Gap year: Clinical job vs research job

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So, full time research job or full time clinical job?

  • Clinical

    Votes: 28 57.1%
  • Research

    Votes: 21 42.9%

  • Total voters
    49

MicroBrewer87

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Hey everyone..hope the application period is going well for everyone so far. I know one college I had taken two classes from in high school lost my transcript request and has backed my application up..ugh.

But anyway down to business with today's post. So I am in a predicament now, and I need to figure out what to do. I graduated in May and am trying to figure out my gap year plans. I have been working part time at a large regional hospital ER as a ED Tech for the last year. I get a great deal of clinical experience and patient care, in addition to working closely with the ER physicians who have also been following my progress of applying to med school. They all say that I have a great background for med school and that my clinical exposure is something they wish they all had before going to school. I have been offered a full time position at this hospital which would be about 38,000 a year with benefits. This is not a bull**** job either. Its a Level II trauma center and I do direct care with patients and am a member of the trauma team. Its a really cool job.

The dilemma is that I am also in the process of interviewing for a job at a big name medical school for a research assistant position. It would be a good job working in my undergraduate major. While I may not get the position, I was sought out by the assistant director of the lab who said based on my resume I was a good fit for the job.

So what would you do? Great clinical exposure, or take a job as a research assistant and give up the clinical job? I feel that schools would probably look more favorably on the research but I would hate to give up my clinical job because I love it. Opinions??

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What you can't find a clinical research job :)

As appealing as the clinical position sounds, you have already done that so its on your resume. I would go with research if you get in, provided you don't have any already on your cv.
 
I did two years of undergrad research and a thesis for an honors in major..my work is being continued this year and being prepared for publication - so I do have some research on my resume as well
 
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I guess it depends what your goals are. Physician researcher or just physician. When you have a LOT of clinical experience (real stuff not bed pan jockey) it really makes you stand out. In fact I credit my extensive clinical history with getting me into med school. If you like your current job why not just stay at it? You will have a good relationship with a lot of local docs, potential LOR writers, and a longer track record at just one job which shows committment. Stay at your job.

BTW I didnt have even a second of research experience....not for me and I had no shame saying that in interviews.
 
Thanks for the advice Willen. That's what I'm leaning towards doing is staying at my current job, but at the same time the research job sounds pretty amazing and something I should at least look into and check out.
 
microbiology/infectious disease research..itd be a support role though for a larger project. i would be mass producing molecules for projects being worked on throughout the center and for other NIH/NIAID projects
 
My only regret with research is it severaly lacks social interaction... I miss that from working at a hospital/pharmacy
 
microbiology/infectious disease research..itd be a support role though for a larger project. i would be mass producing molecules for projects being worked on throughout the center and for other NIH/NIAID projects

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. No offense, but that sounds incredibly boring.
 
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. No offense, but that sounds incredibly boring.

+1

I have to completely agree. :sleep:

Take the exciting clinical job. Seriously.

I only asked what type of research because I work in clinical research (neuroimaging, specifically) so I get patient interaction in addition to the ability to process data and write up my findings. Win-win :thumbup:
 
+1

I have to completely agree. :sleep:

Take the exciting clinical job. Seriously.

I only asked what type of research because I work in clinical research (neuroimaging, specifically) so I get patient interaction in addition to the ability to process data and write up my findings. Win-win :thumbup:
Now that's better. I wouldn't work in a farmhouse style research area because it really doesn't seem like it'd take advantage of what you know. It's why I quit pharmaceuticals. My research, though lacking in patient interaction, deals a lot with applying what I know and problem-solving. If I were to interview there, I'd ask specifically what your job would entail - does it involve assay development/problem solving/interactions/etc.
 
No offense taken at all. I definitely am leaning towards the clinical job, but the offer sounds too good to pass up. I'm going to take a look at the place next week I think and see what the job is all about. If I get offered the job then I'll have to make a decision, but if I don't then I guess I got worked up over nothing! Thanks for the advice everyone, just wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy if I was considering turning the job down..

Especially since this is my gap year..work three 12s at a hospital and have four days off a week to relax and enjoy the winter time skiing or work mon-fri 8-5 commuting back and forth to a big city? I'm thinking hospital schedule haha
 
No offense taken at all. I definitely am leaning towards the clinical job, but the offer sounds too good to pass up. I'm going to take a look at the place next week I think and see what the job is all about. If I get offered the job then I'll have to make a decision, but if I don't then I guess I got worked up over nothing! Thanks for the advice everyone, just wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy if I was considering turning the job down..

Especially since this is my gap year..work three 12s at a hospital and have four days off a week to relax and enjoy the winter time skiing or work mon-fri 8-5 commuting back and forth to a big city? I'm thinking hospital schedule haha

Uhhh season pass much? After my senior year of college I was working part time and got a student rate pass to gore and whiteface...I think I skiied 4 days a week or so all winter!

Anyways back to the topic at hand....use the gap year to your advantage. Ive been out a lot longer than a year, but when you list 10,000 hours of experience next to a certain job on your apps it gets peoples attention. I think clinical JOBS not shadowing or the like is the way to go. When you are employed by a hospital you see things you dont see as a volunteer/shadow. Not discounting shadowing..but the small amount of shadowing hours I had were worthless to me.
 
Uh, so you'll make $38,000 plus benefits with the clinical job? And I'm betting the research assistant position will give you at least $5,000-$9,000 less than that?

How is this even a dilemma, unless the research position will give you similar compensation? When you're in the 20-40K range, that kind of thing makes a huge difference. Besides, research work can be very boring, especially if it's just a research assistant position.
 
Uh, so you'll make $38,000 plus benefits with the clinical job? And I'm betting the research assistant position will give you at least $5,000-$9,000 less than that?

How is this even a dilemma, unless the research position will give you similar compensation? When you're in the 20-40K range, that kind of thing makes a huge difference. Besides, research work can be very boring, especially if it's just a research assistant position.

I agree with this. Definitely go with the clinical job.
 
Well, for one, you might not even have a dilemma here. If you don't get offered the research job, then you stick with your clinical job.

If you do get offered the research job, do the one you're going to enjoy more. You don't want to work for a year before medical school doing something you'll grow to resent more and more every day.
 
Hey everyone..hope the application period is going well for everyone so far. I know one college I had taken two classes from in high school lost my transcript request and has backed my application up..ugh.

But anyway down to business with today's post. So I am in a predicament now, and I need to figure out what to do. I graduated in May and am trying to figure out my gap year plans. I have been working part time at a large regional hospital ER as a ED Tech for the last year. I get a great deal of clinical experience and patient care, in addition to working closely with the ER physicians who have also been following my progress of applying to med school. They all say that I have a great background for med school and that my clinical exposure is something they wish they all had before going to school. I have been offered a full time position at this hospital which would be about 38,000 a year with benefits. This is not a bull**** job either. Its a Level II trauma center and I do direct care with patients and am a member of the trauma team. Its a really cool job.

The dilemma is that I am also in the process of interviewing for a job at a big name medical school for a research assistant position. It would be a good job working in my undergraduate major. While I may not get the position, I was sought out by the assistant director of the lab who said based on my resume I was a good fit for the job.

So what would you do? Great clinical exposure, or take a job as a research assistant and give up the clinical job? I feel that schools would probably look more favorably on the research but I would hate to give up my clinical job because I love it. Opinions??

Well, since I hate the idea of doing research I know what my pick would be.
 
Got out of my overnight ER shift an hour late cause I was in the cath lab with a patient having an acute MI this morning who had blockages and plaque in pretty much every coronary artery..got home and got a call that I was being offered a full time job in the ER with benefits - since I need health insurance back desperately since graduation (My parents' insurance through my mom's work opted to not let me stay on even with this new bill in place...)

So I turned the research job down and took the full time job in the ER. I'm definitely going to be more happy with this, and this morning's 13th hour in the ER spent watching three cardiologists try to figure out how to keep this woman alive definitely sealed the deal as well. I suppose I should start filling out those secondaries asking what I'm doing for the next year now...
 
Got out of my overnight ER shift an hour late cause I was in the cath lab with a patient having an acute MI this morning who had blockages and plaque in pretty much every coronary artery..got home and got a call that I was being offered a full time job in the ER with benefits - since I need health insurance back desperately since graduation (My parents' insurance through my mom's work opted to not let me stay on even with this new bill in place...)

So I turned the research job down and took the full time job in the ER. I'm definitely going to be more happy with this, and this morning's 13th hour in the ER spent watching three cardiologists try to figure out how to keep this woman alive definitely sealed the deal as well. I suppose I should start filling out those secondaries asking what I'm doing for the next year now...
You'll definitely be happier.:thumbup:
 
Got out of my overnight ER shift an hour late cause I was in the cath lab with a patient having an acute MI this morning who had blockages and plaque in pretty much every coronary artery..got home and got a call that I was being offered a full time job in the ER with benefits - since I need health insurance back desperately since graduation (My parents' insurance through my mom's work opted to not let me stay on even with this new bill in place...)

So I turned the research job down and took the full time job in the ER. I'm definitely going to be more happy with this, and this morning's 13th hour in the ER spent watching three cardiologists try to figure out how to keep this woman alive definitely sealed the deal as well. I suppose I should start filling out those secondaries asking what I'm doing for the next year now...

I think you made the best decision.
 
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