Hi everyone, I am an applicant for the 2020 cycle and have gotten accepted to my first choice D.O. school! I am currently working as a research assistant in a very small ophthalmology and basic science research lab, but I am having a lot of trouble with my decision to stay there. I work under the direct supervision of an MD/PhD Ophthalmologist, and I am struggling with my work environment and expectations. My work environment is toxic, with the physician I work under constantly berating me and my coworkers for our work in an unprofessional, derogatory manner. He is aware I am going to medical school, but uses that against me in his personal attacks where he states that "this wouldn't be acceptable in medical school". I am making minimum wage and spending 3.5 hours of my day commuting every single day while living at home since I could not afford to move closer. My expectation this year was that I would be saving money for school, but with the costs of commuting and living I have been about breaking even. It makes it worse that I come into work many mornings sick to my stomach not knowing the kind of mood my supervisor will be in. At the current moment, I am at home finishing work that I will not be paid for because I am paid hourly but that I am expected to have done by tomorrow.
So far, my thoughts have been very negative. However, I am worried about missing out on the opportunities I might miss out on without seeing my gap year through and getting publications out of this. We are publishing a few abstracts in the next week for a conference, and there are talks of a manuscript being published in the near future, but the manuscript just keeps getting pushed off. While I have a great deal of experience in ophthalmology (worked as a technician, a few great mentors and shadowing), I have to be realistic with myself and don't think I could be competitive enough to ever match into that specialty. This all being said, I am considering quitting my job to do something different like be a server at a local restaurant or do manual labor where I could potentially save up money and avoid such a long commute. Money and happiness are my main motivating factors, but I am concerned about this being my main opportunity to be part of research publications prior to residency.
Do you think I should stick it out and suffer through the next six months in hopes of publications and presentations, or should I move on? I am not sure what arrangements I could make with him, but I could potentially offer to work with him two days/week for free and say that I need to save up money by pursuing another job.
