How do you support yourself and a spouse in medical school?

[OttawaPremed88]

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Say you get married before, or during medical school (as it seems many medical students do, with each other). How do you really support yourself and a spouse? Is it all through loans? For 4 years you obviously can't work, so you take up $40k+ a year to support yourself and your wife, etc? If so, that's just more money you have to pay back with huge interest along the line.

How do you even get a loan simply to support yourself? Is it just from your line a credit you received to pay for medical school?

 

[OttawaPremed88]

I guess no one knows/cares 🙁

 

[Chemist0157]

The Cost of Attendance includes living expenses too, not just school expenses so you will have already taken out loans to support yourself during medical school. If you get married, your spouse can help out financially by working.

As far as getting loans, schools will send you paperwork to help you apply for loans. I don't think Stafford loans depend on your credit score but Grad Plus loans do (I think). The loan stuff was actually easier than I thought it would be. The financial aid office can get everything ready for you, and all you do is choose a lender and accept by signature.

 

[nontrdgsbuiucmd]

For 4 years you obviously can't work, so you take up $40k+ a year to support yourself and your wife, etc? If so, that's just more money you have to pay back with huge interest along the line.

concur with post above -- once accepted, the job of the financial aid office is to assist in taking away the stress of money and paying for med school.

To the point above.. "obviously you can't work.." this is a bit of a pet interest of mine. Do a search on threads on working in med school, you'll find many diatribes about the impossibility of even considering working. Do a search on threads of how many hours med students study per day during med school, and the concensus seems to be around 4-6 hours, + 4 hrs or so in class. So if you're in class 8-12, study 12-5... how does this preclude a handful of hours work per day? (this is in reference only for yrs 1-2 rather than the clinical years with much longer hours)

 

[sarahg]

You support yourself with student loans. They give you an allowance for living expenses in your loans but it'll be based on a student lifestyle most likely. If you really need to support your spouse I guess you could take out extra private loans for that (or maybe not, I'm not positive about the loan process). My personal opinion is that spouses should support themselves, either through their own student loans while they are studying, jobs, unemployment/disability, etc. I don't think it's financially healthy to take out loans so that an able-bodied, able-minded person can stay home and not work. But, to each their own, and obviously it could be necessary if there are kids involved.

 

[MedStudentWanna]

To the point above.. "obviously you can't work.." this is a bit of a pet interest of mine. Do a search on threads on working in med school, you'll find many diatribes about the impossibility of even considering working. Do a search on threads of how many hours med students study per day during med school, and the concensus seems to be around 4-6 hours, + 4 hrs or so in class. So if you're in class 8-12, study 12-5... how does this preclude a handful of hours work per day? (this is in reference only for yrs 1-2 rather than the clinical years with much longer hours)

Most schools have lecture from 8-12 and lab from 1-5. If you're fortunate enough to go to a school that doesn't care about attendance, you can skip lecture, but I believe labs are mandatory at most schools. So say you get up and study from 8-12, you go to lab from 1-5, do you really want to go into work at 6 p.m.? And work until what? 10 p.m. for a few dollars? I'd rather keep my sanity and have that time to myself. Besides, on exam weeks, you'll need that time.

 

[Terpskins99]

To the point above.. "obviously you can't work.." this is a bit of a pet interest of mine. Do a search on threads on working in med school, you'll find many diatribes about the impossibility of even considering working. Do a search on threads of how many hours med students study per day during med school, and the concensus seems to be around 4-6 hours, + 4 hrs or so in class. So if you're in class 8-12, study 12-5... how does this preclude a handful of hours work per day? (this is in reference only for yrs 1-2 rather than the clinical years with much longer hours)

It doesn't. And you'll be surprised at how many students actually do hold part-time jobs throughout medical school.

Mostly they were simple tasks like running a computer lab, help out in the library... where they could still find time to study while at the job. Many students at my school take up tutoring... (primarily 2nd years teaching 1st years). One of my buddies was a licensed perfusionist, and every winter/spring/summer break he would go back to his hometown and work at the local OR.

One really cool job another med student took up: part time police officer. I met him during an underserved urban rotation where we would walk the streets at night and provide medical care to homeless people. Because he was a cop for the city, he was permitted to carry a concealed firearm and badge. 😀

 

[STXGregor]

I've worked for a TX chain of grocery stores for the past 6 years (2 years of h.s. and four of undergrad). I've been a pharm tech for the past 3 years or so. I'm going to try working one or two days a week next semester, probably Sundays and Saturdays. I actually enjoy the job and I am so used to work here that I feel like it's something I'll be able to do at least for the next year or so. Anyone with any experience working a few (5-10) hours on the weekends on top of med school?

Part of me really wants to work here all through med school just so I can say I've worked here for 10 years, lol 😀. I doubt I will make it through 2nd year, maybe not even 1st. But I like the job and it's great pay, so we'll see.

 

[FrickenhugeMD]

A lot of my classmates are married and seem to be doing just fine, so it is more than a possibility that it can work. From what I gather, most (if not all) of said spouses have a job. I agree with the poster who said spouses should be able to support themselves, or if need be, both of you for a period if s*** ever hits the fan. But if you really needed to support her, I guess you could live very frugally or pull out more loans

 

[nogolfinsnow]

If you're married to another student, you'll both have loans to cover your individual expenses. If you're married to a non-student, it might be tough to stretch the loans. Most/all of my married classmates have spouses who work, so their income provides for some of the living expenses and loans cover everything else. Don't worry about your spouse affecting your ability to get financial aid unless they make a lot of money.

As for jobs, I've seen a few of my classmates working at Starbucks, at least one still does shifts as a paramedic, one guy works a shift a week at the same sporting goods store he used to work at, etc. It likely depends on the amount of require class at your school; we usually have at least a few free afternoons the 1st two years.

Also, someone above mentioned credit score for gov't loans. Your credit score doesn't matter. GradPLUS loans are only affected if you have a history of failing to pay bills on time (pretty sure it's 90 days past due).

 

[bozz]

Don't get married at that time.. then you won't even have to ask that question dudes

 

[witness23]

how much can you really make working part time though? or are youdoing this for the benefits or to cover a few nights of going out

 

[binko]

Why are you supporting your spouse, when you're the one in med school?

 

[witness23]

cuz he's a mannnnnnnnnnnnnn

 

[MadEvans]

cuz he's a mannnnnnnnnnnnnn

Yeah, duh... obviously Binko. Who would clean the house, prepare the meals, take care of the kids, maintain the garden, and stay informed of the neighborhood gossip?