Lab Jobs

[KatieOConnor]

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My first lab job out of college did not end well. I was working for one person and we didn't really get along. I mean, I generally try hard not to antagonize people, but we got off on the wrong foot and things kept getting worse until she threatened to fire me. She wrote me up for mistakes I'd made in the lab. Now, mistakes in the lab are inevitable, and I actually was officially written up for putting methanol in the Western Blot transfer buffer I was making before adding the water. It causes things to take longer to dissolve, but otherwise is not a "mistake" worth mentioning. My point, I really did not do much wrong in the lab, but you can write people up for stupid stuff because administration doesnt know the difference between stupid non-mistakes and more serious ones. (We were the ONLY two people in the lab and there wasn't any point in fighting, there was nobody to argue my side)

So I switched to a different lab, in a different university after a few months. I have to list this experience on AMCAS, according to my pre-med advisor, so there won't be a gap. I'm worried that someone will contact the person I worked for.

I've never had any sort of problem with anyone I have ever worked for, and I have, over the course of undergrad, worked in four different labs. Can this horrible lab experience come back and haunt me? Have other people had similar horrible experiences in labs?

 

[Anka]

Sounds like a real catfight. In general, employers won't give a recommendation of you (other than to confirm you worked for them) without your permission (i.e., you have to put them down as a reference). This is because there are serious liability issues involved. So, your exposure by putting it on your AMCAS is incredibly low, even if someone did perchance decide to call her (VERY unlikely).

Now, do you really have to put it down? Probably not. You want to avoid gaps wherever possible, but sometimes there are going to be gaps. That said, it really can hurt you. My interviewer at Mt. Sinai told me about this woman who was dinged because she had a two year gap. It turned out (after they had already dinged her) that she had been in olympic training, but hadn't made the cut.

That's life, though. I'd put it on, tell what you did in the lab, and not worry about them calling her. Also, you can always put your business administrator down as the contact person. There's probably less personal rancor there, and she's more likely to stick to the legalistic *** policiy most places have.

Anka

 

[kweenkong]

I don't think anyone really contacts the people/bosses that you put down on your AMCAS. You might get a question or two in your interview about the experience, but there are way too many applicants with way too many work experiences for them to go about and call everyone. So I'd just put it on my AMCAS and not worry about it.

 

[samurai_lincoln]

Even if they did call, as mentioned above there is so much potential legal liability for giving out a negative reference that companies instruct their supervisors and/or HR people just to verify employment dates. The only time you have to worry is if you worked for a mom & pop shop that may not be so sophisticated.

 

[Athomeonarock]

I totally know the feeling, It seems some people in some labs just enjoy being a** ****s . Ive been yelled at for some things i couldent believe. One time got busted because my supervising tech was at lunch, so i used the GLP book for an assay and got totally chewed out and almost fired over it. They were just mad i didnt do it there way. Id never been yelled at at any job ever.
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Anyway, as for AMcas, I think the odds of them contacting your boss are slim to none, go ahead and put it on your app

Good luck

 

[stinkycheese]

By law, your former supervisor is only allowed to confirm your dates of employment, unless you have requested that the supervisor gives you a reference.

So don't sweat it!! 😀