the scribe company, not the hospital itself. If you decide to quit, before you do so, I'd suggest pulling aside a few of the doctors you have the best relationship with. Let them know you've been accepted to med school and are leaving to get some R&R in before then (trust me, they'll get it...a few of the docs I work with have even suggested that I do this), let them know you've appreciated your time working with, and learning from, them and would like to keep in touch. Get their contact info, cultivate those relationships, and I really don't think you'll be burning bridges with respect to any future residency goals.

 

[Salt Salt]

This is called immaturity, it tends to be a thing you grow out of. OP shouldn't have made the commitment if he/she didn't intend on honoring it.

It might have been immaturity to sign up for too much, but it certainly isn't immaturity to quit. Besides, scribing companies frankly treat employees like replaceable machines worth minimum wage. I know---I did a gap year doing it.

 

[Salt Salt]

I also don't think that the ER will hold it against you that much for quitting a bit early that they ruin your shot at a residency there 4 years from now.

 

[Feelgood Inc]

Quit and pick your words carefully.

Also, I thought NickNaylor was supposed to be this perpetually loved SDN user but everytime I see him post he's always playing a villain role in an argument lol.

 

[dellprecision]

At this point, I think that it should be apparent to OP that the repercussions associated with quitting are little to none, and that he/she shouldn't feel too bad about doing so. While the other side has brought up a valid point (honoring one's commitments etc.), those points don't address OP's original questions.

I personally think OP should do whatever OP wants. I'm personally in a similar situation, where I plan on quitting my research very soon partially just to unwind/relax before med school, but also because I hate the research that I'm involved with and see almost no connection between what I do on a day-to-day basis and what I'll do as a physician.