Does ANYONE work???

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
E

efitzpat

Full Member
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2008
Messages
469
Reaction score
0
Members don't see this ad.
I worked my way through undergrad. Working has become a part of what I do. I have worked in a lab and also work as an MCAT instructor for Princeton Review.

I know that I can't continue to work 20-30 hours during the school year, but what about teaching an MCAT class? I brought it up to one of my interviewers, mentioning the class is only 2.5 hours and that I don't need to do any prep, etc. Her response was "You're going to want those 2.5 hours."

I'm starting medical school in September. Is it really so hard that I can't work 2.5 hours? I just get nervous being locked in to a fixed budget due to the loans I take out and would like to have some pocket change.

thoughts?
 
It's not that bad. You can work but she's right, there'll be times when you'll want those 2.5 hours. The people I know who have worked during medical school had really flexible schedules so they could be off around exam time etc. when 2.5 hours feel like an eternity to give up. I'd still do it just manage your time wisely.
 
efitzpat said:
I worked my way through undergrad. Working has become a part of what I do. I have worked in a lab and also work as an MCAT instructor for Princeton Review.

I know that I can't continue to work 20-30 hours during the school year, but what about teaching an MCAT class? I brought it up to one of my interviewers, mentioning the class is only 2.5 hours and that I don't need to do any prep, etc. Her response was "You're going to want those 2.5 hours."

I'm starting medical school in September. Is it really so hard that I can't work 2.5 hours? I just get nervous being locked in to a fixed budget due to the loans I take out and would like to have some pocket change.

thoughts?
Click to expand...

People do it, I can think of a few in my class who taught MCAT courses and a few others who waited tables/bartended, and one who I know did both. They were definitely in the minority as most people did not work at all. But they were all very good students and it didn't seem to affect their achievements. I think you need to approach it on a case-by-case basis. Since you already have experience with the MCAT course I think you could definitely view that as a possibility depending on how you adjust to med school, but be aware that you may need those extra 2.5 hours, either as study time or as "mental health" time where you are relaxing and NOT studying or teaching. Good luck.
 
I'm planning on working as an ER tech maybe 1 day a week and work if someone calls in or something and I'm not doing anything.
 
It's not that the time isn't there (although you may encounter conflicts with exams and such), it's more of a question of how much personal benefit are you gonna get out of working those extra 2.5 hrs.

Money?
You get an extra $20-30 bucks but you already get students loans to cover your living expenses. It should be enough if you're a single student (if you have a family you may have to pick up extra cash somewhere). You may save a little on loans but probably not that significant in the long run.

Resume?
Teaching for Kaplan may have looked good on your med school app but it's probably not going to be impressive on a residency app.

Fun?
If you enjoy teaching the classes, you may want to do it as a diversion but there's probably more fun things you could do with those 2.5 hrs such as work-out or hang out with friends.

You'll probably have the time so go for it if you want but IMHO it's not gonna give you as much as it did in UG.
 
What the hell do you expect to do with 30 bucks extra a week, if that? School is work. If you become active in interest groups and everything else on top of class work, you'll have plenty of work. I'd much rather use those 2.5 hours to go workout or go on a hot date than on an amount of money that is really quite trivial. That isn't intended to sound spoiled or like a jerk but in the grand scheme of how much we are taking out, I just don't see it as worth the hassle.
 
Standard advice: try one to a few months of medical school and make sure you are doing adequately well before signing up for other obligations such as work. Won't be able to do it third year though, thats for sure.
 
My girlfriend has managed to work even through third year. So its doable.
 
I'm going to have to agree w/ Pinkertinkle on not working during 3rd year, you're just not going to have the time and work is definitely not an acceptable excuse to not come in on the weekends to round on your pts if asked to. I'm on inpatient peds now and I have 4 days off the entire month. On many rotations, you're expected to work weekends, be on call, etc. I also agree w/ those that say it doesn't really seem worth it unless you're extremely strapped for cash, as in you have children to support, etc. Working in college helps you look well-rounded in medical school applications, working in medical school won't help a bit for your residency applications esp if it is just a few hours working for Kaplan. I would focus on excelling in medical school and if you really feel like you have extra time to spare to work then you can after a few months. Excellent grades (esp 3rd & 4th yr) and great board scores (which doing well the first two years is a big help w/ boards studying) is much more important.
 
I tutored all the way through school & worked at the library as well BUT not for the extra money, but rather like you I like to work etc.

My suggestion would be that if you do decide to work, try & get in on your school's Federal Study Program which has the federal government pay you $10/hr for whatever job you do. This money is tax-free & the contact person at your school will ask you to estimate how many hours you are going to work in a month & then gives you that much less money on your student loans. So you take out a little less loans & then you save on the interest payments on your 20-30 yrs repayment plan.
 
I'm starting in August. I'll have a job ~18 hrs a week working behind the desk at the student rec. I have to sign guests in and make sure nobody steals towels. I'll be studying the rest of the time. I think you can work. You just gotta find the right job.
 
MossPoh said:
...School is work....
Click to expand...

Agreed. The people who do well in med school frequently are those who treat med school like a long houred, full time job. You wouldn't get a part time job on top of a long houred, full time job, plain and simple.

Go to med school and see how it goes. If, after acing a few tests, you feel like you have the time to spare, then by all means line up that job. But most people won't. The problem is that in your head you are comparing it to the kind of spare time you had in undergrad, and it's a different world.
 
Thanks for the responses.

Its not the money that I'm working for; I understand that no amount of money I'm going to make working while in school is going to matter in terms of reducing debt. However, I like the obligation/distraction and I love teaching. Also, if I choose to take a USMLE prep course, I get a big discount if I continue teaching for the Princeton Review.

And I'm not comparing medical school to undergrad. Undergrad I worked 20-30 hours/week, I'm talking about working maybe 5/week.

I was also just curious because I don't know anyone who has ever gone to medical school.
 
efitzpat said:
...
And I'm not comparing medical school to undergrad. Undergrad I worked 20-30 hours/week, I'm talking about working maybe 5/week.
..
Click to expand...

That in fact is a form of comparing it to undergrad. You are just assuming that you will have 1/4 to 1/6 the time of undergrad. Best to not assume anything, and wait and see how it goes in med school before you decide if you have that 5 hours to spare. You may find that even if you have that spare time, you may want to spend it sleeping, or at the gym, or playing WOW, or whatever. The last thing you may want to do if you have a few hours of free time may be to spend it in an academic setting. Wait and see. If you have the time to spare, then proceed accordingly. If not, then at least you didn't bit off more than you can chew.
 
efitzpat said:
Thanks for the responses.

. Also, if I choose to take a USMLE prep course, I get a big discount if I continue teaching for the Princeton Review.



.
Click to expand...

You should find out if your school gets a subsidized price on USLME courses. Some schools offer it as an option and include it in your cost of attendace.
 
Cerberus said:
bullsh*t!! Anyone working during their 3rd year is either a robot or stupip, likely a stupid robot. Anytime spent working during 3rd year is time that should be spent studying.
Click to expand...

I guess that makes my roommate a robot.......? He works 1 day/week at a movie theatre because he enjoys it. He has also honored almost every rotation of 3rd year with an average NBME score of around 85-90th percentile.

So it is possible........
 
For me personally, if I'm going to waste precious study time, it better be something that's going to help me out in the future like research or a community project, not an hourly position for an extra $30/week.
 
Law2Doc said:
That in fact is a form of comparing it to undergrad. You are just assuming that you will have 1/4 to 1/6 the time of undergrad.
Click to expand...

Oh Good Lord. I didn't get the 5 hours from saying I'd have 1/4-1/6 of the time. I got the 5 hours from the fact that they are running 2 prep courses starting in September and if I teach for both then thats 5 hours / week. Not everyone on SDN sits there and calculates out how much free time they have.


And for everyone that keeps repeating that I'd get an extra $30/week (by the way I get paid $30/HOUR) - I don't care about the freaking money. I just want a little distraction and I enjoy my job.
 
TexasPhysician said:
I guess that makes my roommate a robot.......? He works 1 day/week at a movie theatre because he enjoys it. He has also honored almost every rotation of 3rd year with an average NBME score of around 85-90th percentile.

So it is possible........
Click to expand...

At some schools it's going to be possible, at others it isn't. At mine it really, really, really isn't.

My advice to the OP is to screw Priceton Review after first year and start tutoring for your school. I knew a guy who made $4000++ in a month before the anatomy final doing private tutoring in anatomy lab on top of the fact that he was a tutor employed by my school to teach the remedial students. He was a fourth year so he had the timeto spend teaching, but you could do a limited amount MS2. He used the money to go on an away rotation in Africa and I'm sure that looked stellar. It's also extremely helpful to review certain material for residency... future surgeons like to tutor anatomy, future pathologists tutor path, etc. It's an honor to get to tutor at my school and the fact that you're actually teaching medicine instead of stupid orgo or physics is nice if you want to go into academics.
 
I worked throughout my first year and I'm planning to do the same on the second. Yes you can! But your job must offer you some kind of flexibility because there will be days when you will be needing every single minute you can get specially around exams. You just have to be disciplined and prioritize. Working on the weekends has saved me at least 5000 dollars on loans (now multiply the interest for the next 100 years). I would recommend not to work before the first round of exams so you know where you stand. Don't let people tell you what you CAN'T do, medical schools are filled with lazy/wanna party all the time kids. Maybe having a job will get you ready for 3rd year.
 
I started working 6hr/week during my second semester of 1st year and my grades didn't change. However I traded extracurriculars for earning $$.
 
I worked two part time jobs (total of about 17 hours a week) during M1. Rough, but it worked out.
 
GreenShirt said:
Resume?
Teaching for Kaplan may have looked good on your med school app but it's probably not going to be impressive on a residency app.
Click to expand...


I totally disagree with this one; I've heard (first hand from a chief resident), that teaching for such high cost test prep companies says a lot about someone's character.

It may not always fit the teacher, but kaplan and tpr try to only hire personable, charismatic, articulate, etc teachers -- 85% of the time, you can place a positive stereotype on someone that teaches for either. (Even though kaplan sucks compared to princeton review 😀)

I'd say, if you can keep it around without hindering your social/study life - go for it. It'll be a small, really small, section on your residency app that'll prove a lot more than people think.
 
I write articles for a website that pays upfront and gives you a % of advertising sales. You can write on any topic. I write on medicine so that I'm actually studying and learning while earning a bit of cash. See here: http://www.helium.com/users/231245

Easiest way to get started is to send me an email and I'll email you back with an invitation to the site. My email is [email protected].
 
Thursday said:
I write articles for a website that pays upfront and gives you a % of advertising sales. You can write on any topic. I write on medicine so that I'm actually studying and learning while earning a bit of cash. See here: http://www.helium.com/users/231245

Easiest way to get started is to send me an email and I'll email you back with an invitation to the site. My email is [email protected].
Click to expand...

Are you trying to get the thread closed?
 
Working during med school...lol..

It's always the premeds who ask these questions 🙂
 
As a side note, working during med school calls your intelligence into question BUT spending your free time volunteering or on something you enjoy is absolutely possible for a good number of people.

I spend my free time working out, going to the beach, fishing, hanging out with friends....so the free time is there, but "WORKING" is just silly.
 
I worked 20-40 hours per week in a lab all four years of med school, with the exception of about six months of more time intensive rotations. Benefits included paying for all of my living expenses (room, board, spending money), publications, excellent letters of recommendation when I applied for residency, and good connections within the relatively small field I wound up in. Downsides included lost sleep, working when my classmates were going out, and not being able to "just be a med student."

If your work is who you are, and it doesn't interfere with your studies, go for it. Best of luck this coming year!

Anka
 
Blondnuttyboy said:
I totally disagree with this one; I've heard (first hand from a chief resident), that teaching for such high cost test prep companies says a lot about someone's character.

It may not always fit the teacher, but kaplan and tpr try to only hire personable, charismatic, articulate, etc teachers -- 85% of the time, you can place a positive stereotype on someone that teaches for either. (Even though kaplan sucks compared to princeton review 😀)

I'd say, if you can keep it around without hindering your social/study life - go for it. It'll be a small, really small, section on your residency app that'll prove a lot more than people think.
Click to expand...

chief residents have said a lotta things, doesn't make em true
 
I plan on 8-16 hrs a week as a nurse working in a nursing home. Working nights gives me usually a couple of hours to read if i feel like and coming in sometimes in afternoons or w/e will gimme a chance to practice things i learn, like assessments and histories or something (maybe, IDK yet lol). Plus, working per diem means when test time rolls around of if I feel overwhelmed I can just not go in. But like others have said just wait a while to see how you adjust and see if you have those hours to spare.
 
McGillGrad said:
As a side note, working during med school calls your intelligence into question ...
but "WORKING" is just silly.
Click to expand...

Wow, I'll tell my kids that wanting to eat and stay warm is just silly. 😉


I should add that part of my working (as an NP, which pays pretty darn well for casual work) is to keep ongoing contact with the PD of my top choice residency.

Everybody does what they need to do to make it.
 
2008orbust said:
Wow, I'll tell my kids that wanting to eat and stay warm is just silly. 😉


I should add that part of my working (as an NP, which pays pretty darn well for casual work) is to keep ongoing contact with the PD of my top choice residency.

Everybody does what they need to do to make it.
Click to expand...


I was going to comment that if you don't have any other obligations besides yourself, you should have time to work. If I was single I would have an extra couple hours a day and a little more sleep each night to do whatever it is that I wanted, which could include working, watching tv, working out, volunteering etc...

However, with a family (kids and spouse), I use all of my free non-medical-school time to be with them involved in their lives. No sense going through medical school killing myself in class and at work only to lose the family you love in the end. If you want some tips on making the finances work with a family, pm me.

Just two cents from a happily married dad with kids and secondarily medical student.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

C
Anyone else feel pressure to NOT work hard from residents?
Replies
49
Views
6K
Dr. Anonymouss
Dr. Anonymouss
W
VEPSUM- Mount Sinai Program.. anyone hear back?
Replies
0
Views
402
wiredjazmine
W
booniesdoc
ERAS work
Replies
1
Views
845
GoSpursGo
GoSpursGo
Z
MD Anyone involved with Adcom?
Replies
1
Views
518
Goro
Goro
true_royal
Can anyone WAMC me for Internal Medicine?
Replies
0
Views
804
true_royal
true_royal
Top