Advice for Glide Year Employment

[pegeve97]

Hello!

I am a nontraditional applicant who is finishing a post bac degree at the University of Pennsylvania this year. In addition to taking classes, I also work at UPenn full time and will be completing my second year of employment this December!

Since I will be finishing my certificate in April and taking the MCAT in May, I was interested in working in another city, since I have been in Philadelphia my whole life and I feel ready for a more challenging job. I am a bit apprehensive to leave my current job since it is stable and I am unsure how to do a job search when I plan to only work for a year (May/June 2022 - June 2023).

For those who did a glide year what did you do? If you worked full time what was your experience like and did you disclose your plans to your employer when applying?

Thanks for the help in advance!

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[voxveritatisetlucis]

Choose something that will allow you to save the most and is a viable backup option in case you don’t get in.

A lot of people do medical scribing however it basically pays minimum wage and isn’t necessarily a resume builder for alternative careers.

 

[MyOdyssey]

Hello!

I am a nontraditional applicant who is finishing a post bac degree at the University of Pennsylvania this year. In addition to taking classes, I also work at UPenn full time and will be completing my second year of employment this December!

Since I will be finishing my certificate in April and taking the MCAT in May, I was interested in working in another city, since I have been in Philadelphia my whole life and I feel ready for a more challenging job. I am a bit apprehensive to leave my current job since it is stable and I am unsure how to do a job search when I plan to only work for a year (May/June 2022 - June 2023).

For those who did a glide year what did you do? If you worked full time what was your experience like and did you disclose your plans to your employer when applying?

Thanks for the help in

Hello!

I am a nontraditional applicant who is finishing a post bac degree at the University of Pennsylvania this year. In addition to taking classes, I also work at UPenn full time and will be completing my second year of employment this December!

Since I will be finishing my certificate in April and taking the MCAT in May, I was interested in working in another city, since I have been in Philadelphia my whole life and I feel ready for a more challenging job. I am a bit apprehensive to leave my current job since it is stable and I am unsure how to do a job search when I plan to only work for a year (May/June 2022 - June 2023).

For those who did a glide year what did you do? If you worked full time what was your experience like and did you disclose your plans to your employer when applying?

Thanks for the help in advance!

Does UPenn give admissions preferences to its employees or postbacc students? If so, try to stick it out at UPenn.

 

[YCAGA]

Choose something that will allow you to save the most and is a viable backup option in case you don’t get in.

A lot of people do medical scribing however it basically pays minimum wage and isn’t necessarily a resume builder for alternative careers.

Getting into medical school is too competitive to be that risk adverse. Do the best resume building job for 1-2 years and apply 1-2 cycles. Then if you don't get in, you can start worrying about hedging your bets career-wise.

To OP: You don't want to look back in 20 years and regret not going to medical school because some guy on a forum said your backup plan wasn't strong enough.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Getting into medical school is too competitive to be that risk adverse. Do the best resume building job for 1-2 years and apply 1-2 cycles. Then if you don't get in, you can start worrying about hedging your bets career-wise.

To OP: You don't want to look back in 20 years and regret not going to medical school because some guy on a forum said your backup plan wasn't strong enough.

I would argue it’s precisely the opposite. One job is never going to make or break a med school application unless it leads to a Nature publication or something.

What if you spend two years scribing, running up credit card debt only to never get into med school? Then what? If you’ve spend two years after college as a research assistant or scribe, there are very few if any transferable skills to other fields. Once you’re a few years out of college it’s incredibly hard to transfer industries or job types. You’ll always be pigeonholed by earlier experiences.

Of course this is just my 2cents. Some people have trust funds and or are already financially stable, making “back up plans” a moot point. Other applicants should plan on not getting in considering that roughly 6/10 won’t.

 

[YCAGA]

I would argue it’s precisely the opposite. One job is never going to make or break a med school application unless it leads to a Nature publication or something.

What if you spend two years scribing, running up credit card debt only to never get into med school? Then what? If you’ve spend two years after college as a research assistant or scribe, there are very few if any transferable skills to other fields. Once you’re a few years out of college it’s incredibly hard to transfer industries or job types. You’ll always be pigeonholed by earlier experiences.

Of course this is just my 2cents. Some people have trust funds and or are already financially stable, making “back up plans” a moot point. Other applicants should plan on not getting in considering that roughly 6/10 won’t.

If someone honesty thinks the only jobs that will make or break an application are ones on the level of leading to a Nature publication, they don’t have any business giving advice to premeds.

Peace Corps, TFA, military service, a huge variety of clinical jobs, and “sub-Nature” research jobs have all been stuff that has pushed an application over the acceptance edge. “Make or break” doesn’t mean something is required for everyone or even is a top factor in someone’s app…it just means if it were removed from someone’s “story”, they would not have been accepted.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

If someone honesty thinks the only jobs that will make or break an application are ones on the level of leading to a Nature publication, they don’t have any business giving advice to premeds.

Peace Corps, TFA, military service, a huge variety of clinical jobs, and “sub-Nature” research jobs have all been stuff that has pushed an application over the acceptance edge. “Make or break” doesn’t mean something is required for everyone or even is a top factor in someone’s app…it just means if it were removed from someone’s “story”, they would not have been accepted.

Aren’t things like peacecorp and TFA 2 year commitments that would already have hired for next year?

 

[MyOdyssey]

Aren’t things like peacecorp and TFA 2 year commitments that would already have hired for next year?

There’s always Americorp and its one year commitment.

 

[YCAGA]

Aren’t things like peacecorp and TFA 2 year commitments that would already have hired for next year?

Yep. That’s why I included stuff like clinical experience and research jobs too.

I can’t say for certain that it was a huge factor, but my scribing job came up in a lot of interviews, and was commented on highly by interviewers…especially training other scribes, my recommendation letter from a physician that actually knew me (not just someone I shadowed for a few hours), and a few other scribe-specific things.

And yet you and another hyper-frequent pre-med poster on SDN talk down on scribing in what seems like every other post.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Yep. That’s why I included stuff like clinical experience and research jobs too.

I can’t say for certain that it was a huge factor, but my scribing job came up in a lot of interviews, and was commented on highly by interviewers…especially training other scribes, my recommendation letter from a physician that actually knew me (not just someone I shadowed for a few hours), and a few other scribe-specific things.

And yet you and another hyper-frequent pre-med poster on SDN talk down on scribing in what seems like every other post.

I don’t think scribing is bad; I do think the scribing companies that exploit workers (premeds) who have been told “they have to do it to get into medical school” are bad.

Scribeamerica has annual revenues of 500,000,000 per year while paying the scribes 10 dollars per hour

 

[jhmmd]

I don’t think scribing is bad; I do think the scribing companies that exploit workers (premeds) who have been told “they have to do it to get into medical school” are bad.

Scribeamerica has annual revenues of 500,000,000 per year while paying the scribes 10 dollars per hour

And we live in a capitalist economy so they can do that

 

[pegeve97]

Does UPenn give admissions preferences to its employees or postbacc students? If so, try to stick it out at UPenn.

Unfortunately it doesn't seem that they give preference to employees and post bacs. But, if it does make any difference it would be worth it to stick it out.

 

[YCAGA]

I don’t think scribing is bad; I do think the scribing companies that exploit workers (premeds) who have been told “they have to do it to get into medical school” are bad.

Scribeamerica has annual revenues of 500,000,000 per year while paying the scribes 10 dollars per hour

I mean that’s just naive. EMT, CNA, lab research all pay around minimum wage. Teach for American pay is bad because you are a teacher. Americorps and Peace Corps pay below minimum wage. So your knock against scribing is because it is poorly paid just like every other semi-common gap year job?

 

[MyOdyssey]

I mean that’s just naive. EMT, CNA, lab research all pay around minimum wage. Teach for American pay is bad because you are a teacher. Americorps and Peace Corps pay below minimum wage. So your knock against scribing is because it is poorly paid just like every other semi-common gap year job?

My objection is that scribes typically aren’t allowed to speak to patients. Genuine clinical experience gives premeds the opportunity to develop a pleasing bedside manner. Scribing doesn’t and for that reason seems to be regarded by some ad coms as a lesser clinical experience.

 

[YCAGA]

My objection is that scribes typically aren’t allowed to speak to patients. Genuine clinical experience gives premeds the opportunity to develop a pleasing bedside manner. Scribing doesn’t and for that reason seems to be regarded by some ad coms as a lesser clinical experience.

You seem to mean really well, and I hope every incoming med student keeps your enthusiasm for interpersonal skills. But between this thread and other one recently, I think you are a little naive in terms of how much being "pleasant" and "calming" matters in medical school admissions. Good bedside manner is an amazing skill to have as a medical student and doctor, but I think "don't be rude or very weird" is the bar for admissions, which is really what this side of SDN is about.

 

[MyOdyssey]

You seem to mean really well, and I hope every incoming med student keeps your enthusiasm for interpersonal skills. But between this thread and other one recently, I think you are a little naive in terms of how much being "pleasant" and "calming" matters in medical school admissions. Good bedside manner is an amazing skill to have as a medical student and doctor, but I think "don't be rude or very weird" is the bar for admissions, which is really what this side of SDN is about.

LizzyM and Srichapamayonnaise both mentioned looking for candidates who are personable and genuine in face to face interviews.

 

[parasiteeater13]

The only benefit that I'm getting from my full-time job as a research assistant at a research corp is the fact that I am not looking at my email every ten seconds for updates on my med school apps, Plus the 24$ hourly pay + healthcare benefits is good too.

 

[MyOdyssey]

The only benefit that I'm getting from my full-time job as a research assistant at a research corp is the fact that I am not looking at my email every ten seconds for updates on my med school apps, Plus the 24$ hourly pay + healthcare benefits is good too.

No stock options?

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

LizzyM and Srichapamayonnaise both mentioned looking for candidates who are personable and genuine in face to face interviews.

Most candidates could get this by leaving their basements

 

[YCAGA]

LizzyM and Srichapamayonnaise both mentioned looking for candidates who are personable and genuine in face to face interviews.

I would be crazy to say those qualities aren’t a positive but “in face to face interviews” is a perfect example of the naïveté I am talking about. Working hands on with patients has almost no impact on how personable or genuine someone is in a 30-60min interview. Premeds have an uncanny ability to idolize med students. When you get to medical school you will see that your classmates follow a pretty classic bell curve with plenty of jerks on one end to balance out the saints on the other.

Working with patients and coworkers after you have been awake for 20 hours is the real test, but interviewers never see that.

So like I said, good bed side manner is a great attribute to have, once you get into medical school

 

[parasiteeater13]

No stock options?

They actually do but only after 6 months of employment.