Need help with next employment options

[DaGingerbreadman]

I plan to apply to a few SMP programs in the first few months of 2024. I currently have 1300+ clinical hours as an MA in a GP office. My target specialty is dermatology. I have no volunteer hours (redflag) and no research experience. To remedy this I have a few options. I can

1. Work 4 days a week as an MA in a Derm office, and one day in a volunteer lab
Pros: I could get some experience in a derm office, get a derm LOR, and get volunteer and lab experience.
Cons: More clinical hours could be redundant and unnecessary, given how little I would be paid. Derm LOR prior to med school may be inconsequential as far as match process goes (I'm entirely unsure of whether or not pre-medschool specialty LORs are relevant to the match process at all)

2. Work as a Clinical Lab Coordinator full time
Pros: Decent pay while also getting clinical hours, gets me lab hours
Cons: May be unnecessary, may be unable to balance work and volunteer hours

3. Get a Job in Sales
Pros: Actual Adult Money. Not sure how relevant having savings would be during med school since i've heard you can just use out of school loan money for necessities. But may be advisable to have some savings
Cons: Not clinical, not lab experience, may or may not be able to volunteer at the same time

3 1/2. Volunteer in Learning Clinic Reasearch
Pros: So I'm ACTUALLY very interested in learning psychology and neurology. After learning about learning strategies, I did my capstone on neurology and metacognition. But, I'd prefer not to specialize in psychiatry down the line as it doesn't earn as much as derm. Would be my second choice and relevant experience might help in the match process? No?
Cons: Research is unlikely to be wet bench, and would be more clinical

4. Stay where I'm at so I can have on my CV that I've been somewhere for a full year
Con: The pay here sucks and they're gradually making me do more busywork. And the pay sucks.

I made a post on WAMC discussing my background more. My undergrad gpa is low, but I'm pursuing the masters round to demonstrate academic competency.

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[Hollow Knight]

I know this isn't the WAMC thread for this but- if you can fix your GPA, you need to do that. Your MCAT is great. Goro has a post on this subject:

Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention (updated for 2021)

EDIT: Post in WAMC forum for recommended school lists. This thread isn't for that. So you want to be a doctor, but your GPA is terrible. Is that the end? Rule #1: Take a deep breath, and stop fussing. The sky is not falling. But you are going to need to reinvent yourself. This will take...

forums.studentdoctor.net

Anyways, to answer your question,

1. I don't see how this would help your app a ton honestly since you were already an MA
2. Research is cool, sure
3. Money is cool, but other options are better if you don't need the money
3.5 Honestly, clinical research is more what you'll be doing in medical training anyway. I'd go for this unless you need the money
4. why does staying in one place matter?

IMPORTANTLY- not volunteering at all is lethal bro. If I was reviewing your app I'd tell my school not to admit you. I'm not saying this to be a jerk, I'm saying this so you can fix it before you apply. Go to a soup kitchen every week or something, you don't have to be Mother Teresa, but you gotta do something to appease the bleeding hearts like me.

 

[DaGingerbreadman]

My primary question is which employment option would be best to pivot too. I'm pursuing a masters, and will be getting volunteer experience is possible. I'm considering the LORs and research I could get and there implication down the line during the match process.

 

[Hollow Knight]

My primary question is which employment option would be best to pivot too. I'm pursuing a masters, and will be getting volunteer experience is possible. I'm considering the LORs and research I could get and there implication down the line during the match process.

If you're worried about matching- the only thing that you can do right now that will matter is getting pubs (anything). Clinical is the easiest; you can knock out case reports in no time flat. Bonus points if they're derm case reports.

How you go about that is up to you. I personally would go with the clinical psych research. But that's just me.

This doesn't really affect me since I want to do primary care, but if you're trying to match derm, med school for you will be a bit of an arms race where you're trying to publish as many papers as possible while also being AOA while also getting a crazy high step 2 score. The only part of that you can potentially work on right now is research.

 

[candbgirl]

My primary question is which employment option would be best to pivot too. I'm pursuing a masters, and will be getting volunteer experience is possible. I'm considering the LORs and research I could get and there implication down the line during the match process.

To take part in the match you have to go to medical school. You are basing all of your decisions and plans on taking part in the Derm Match several years down the road. You need to go back to basics and get the ECs and other activities that ADCOMS expect from applicants. A LOR that is 5+ years old might not be effective at for anything. But a serious relationship with a homeless shelter, soup kitchen etc just might be. There are lots of bleeding hearts on ADCOMS.