Have you called in sick for interviews? (Not research positions)

[282NC]

I'm not sure what to do about time off for interviews. I'm looking for a job right now and I'm a bit wary about disclosing my medical school intentions during job interviews. For most jobs I'm applying to I won't get sick days/vacation days for the first couple of months or so.

My question is what is your experience with calling in sick for med school interviews or disclosing your medical school intentions upfront to an employer? Do you feel you missed out on a position because of it?

Also, I don't want to hear from people with research jobs just because they (research employers) tend to be a bit more understanding/expecting of the situation.

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[BeMD13]

I actually quit my job to go back to school for a second degree. Since I had a gap on my resume, I had to explain that it was because I went back to school and why. I do feel that disclosing my future plans caused me to miss out on some great opportunities but I ended up getting a job that has very flexible scheduling and is supportive of my plans. I might not make as much as some of the other positions were offering but I'm grateful that I don't have to worry about getting time off near my MCAT date or for interviews. It is a tough job market though and I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to take a job and not tell your plans to leave in a year. People quit jobs all the time for all sorts of reasons.

 

[Petrichor1]

You will certainly miss on positions that are more professional and require certification (not talking about nursing). That is why I try not telling my intentions to anyone that can possibly offer me a job in my career line because they implicate too many things about my genuine interest in my current field. I don't want to come across as someone that takes my current career for granted which is what is assumed. After all, some really intelligent people in the field reason that anyone that pursues my career and with the mindset to pursue medical school eventually is taking a spot from someone that could have been a more permanent professional in the field. I accept that but I don't honestly care because as long as a program accepted me and I was interested in the scope of the field initially as a stepping stone for medical school and instead seeing medical school as an advancement of what I've learned in that field then I am only benefiting my former career's profession. The only people I saw as having mattered to know the truth were the program head and professors so that they understood that whatever decision they took was for their betterment and mine.

A lot of places also have managers that will initially ask you to submit an absence request almost a month in advance. You can also ask your colleagues to swap days of leave with you too which I quiet frankly am terrible in convincing but more power to your abilities if you have them for conveying people. Sick days are really something you can technically call on the morning of your shift but the earlier you say the better but seeing that if you have many interviews and you start asking for sick leaves too much, your manager will eventually get pretty frustrated. That isn't all though, I've seen colleagues picking up your slack talk sh** about you so just be careful that you're not putting yourself on the limelight. I mean even if you genuinely were sick... I don't really think people care, they just don't want to do your work and theirs at the same time.

 

[282NC]

These are exactly the kinds of experiences I was hoping to hear about. I actually have a job interview coming up and I'm really considering just telling them upfront about it but I might just wing it and try to call in sick those days. I really shouldn't have that many interviews (I only have one at the moment) so I might could get by doing it that way. Really wish most schools did weekend interviews, but that's wishful thinking I guess.

 

[NorthOfBroad]

These are exactly the kinds of experiences I was hoping to hear about. I actually have a job interview coming up and I'm really considering just telling them upfront about it but I might just wing it and try to call in sick those days. I really shouldn't have that many interviews (I only have one at the moment) so I might could get by doing it that way. Really wish most schools did weekend interviews, but that's wishful thinking I guess.

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Some do! Obviously its rare, but I have one