Is it possible to have a part/full time job while in med school?

[Superwuwu]

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Hi Everybody,
I was just wandering. Does anyone plan on working during there first and second year of med school? If you are, then please share with me which types of jobs would allow for adequate study time.😕

 

[jbish]

i know people that have worked part-time but no one that's done a full-time job. at my school we're in class 30 hrs a week so it'd be hard to pull off another 40 unless you worked at a place that allowed saturday/sunday full days. the part-time jobs have included tutoring (really good for high school and college kids as you can get $20 an hour or more depending on the subject and how close you live to the ritzy part of town), mcat prep-course teaching, retail (i think the minimum hours per week they want you to work is 12 which if you can actually keep it at that would be totally do-able and completely mind-numbing), and other non-time consuming jobs like aerobics instructors/personal training. you have to be incredibly dedicated to studying as part-time jobs with our kind of schedule means you're working weekends so you have to study during the week or you're working afternoon/evenings and have to kick it in gear every weekend to make up what you missed mon-fri.

i personally haven't done any work...but if i was still in a town where i knew people i think i'd still do babysitting/tutoring as those kind of jobs tend to allow you to set your own hours according to your wishes and desires rather than your employers.

 

[Superwuwu]

Thanks for your words of wisdom Jbish.
90 viewed and only one reply? Come on guys, it isn't that difficult/dumb of a question.
Help me out here.

 

[ChiaPet312]

it's definetly possible to have a part-time job. Full time jobs will be a bit tougher to handle.

when you fill out your FAFSA form, you'll see there's a little check box for work-study. you can always check that off and see if you qualify for work-study jobs at your medical school.

also, medical schools often hire students to work in offices, libraries, etc. i've heard from cousins/friends who've gone to med school that it's a good idea to find work in the libraries. you don't get bothered much, and you can study while you're working. i visited the website for the school i'm gonna attend and saw they also have jobs for students to tape lectures. basically, you'd be payed to go to class.

i'm definetly thinking of working part-time, but i guess i'll know when i start school.

 

[juddson]

What about lab work at some med schools. I suppose some of this could be paid. Though, of your school has a research component, I suspect then that that will be unpaid.

Judd

 

[basupran]

I read this story about a guy who worked full-time making 100k a year while 'attending' med school. I don't know how he did it, but he managed to pass his classes. He wound up dropping out the following year.

 

[oldtimer]

If you can avoid it, I wouldn't work at all while attending med school. You're already shelling out 30K for tuition and another 15K for room and board. Make the most of the money you're investing in your education. The clients I have now would love for me to continue working for them in the future on a part-time basis and I could probably charge them $100 or more an hour, but I would rather put all my energy in doing well in my classes and on Step 1. If you don't do well on those because you worked, then you might not get into the specialty you want.

 

[edik]

No, it's not possible. Unless you are either a genius, or considering a career with very non-competitive residency match since your grades will be low. Even those med students who study all the time often complain of not being able to learn all study materials. If you work - you won't learn enough about medicine to be any good in the future.
Part-time job during school year is not a viable option of financing medical education.

 

[jlee9531]

im planning to continue tutoring some of the kids i am doing right now....

being a college graduate you should be able to get at least 30-35 dollars an hour minimum teaching kids of all ages.

 

[bullhorn]

I am not sure I would advise but some people just dont have a choice. That said, the best jobs are 'sitting jobs'. For example, I have a friend that works in the reserve/reference portion of the library. Basically she comes in, picks up a few books at the beginning of her shift, and then studies the entire shift only interrupted by a few questions here and there. At the end of the shift, she picks up books and replaces them etc. It's pretty mindless AND you are FORCED to study otherwise you might die of boredom, and its quiet....all for 7.50-8.00/hr depending on the school.

Other great jobs that people are known to have: ER receptionist/clerk (work at late night) if its a slow ER can basically study also; MCAT prep...very flexible in terms of number of hours and good pay...also teaching the bio section helps a bit with some portions of year 1 curriculum...at least you dont have to RE-STudy the basics; Work-study is great because your employer knows you are a student; Research Assistant/Tech - there do exist jobs where students just clean glassware, maintain animals, order supplies, make reagents...pretty much very brainless lab work as opposed to ACTUAL research; Retail - I would suggest places like a 24 hour Walmart, so you have a pretty wide range of hours to choose from outside of the normal class hours.

I don't plan on working during medical school, but it terrifies me actually because I have never NOT worked. We'll see how my financial aid works out. It is definitely a difficult task....but DOABLE depending on how diligent you are as a student.

To the person that knew a guy that was working fulltime making 100K while in school....what's was the point of that? Just work...you certainly are making enough money...

Goodluck OP!

 

[loomis]

i will probably serve as a teaching assistant of some kind first year and maybe 2nd if i can manage the time (i have a phd and taught at a university for several years). 3rd year is probably out for work. this is the plan for now.....reality might be something totally different 🙂

if you can get one, a ta position usually pays quite nice. if you choose a social science related course like abnormal psychology or medical anthro. it might be less time consuming that serving as a lab TA in an orgo or biochem class. hope this info helps!

 

[docjolly]

A friend of mine at Columbia told me that her cousin was a med. school student in Chicago...Her cousin desperately needed money in med. school, and so she became a stripper in her spare time!

I guess while in between lap dances, she found time to study...

 

[ice_23]

Originally posted by docjolly
A friend of mine at Columbia told me that her cousin was a med. school student in Chicago...Her cousin desperately needed money in med. school, and so she became a stripper in her spare time!

I guess while in between lap dances, she found time to study...

I've actually heard that too, and oddly enough, in chicago as well...a strange coincidence.

-Ice