Eggs in one basket...

[HouAggieDoc]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

All,

Enlighten me...

Currently I am 1.5 years into my post-grad degree career (business). I am also working on finishing up pre-requisites for medical school (Physics 1/2, Organic 1/2, and Biochem left) while working full-time. I have been taking 1-2 classes per semester on top of my job. However, I find myself focusing so much on the pre-med route that I wonder if I should leave my job, throw all my eggs in one basket, and pursue a position in the clinical world. I know of a few positions that I could pursue, albeit at a pay cut, but if you have any recommendations feel free to send them my way and I will do additional research.

The reasoning behind this decision is that I want to be in medicine, irregardless of the position, knowing that the ultimate end-goal is becoming an MD. Thoughts? I know it would be the riskier path in the short-term.

Best

 

[AnotherLawyer]

Here is how my simplified thought process would go:

Can you afford to leave your job without imposing undue hardship on yourself or family? If no, stay, if yes, next question.

If medical school doesn't work out to you want to continue in your current career? If no, leave, if yes next question.

Are you in the type of career where it's easy to get out for a while and then come back in at a comparable point if you decide to return? If no, stay, if yes leave.

 

[HouAggieDoc]

Thanks for the insight, AnotherLawyer!

I have been researching some entry-level jobs within the healthcare industry but would like some input on what you believe would be the best route while take classes?

EMT. Would be a great way to gain experience but I feel like the schedule isn't very conducive to a school schedule.

Medical Scribe. Again, great experience but this role doesn't seem like you get much direct patient experience. More watching the patient and physician interact.

Any others I should take into consideration? From the looks of it my pay cut may be a little steeper than I imagined but I think my fiancé and I can make it work. It'll only be for a year or so.

 

[Stagg737]

Thanks for the insight, AnotherLawyer!

I have been researching some entry-level jobs within the healthcare industry but would like some input on what you believe would be the best route while take classes?

EMT. Would be a great way to gain experience but I feel like the schedule isn't very conducive to a school schedule.

Medical Scribe. Again, great experience but this role doesn't seem like you get much direct patient experience. More watching the patient and physician interact.

Any others I should take into consideration? From the looks of it my pay cut may be a little steeper than I imagined but I think my fiancé and I can make it work. It'll only be for a year or so.

EMT can be school friendly depending on where you work and how many shifts you're trying to take. The problem with that route is depending where live, you might not be able to get a job unless you're a paramedic, which is at least an 8-9 month program (everywhere that I've been at least).

While you might not have as much "direct" interaction with the patient as a scribe, the goal of a clinical job is to expose you to what the medical field is like, not necessarily to get direct patient contact. This is simply because any direct interaction or treatment you give as a pre-med is not going to be what you'll be doing as a doc.

You could also consider getting certified as a phlebotomist or as a nurse's assistant/lab tech. Some of these certs only take 2-3 months to get and could give you some direct patient contact.

Honestly, I wouldn't be overly concerned about getting a clinical job just to make your app look better. Do some volunteering or shadowing and get yourself some decent exposure, but I know plenty of people that got into med school after having a career that had minimal clinical exposure.

 

[DrMidlife]

irregardless

As others have said, clinical work for pay isn't going to do much for you in applying to med school. If what you want is to work part time & concentrate on your studies, it's almost certain that you wouldn't make rent in an entry level clinical job.

I'd suggest looking into jobs in healthcare that allow you to see the biz side. Use what you know, still get paid, learn lots. Find out what ACOs & ICDs are, find out how the money flows, etc. Look at job listings in biotech and in hospitals. I'd argue that working as an office manager in a busy outpatient practice, or as a surgery scheduler or similar, would give you maturity and perspective in med school interviews that your competition can't touch.

All that said, I wish I'd trained to work as a phlebotomist as a premed for a variety of reasons.

Best of luck to you.

 

[timephone]

A nursing assistant certification (e.g. CNA) gets you in the thick of things, working hands-on with patients and getting bossed around by nurses and physicians. Not the best pay ($10-$12/hour), but hey it's a job!

 

[Darth Doc]

A nursing assistant certification (e.g. CNA) gets you in the thick of things, working hands-on with patients and getting bossed around by nurses and physicians. Not the best pay ($10-$12/hour), but hey it's a job!

It gets you hands on experience washing patients, turning them in bed, lifting them into chairs, and feeding them, but it doesn't give you any useful medical knowledge of what a physician or clinician does. I did this prior to PA school and don't recommend it as a way to gain good knowledge. When I was in PA school I felt very behind the nurses, EMTs and occupational therapists who had a higher level of direct patient care. It's also not flexible with a school schedule.

I'd recommend the scribe position (you'd learn a lot more about what physicians do) or EMT (you'd learn whether or not trauma and blood are things you're good at as well as dealing with OD's and difficult patients). The scribes at my hospital all were accepted to medical school this upcoming year, so they're hiring a new batch of pre-med students.