One of the best times of my life was when I quit my job to enjoy life before medical school.
Can i just quit? Repercussions?
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can't wait for this lol
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You get into med school based on what you've done so far, not what you've said you might do in the future...
Emt and scribing doesn't really help with any sort of networking if you've adjust had some experience, whereas research could have long term implications.
You really don't understand what commitment means for a workplace. There are 10+ people lining up for that scribe and emt job. The places won't have any issues replacing you with a good candidate. 2 weeks notice is the rule for a reason.
You can continue making things up regarding work place etiquette though. Or you can realize that with few rare exceptions, American employers don't really care about their employees and move on with your life as I suggest the OP does to ensure they're well rested for the road ahead.
Edit: you're still a pre med right? Talk to me again when you get in and realize that the next few months are your last chance at any sort of freedom.
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I didn't say a damn thing about workplace etiquette, scribes being difficult to replace, networking, or getting into med school. I actually specifically said that I didn't expect OP to stay.
I said that I chose to stay at my jobs because I wanted to honor the commitments I had made. You had implied that it was some sort of ridiculous fairy tale that people would do such a thing, and I was providing an example to the contrary. I stayed because I said I would, and pretty much only because I had said I would. I do not regret that. I also mentioned the side benefit of demonstrating to myself that I was capable of working thankless 80hr work weeks in a healthcare environment while not feeling as if I was making much impact, and still enjoying it. None of those things are even remotely similar to what you seem to think I said.
As for your edit...I won't have to worry about that, because I thought about it ahead of time and all of my commitments resolved in advance of that time period. I have already stepped down to 1 part-time position only (my best-paying one), with a flexible schedule to allow time to work on my app and to (hopefully) interview. Once I get in, I fully intend to step down from that position as well and travel/relax/prepare for med school. Despite how naïve you seem to think me because I don't have a piece of paper stating which med school I will be going to, I absolutely recognize the value of that free time...which is why I factored it in before making commitments.
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OP got into medical school. He has earned the right to quit his job(s) after respectfully giving all of his supervisors full notice 2-4 weeks in advance. I don't see why there even needs to be an argument about this.
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What the heck does getting into med school have to do with 'earning the right to quit his job'?
Let's not pretend that med school acceptance some magical badge that anyone involved but OP themselves gives a crap about. From his employers' perspectives, everything is the same today as it was the day before he got his letter.
It makes it more convenient to OP. It may, in fact, make it convenient enough for him that it's worth whatever twinge he feels about reneging on what is a legally and socially meaningless commitment. I wouldn't say that means he should, but by most measures it probably makes no difference to anyone but OP either way, so the only question that has ever been at stake is 100% internal: which is more important to OP, free time or honoring commitments that he made. That's not me trying to throw my own moral judgement or guilt thing in, either; I'm not saying that one is a better choice than the other, just that that is the choice at hand, and it's one OP has to determine for themselves anyway.
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I get what you are saying @mehc012 , but I also see why people are arguing with you, and it comes down to the meaning of the words in play.
You chose to see your decision to work as a commitment that you made, and that you took pleasure in fulfilling. That is laudable. But it may not translate to OP's situation. It is a false dichotomy that the choice is between living up to a commitment and having time off, because it ignores the possibility that no commitment existed.
Saying that you expect to work until a certain date is not necessarily the same as making a formal commitment to do so. He didn't sign a contract. Or even make one verbally, from the sound of it. There was no quid pro quo. Certainly, his employers don't have a particular commitment to him with regard to continuing his employment. Without an answering commitment from the other side, there was never a contract or agreement... only an intention. Intentions change with circumstance and experience.
It isn't reneging or dishonoring a commitment if one never existed. You say that you don't impose moral judgment and I believe you mean that, but those words carry that connotations that I think you may not fully intend.
You chose to see your decision to work as a commitment that you made, and that you took pleasure in fulfilling. That is laudable. But it may not translate to OP's situation. It is a false dichotomy that the choice is between living up to a commitment and having time off, because it ignores the possibility that no commitment existed.
Saying that you expect to work until a certain date is not necessarily the same as making a formal commitment to do so. He didn't sign a contract. Or even make one verbally, from the sound of it. There was no quid pro quo. Certainly, his employers don't have a particular commitment to him with regard to continuing his employment. Without an answering commitment from the other side, there was never a contract or agreement... only an intention. Intentions change with circumstance and experience.
It isn't reneging or dishonoring a commitment if one never existed. You say that you don't impose moral judgment and I believe you mean that, but those words carry that connotations that I think you may not fully intend.
Free time is something that will become the equivalent of gold and diamonds once you enter medical school and for the rest of your life. Write a polite letter of resignation, I think most places expect you to give them two weeks notice that you are leaving, that is appropriate. Spend the rest of that time as you wish, backpack to Europe, or go to the Rockies. whatever you want.
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I see no reason for you to continue working like this, enjoy the free time while you have it. I'd say quit one or two of your jobs, but do so as respectfully as possible. If the hospital you work for as an ER scribe remembers you and rejects your residency application because you quit a low-level job earlier than you initially said you were going to, then is that really a place you would want to do your post-graduate training? That seems awfully petty to me, especially since an E.R. scribe isn't THAT influential of a position. I personally think keeping the research job would be the best thing for you, because you never know what kind of doors a good P.I. can open for you down the road. Quit the EMT and Scribe positions, and enjoy the last 6 months of your life as a pre-med. If you do decide to quit, make sure you do it as eloquently as possible, perhaps citing "personal/family" reasons, and give at least two weeks notice. Employers know this kind of thing will happen because it happens all the time.
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You are such a hard ass sometimes mehc. A lot of people give a crap when someone they know and have become friends with accomplished the incredible feat of getting accepted to med school (I know this to be true of the physicians I work with at the hospital). I know you're from the ultra progressive north east but come on!! (Sorry couldn't help myself).
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lol, fair enough...I actually went back and edited it to 'people involved' to try and limit it to those concerned with OP's employment contracts because I had exactly those qualms!
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I'm from the north east as well.
Mehc is operating under the viewpoint of someone in the job market in the 60s. Peoples situations change and op was accepted based on what they had done till they got in. If they can afford the luxury of reducing hours then that's their right.
All the attendings I work for have told me to take it easy the summer before as well as the summer after first year.
I'd rather listen to 3 surgeons that are among the best in their field than this person blathering about commitments.
I'd mehc wants to burn out, go for it. I have other plans... hell I decided to take a few days to chill on the beach before my interview at Miami so I'm the opposite of stressed right now.
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Quit everything that you don't want to do anymore. I can see where the people arguing for honoring your agreements are coming from but unless you signed a legally binding contract then the only agreement you have is to yourself. I don't see the point in staying somewhere you don't want to be; all this talk of honoring your employer is crap. Employers don't give a crap about you - this isn't the 1940's, employees are all but disposable to them. That being said, be polite, be honest with the fact that you made a mistake and overcomitted (and it was a mistake, mind you, in my eyes in spite of the fact I can see why you did it) and notify them about 2-4 weeks in advance of physically never showing up again.
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I just have a different perspective than the typical 20-21 year-old student that has likely not done much outside of being a college student. I'm not trying to be a villain, and certainly there aren't any hard feelings. OP wanted opinions, I gave him mine. People seem to disagree - that's fine.
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OP straight-up stated that he'd made commitments. Thus, I think it's fair to say that they did indeed make at least one. These may not have been legal contracts, but I made it very clear that I wasn't talking about those. I'm talking about the internal sense of 'I told them I would work 1yr' vs 'man it would be nice not to work the rest of the year'. I am also aware that there are moral connotations, but again, I find it to be an internal factor here. What this whole thing really comes down to 'does OP feel that the moral obligation outweigh the free time.' But that is based on his feelings on the matter, not mine. This is a grey area where there's no clear right vs wrong answer, so all that matters is how OP feels on it.
I made it very clear that there would likely be no legal ramifications of OP quitting; I am quite aware of the difference between formal/informal commitment. As an aside, for a scribe company, he likely did at least initial or sign some bogus thing about 'I intend to stay for a year' or whatnot. It's meaningless in an at-will employment scenario, but some companies like to play make-believe.
You can call it whatever you like, but when you are asked multiple times during the hiring process "will you be able to stay for a year? We only hire people who stay for a year." and you say yes, repeatedly, you are making a personal commitment to stay for a year, even if it is not binding, enforceable, or if your employer doesn't reciprocate. Really, given the circumstances, the employer's reciprocation was hiring you to begin with. But again, it's purely a personal thing.
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This really is the point. The question isn't a legal one or whether you signed a contract or whatever. That's ultimately meaningless. OP was likely hired in most or all of these positions based on his willingness to be there for a set amount of time. Does that mean you should be killing yourself to maintain those commitments? No, not really. But there's something to be said for giving your word - informal or not - and sticking to it. It's what people with integrity do. What an employer would or wouldn't do is a red herring and has no impact on your actions.
Again, I get it. It sucks to work a lot. Ask for reduced hours. Be respectful but candid about your situation. But just quitting or otherwise not trying to make the situation right is pretty weak in my view. Buckle down, take it as a learning experience, and don't make the same mistake again. And, frankly, if you're actually working 80-85 hours a week now, then med school will be a cake walk.
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I went back, and I don't see where he made a commitment to stay for a year, other than that he said that he was planning to quit in June, which is very different than saying that one certainly intends to stay until June.
That they are 1 year positions does not necessarily mean that there was an agreement to work for the entire year. In many academic settings, a 1 year position is a way to say that the job is funded for a year, but may not be funded in the future.
In the end, only OP knows what he did or didn't say in the hiring process. I'm just saying that a commitment from one party is only meaningful if it the other party is making a commitment as well. You can decide that you will behave loyally to an employer who has no similar loyalty to you, but doing so is not anymore honorable than choosing to put one's own best interests first.
I respect that you acted in accordance with your personal sense of integrity, and that you are advising OP to do the same.
That they are 1 year positions does not necessarily mean that there was an agreement to work for the entire year. In many academic settings, a 1 year position is a way to say that the job is funded for a year, but may not be funded in the future.
In the end, only OP knows what he did or didn't say in the hiring process. I'm just saying that a commitment from one party is only meaningful if it the other party is making a commitment as well. You can decide that you will behave loyally to an employer who has no similar loyalty to you, but doing so is not anymore honorable than choosing to put one's own best interests first.
I respect that you acted in accordance with your personal sense of integrity, and that you are advising OP to do the same.
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What is a 1yr position with a verbal commitment to work until a specified date, then, if not an informal commitment?
Also, he has a scribe position. Trust me, I give it 95% odds that he told them he would work at least 1yr when he was hired (and that's probably a generous underestimate).
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I mean, really, let's stop and reflect on these "commitments". Commitment #1 is to a low-wage and low impact position that has no shortage of replacement employees beating down the door waiting to get in. Commitment #2 is to the medical school that OP has decided to attend. This medical school cannot replace OP once the first semester has begun, and the impact of OP's work during medical school will literally make the difference between whether future patients live or die.
So you can keep some stupid commitment to a job that pays next to nothing and has very little impact, or you can start medical school fresh and well-rested, and ultimately become a far better doctor. The choice is clear. If you feel bad about ditching your commitments now, just do some pro-bono work as a physician in the future. That would have vastly more positive impact on the world than you working as a scribe or EMT.
So you can keep some stupid commitment to a job that pays next to nothing and has very little impact, or you can start medical school fresh and well-rested, and ultimately become a far better doctor. The choice is clear. If you feel bad about ditching your commitments now, just do some pro-bono work as a physician in the future. That would have vastly more positive impact on the world than you working as a scribe or EMT.
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Full disclosure: I just left a job that was underpaying me by about 40% of my actual market value, where I had provided several years of diligent service, working 10-20 hours of overtime per week. They only keep staff in the place through fear and guilt tactics. A "nonprofit," they post hundreds of millions of "revenues in excess of expenses" each year, while going through regular staff purges, eliminating positions to get rid of older workers without violating employment laws, just to magically re-create the position 6 months later so they can fill it with a new grad. They make everyone constantly afraid of losing their jobs so that they feel grateful to have one. They then try to tell people that it is all in the interests of our patients and that anyone who wants to be treated decently is selfish. They make you feel intensely guilty for talking about leaving, with the rhetoric about commitments, etc, telling you about how short staffed they always are, and that if you leave, patients will suffer.
I stopped drinking the kool-aid and realized that I was consenting to my own exploitation by remaining there, even if I was trying to make things better. If patients suffer, that is terrible, but it isn't on me. That is the result of a sick corporate culture which I do not have the power to change. Staying there only legitimizes it.
Therefore, I bailed.
I'm starting soon at a similar gig in a hospital across town, making more money, and in much improved working conditions.
These experiences doubtless color my reading of OP's situation. As we all have personal experiences that we map onto what OP shared. I trust that anyone who can get into medical school has enough critical thinking ability to sift through our various advice and find what is relevant for themselves.
I stopped drinking the kool-aid and realized that I was consenting to my own exploitation by remaining there, even if I was trying to make things better. If patients suffer, that is terrible, but it isn't on me. That is the result of a sick corporate culture which I do not have the power to change. Staying there only legitimizes it.
Therefore, I bailed.
I'm starting soon at a similar gig in a hospital across town, making more money, and in much improved working conditions.
These experiences doubtless color my reading of OP's situation. As we all have personal experiences that we map onto what OP shared. I trust that anyone who can get into medical school has enough critical thinking ability to sift through our various advice and find what is relevant for themselves.
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Are you saying that OP couldn't be let go from those 1 year positions if the employer lost a contract or had some other reason for laying him off? If so, then yes, agreeing to take the position was an informal commitment.
Formal or informal agreement, written or verbal contract, does not matter. There is no agreement unless both sides are bound. If employment is at-will by from the employer's perspective, then it is to the employee as well.
Formal or informal agreement, written or verbal contract, does not matter. There is no agreement unless both sides are bound. If employment is at-will by from the employer's perspective, then it is to the employee as well.
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No, I'm saying that if he's let go, he clearly has been released from his 'work 1yr' commitment.
Otherwise, you're just talking legal matters, which is again not at all what I was referring to.
It's purely an internal thing. There are always 2 sides...I almost quit my scribe job early a few times, because despite how much I loved working with the docs, the company itself sucked. They violated work hour laws left and right and had no respect for their employees. I am glad I stuck it out, but if they had pushed back a little bit further on some of their transgressions when I challenged them, I'd have been gone. So I'm in no way trying to say 'omg if OP leaves they are a terrible person', I'm just saying that the internal moral factor (not some external set that I'm pushing on him, but his own judgement calls) is huge here, and sticking strictly to debating the legal repercussions and 'how will this hurt me in the future' is silly.
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Measuring the internal value of your commitments by some arbitrary 'objective' external value is ridiculous. Also, posing it as #1 vs #2 assumes OP can't do well in med school if he works for the next few months, which is an unfair commentary on OP. You've made this into a completely bogus false choice between 'scribe and be a crappy future doctor' and 'quit and be a great doctor who also volunteers his time for free'.
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Gotta love the passion on sdn lol
OP..... you better have quit by now....
Everyone is making valid points but there just seems to be some misunderstanding between people......
OP..... you better have quit by now....
Everyone is making valid points but there just seems to be some misunderstanding between people......
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And I'm 25 having worked two jobs before applying. I have plenty of experiences outside of being a student and I'm disagreeing with you.
Don't try to insinuate that your opinion is based on some grandiose feeling of maturity over an undergrad.
All of you, OP included, are making too big a deal out of this, maybe due to a lack of life experience, or perhaps too much med school interview preparation. This isn't a trick question on an MMI interview! For your MMI answer: keep working. In real life: Just quit! NO ONE WILL CARE!
If you broke your leg and were out for two months, all you employers would manage without you. When you came back, they wouldn't remember your name.
Here's a line I quote often, " If you think you're so important, check your appointment calendar two weeks after you're dead".
There's also an Aesop's Fable about the fly who sits on a bulls back all day. After 12 hours he flies over to the bull's face and tells him that he has to leave now. The bull tells him that he didn't even know he was there at all.
Sure, I think that we can all agree that OP made some sort of commitment to 3 employers. We can also all agree that these commitments are not legally binding. That leaves only a moral obligation.
I feel strongly that this moral obligation is trivial. OP was sincere when he made the commitments, but circumstances have changed. Promises may be broken if circumstances warrant. It's all about cost vs benefit. In the real world, the benefit to him of quitting outweighs the inconvenience to the employers. The fact that he made a mistake in undertaking too much shouldn't commit him to 80+ hours of work. Yes, he said he would do it. He made a mistake, and he's sorry. I think his apology will suffice. He doesn't have to be punished further for it. Others are free to disagree.
OP, just follow the advice I and several others gave above. Give notice, be nice, say goodbye to all the ER doctors and staff, and quit the scribe job asap. If you want to quit the research job, talk with your PI about it and cut back or quit.
Enjoy your time off. Ignore any advice to the contrary. It's easy for people to be strict and absolutist on any anonymous forum. I doubt that they are all quite that strict in their real lives.
This doesn't preclude being careful about burning bridges. But that doesn't seem to be an issue in this case.
If you broke your leg and were out for two months, all you employers would manage without you. When you came back, they wouldn't remember your name.
Here's a line I quote often, " If you think you're so important, check your appointment calendar two weeks after you're dead".
There's also an Aesop's Fable about the fly who sits on a bulls back all day. After 12 hours he flies over to the bull's face and tells him that he has to leave now. The bull tells him that he didn't even know he was there at all.
Sure, I think that we can all agree that OP made some sort of commitment to 3 employers. We can also all agree that these commitments are not legally binding. That leaves only a moral obligation.
I feel strongly that this moral obligation is trivial. OP was sincere when he made the commitments, but circumstances have changed. Promises may be broken if circumstances warrant. It's all about cost vs benefit. In the real world, the benefit to him of quitting outweighs the inconvenience to the employers. The fact that he made a mistake in undertaking too much shouldn't commit him to 80+ hours of work. Yes, he said he would do it. He made a mistake, and he's sorry. I think his apology will suffice. He doesn't have to be punished further for it. Others are free to disagree.
OP, just follow the advice I and several others gave above. Give notice, be nice, say goodbye to all the ER doctors and staff, and quit the scribe job asap. If you want to quit the research job, talk with your PI about it and cut back or quit.
Enjoy your time off. Ignore any advice to the contrary. It's easy for people to be strict and absolutist on any anonymous forum. I doubt that they are all quite that strict in their real lives.
This doesn't preclude being careful about burning bridges. But that doesn't seem to be an issue in this case.
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No, it's not at all ridiculous. You're setting this up as a moral argument, the difference between fulfilling your commitments and ditching your commitments. I'm pointing out that there are much larger moral issues at play here.
Also, your reading comprehension could use some work. I did not say that OP "could not do well in medical school" if he did not quit his job. I'm saying that he will do less well in medical school if he shows up burnt out. That's just plain fact. The total quantity of information that he learns in the first year will decrease, his morale will decrease, his chances of dropping out will increase, and his chances of becoming a burnt-out physician increase dramatically.
We all need to stop and recharge our internal batteries every now and then. Working 80-hr weeks until the start of medical school is not the way to do it. Life is about prioritization; you have to focus on what matters. Your minimum wage college jobs don't matter, medical school does.
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It is a moral argument (though personal morals rather than some arbitrary set.
If you didn't say it before, you certainly said it right here.
Again, working 80hr weeks now really has nothing to do with how OP performs in med school.
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The point is, at the end of the day it doesn't matter whether you find that moral obligation trivial, or I find it important...the real question here is "how important is it to OP that he keeps his commitments." Then, as you said, it's simple cost/benefit. It's not about punishment. It's not about weighing the employers' convenience vs OP's...the employers likely don't care. It's about whether breaking his commitment is more of a cost to OP than being really busy for a few more months.
OP, decide how important that obligation is to you and then do what follows. As far as everybody else is concerned, it's a completely neutral point, so it's entirely up to what you think matters. SDN can't answer that.
As for the 'people to be strict and absolutist on any anonymous forum. I doubt that they are all quite that strict in their real lives.' bit...that was the only reason I posted here to begin with. Someone else made that same argument - that no one would actually keep working under these circumstances. I initially posted only to refute that, because in fact, I did do exactly that in a situation similar to OP's. It's not unrealistic, nor is it just hypocrites dealing out advice they'd never follow. (Actually, I haven't even said OP should or should not quit, I've just stated what I believe is the actual question at hand).
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Really, I think we've rehashed this argument enough. I'll just say a few more words and then leave this thread to die. Let's discuss this issue of morality one last time. Preventable medical deaths in the US are estimated at between 100,000 to 400,000 people per year, depending on the assumptions made by each particular study. This could be as high as the third leading cause of death in America. Given this information, we all have the moral obligation to be the best possible physicians possible. Why? Well, for one, we're taking a seat that someone else could have had in medical school. For two, the vast majority of us will go on to either practice clinical medicine or do important research. For any given patient, you may be the sole physician of your specialty that they see, or perhaps just one of only a few. Patient health outcomes will literally depend only our competence.
You like to present your argument in terms of dichotomies, which is fine, but consider the nuance. It's not simply a matter of if a physician graduates medical school or not. There's also the issue of: does he go on to become a great physician, mediocre physician, or poor physician? Those are just the broad outlines of possibility, really there are innumerable levels of competence that he could have. How competent he is as a physician, and how long he's willing to continue practicing, will undoubtedly have severe positive or negative health consequences for his patients.
Now, let's discuss the immediate future: He starts medical school in about 6 months, and currently has around 80 hours per week of commitments. Prior to medical school, he'll likely have to move. If he's a wise pre-medical student, he'll want to spend at least a little time brushing up on subjects that he's weak in, get in shape, and perhaps take a vacation. We're talking a good couple of months prior to the start of medical school. So what if he continues to work all the way until June, in order to fulfill his commitments? He's going to be burnt the F out, and is probably going to need to seriously vegetate for a while.
OP needs more work/life balance, especially while he's in a period of his life that has little consequence. He's not an important employee, his performance has no effect on his future job, he's paid very little, and he's easily replaceable. Sure, he's still got about 3-4 months before he really needs to start worrying about moving and getting ready for medical school. Yet, I certainly wouldn't spent that time getting severely burnt out. I'd absolutely put in a 2-week notice for at least one job, and then start to scale back a second job within a month or two. Get yourself down to 40-60 hours per week of work, OP, and then leave that summer prior to medical school completely free.
I agree with everything you wrote in this post, and I agree with your position. When all is said and done, you do have to live with yourself, and you do have your reputation to worry about. Nonetheless, while you seem to lean towards sticking it out,
I would still tend towards quitting. Maybe the situations were different, or maybe you're just a better person.
Let me just say that I would advise everyone to go easier on themselves, where possible. Life is tough enough, and it seems to me that the process of medical education leads students to conclude that suffering and work as a virtue. But no one is really keeping score. Most of the time, "no good deed goes unpunished" triumphs over "what goes around comes around".
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I think the bolded is wishful thinking, honestly.
I don't disagree with that. I just think that your argument that he will somehow be set up to become a less-competent physician because he worked hard the summer before med school is a crock of steaming hot BS.
This is where your argument falls apart. That is all entirely supposition. Odds are if he takes time off, he'll level up his Skyrim character and find some good bars nearby.
'Merica!
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I have no idea what you guys are talking about anymore. Making this out to be about some weird personal ethics thing is pretty bizarre.
Gotta love sdn.
Gotta love sdn.
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I hope it was clear in that my arguments were being offered in a spirit of friendly disagreement, as they are always intended. I appreciate the opportunity to consider viewpoints that differ from my own, and when I engage in dispute it is, in part, a way to talk through ideas as much as to assert them.
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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.
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.
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Hey! That looks familiar! Pretty wise, though. =)
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Generalizations be generalizations. One exception does not the rule disprove my friend.
Regardless, who cares, I have an opinion, you have an opinion, let's circlejerk about it.
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Haha I like that you're a good sport with a sense of humor. Hope you have a good weekend!
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And this should absolutely be priority #1 before starting med school.
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When I dropped down to just the one job I had to put my gaming stuff in storage or I would never have gotten out of bed again. If you can only slip in a couple of hours before work, that's one thing. If you have days of free time to drop, it's easy to get sucked in and never emerge, lol.
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my first 2 years in med school were VERY HARD - you need to enjoy life before you start, trust me on that one lol
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Thank you everyone for your posts. I have read every single one and thoroughly have appreciated every single person's input. Just to add, I am working 80-85 hours a week, and that doesn't include 20-22 hours of commuting. So essentially, 100 hours a week committed to my jobs = hell.
I feel like I owe you all an update. I have kept my scribing and EMT positions because they are relatively less committing (I only have to work 30-40 hours a week tops now). I have quit my research position, but let me tell you, it wasn't all rainbows and butterflies.
My PI was pretty annoyed and disappointed with me because although there was no legal contract, I did tell him last June that I would work through this June. He had made plans to look for a replacement accordingly. When I gave him my resignation, our conversation wasn't very pleasant. He made references on how it is shallow and unprofessional of me to do this (our lab is quite busy and I do contribute a large workload). So, suffice it to say, I did come out of that conversation feeling very disappointed in myself and overall sour about the situation. There are also others in the lab who were disappointed with my actions. I will say though that I never asked for LOR from my PI because I had already applied to medical school when I joined the lab. I was working just for the experience and money.
I don't know if I will go back to the lab, or if I will want to again in the future. I don't even know if the lab will have me again. But I just want to advise anyone that is reading to never put yourself in this situation. No employer really cares if you have a million commitments. They care about their work only and that you uphold your responsibilities. So, make sure you never over-commit to anything because once you realize you did and you want to go back, it won't be that easy. Be a little selfish because in the end of the day, everyone else is.
Sorry if I sounded resentful..
I feel like I owe you all an update. I have kept my scribing and EMT positions because they are relatively less committing (I only have to work 30-40 hours a week tops now). I have quit my research position, but let me tell you, it wasn't all rainbows and butterflies.
My PI was pretty annoyed and disappointed with me because although there was no legal contract, I did tell him last June that I would work through this June. He had made plans to look for a replacement accordingly. When I gave him my resignation, our conversation wasn't very pleasant. He made references on how it is shallow and unprofessional of me to do this (our lab is quite busy and I do contribute a large workload). So, suffice it to say, I did come out of that conversation feeling very disappointed in myself and overall sour about the situation. There are also others in the lab who were disappointed with my actions. I will say though that I never asked for LOR from my PI because I had already applied to medical school when I joined the lab. I was working just for the experience and money.
I don't know if I will go back to the lab, or if I will want to again in the future. I don't even know if the lab will have me again. But I just want to advise anyone that is reading to never put yourself in this situation. No employer really cares if you have a million commitments. They care about their work only and that you uphold your responsibilities. So, make sure you never over-commit to anything because once you realize you did and you want to go back, it won't be that easy. Be a little selfish because in the end of the day, everyone else is.
Sorry if I sounded resentful..
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Man, how much notice did you give him? Did you just quit effective immediately?
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No, I said I will work the next 3 weeks.
To be fair, I was doing the type of lab work that a lot of PIs don't really have time for. A lot of procedural, grunt work. Now he has to either do it or outsource it to post-doctoral fellows who also don't have time to do it. Or he has to find an undergrad or another replacement; which I frankly don't find difficult to do b/c undergrads literally have their mouths watering for these opportunities. I even offered to train the replacement. Maybe I should have drafted a letter or email first, but I just did it in person, which perhaps wasn't as eloquent as could be.
I'm a little annoyed, not going to lie. I never even asked for a LOR from this lab so working there essentially didn't even go on my application! I didn't get completely berated or anything but his comments were a little offensive. But oh well. Now I have 40 hours of more free time a week.
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SMH. What do you mean by "gave him my resignation"? Did you first meet with him to discuss the time strain you're under and how to come to a resolution? Or did you just hand him your 2 weeks notice with a letter of resignation? The latter is super shallow in that situation, and his reaction is certainly justified.
It doesn't really matter if there's a legal contract or not. Professional conduct is not based on whether something is legally binding. I've held summer research positions for money and never signed a contract, but we agreed I would work X day to X day. One summer I found out that my sublet was up 1 week before the end of my designated work period, so I met with my PI to come to an agreement about how to handle that last week I wouldn't be there. Because work still had to be done, and I made that commitment to be there.
And my goodness, it's not selfish that your PI expected you to fulfill your commitment. It's not his fault that you bit off more than you can chew. Also I definitely would have kept the research and dropped 1-2 of the other things.
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you quit with no notice? I definitely wouldn't have advised that. I also would've said keep just the research job and quit the others as those would probably have lesser repercussions for quitting. you live and you learn I guess.
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OP should have given more notice. But if he was suffering all those hours of grunt work in the lab and no LOR or anything came out of it, then yeah he should quit. The goal was to have free time before med school. He achieved his goal, albeit not in the best way possible. Also, why keep the research if it was grunt work and not going to help your application anyway?
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Because life is not about what looks good on an application.
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I'll believe it when I'm an attending. But a large part of life is trying to have a strong application. So many premeds force themselves to do research and other things to even have a shot at being competitive. I hear residency application is not much different, so I have to hop on that bandwagon too eventually.
