Medical student part-time jobs

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
K

kinakomochi

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2016
Messages
16
Reaction score
6
.
Members don't see this ad.
 
Last edited:
MCAT prep teaching? Might be a bit too time-consuming tho
 
Members don't see this ad :)
vellez said:
A lot of schools don't even let you work. You shouldn't have time.
Click to expand...
I think if you are at a pass/fail school then there should be time to work. I know students at my school work at the library or at the gym, or some even work at the hospital. It's possible to do, I think the important thing is having your employer know that you're priority is school first and being flexible with that.
 
M1member said:
I think if you are at a pass/fail school then there should be time to work. I know students at my school work at the library or at the gym, or some even work at the hospital. It's possible to do, I think the important thing is having your employer know that you're priority is school first and being flexible with that.
Click to expand...
Some schools do have a policy against this. I'm at a P/F school and being employed (in service type position) is prohibited.
 
There shouldn't be any reason to work part-time. You're going to make so little money relative to what you're paying for tuition (not to mention relative to what you will make in 4-7 years time). You could make maybe a couple grand if you worked consistently 10 hrs/wk through years 1 and 2. Is that really worth it? Treat medical school just like a full-time job.
 
don't work. it's not worth the time. stick to school.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Hey Buddy,

I tutor chemistry outside of medical school, and I also do volunteering every now and then.
 
So @J DUB you were an R Ph that then went to med school, but took shift work all throughout? Impressive dude
 
The financial benefit of working a poorly paying job will in no way outweigh how much said job will harm your studies. Just focus on school, and work your ass off during the summer if you want some extra money.
 
@J DUB props dude

So is it not even worth it to drive for Uber or babysit or something? Even for entertainment money or extra money for interview travel/new shirts and ties for clerkships?
 
midwestm2 said:
@J DUB props dude

So is it not even worth it to drive for Uber or babysit or something? Even for entertainment money or extra money for interview travel/new shirts and ties for clerkships?
Click to expand...
Not really unless you can make some decent money. None of those qualify to me.
 
I knew a guy who went to temple and worked weekends giving vaccinations at a pharmacy. He said it was easy money
 
midwestm2 said:
@J DUB props dude

So is it not even worth it to drive for Uber or babysit or something? Even for entertainment money or extra money for interview travel/new shirts and ties for clerkships?
Click to expand...

I'm not working because I want extra money. I'm working because I have a mortgage and if it doesn't get paid, I lose my home. The family members who were going to help me pay the mortgage have proven unreliable, and it is up to me to make up the difference.

So, I Uber. I'm an RN, but working in my field is not something that I can spare the time to do. I did that few a few weeks, and it was really rough working all weekend and not having time to study. Uber lets me sign in and drive whenever I do have time. If no one needs a ride, I have a book and can review material. When they need a ride, I take them where they want to go and go back to studying. It works out to be a little better than a minimum wage job, but there is no other job that I know of where I can clock in and out as I please, work as little or as much as I want, and spend most of the time "on the job" reading textbooks.
 
@Promethean that's awesome you have the discipline to do that. And yeah it seemed to me that the setup of driving for Uber would be perfect for a student, because of the complete control over hours, and the (??) decent (??) pay (I guess depending on how much you drive).

I'm sort of thinking about a parallel here for residents who moonlight ... There's this general idea that residency is super grueling, but people still find time to moonlight on the less demanding rotations. So it's surely possible to have a side job in med school if one can moonlight during residency, right?
 
Look for a job on campus where you get paid to study. Our school has a few positions where you basically just have to sit at a desk for a shift and can do whatever (most people study). It's not a ton, but at $10/hr the people I know make an extra 200-300/month. Not a ton, but can't beat getting paid to study.
 
M1member said:
I think if you are at a pass/fail school then there should be time to work. I know students at my school work at the library or at the gym, or some even work at the hospital. It's possible to do, I think the important thing is having your employer know that you're priority is school first and being flexible with that.
Click to expand...

My school has a specific policy against working, unless you are a nurse. Which is odd. Anyway, we are p/f too.
 
M1member said:
I think if you are at a pass/fail school then there should be time to work. I know students at my school work at the library or at the gym, or some even work at the hospital. It's possible to do, I think the important thing is having your employer know that you're priority is school first and being flexible with that.
Click to expand...

Just because you are in a p/f school, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try for the highest scores. If you don't matter the material you only make it harder for yourself when the step exams are done...
 
A handful of my classmates worked, most didn't. The ones who did choose to work either had a career before medicine (many previous business owners continuing to work part time) or decided to tutor for the medical school or an MCAT company.

I worked as an MCAT tutor for about 6 years (MS1-the end of my PhD). I also worked a couple of small theater gigs now and then, but that was more because I missed theater, the money was pretty abysmal.

Don't work around Step 1 time. Don't working during MS3 or early MS4. Other than that, make the decision based on how much time/effort medical school requires for you - it's different for everyone.
 
Working was a nice, productive break from school. I was a firefighter and paramedic prior to school and it is very easy to continue to do it part time, when it doesn't interfere with school work. Several of my third year buddies, who are in a similar situation, continue to work when their schedule permits. It offers a change in perspective that is unavailable in academia and a little extra running money isn't bad either.
 
Murdock in Iraq said:
Working was a nice, productive break from school. I was a firefighter and paramedic prior to school and it is very easy to continue to do it part time, when it doesn't interfere with school work. Several of my third year buddies, who are in a similar situation, continue to work when their schedule permits. It offers a change in perspective that is unavailable in academia and a little extra running money isn't bad either.
Click to expand...
KNIFE WRENCH!
 
Another thought is instead of working part time, try applying for scholarships to offset your tuition burden. It can help with your financial peace of mind if that's what you're after. If you want a break from school, then yeah I guess you would need to actually find some sort of job or extracurricular
 
Get a job as a pharmacy technician. You'll learn more about the medications (helps to see them in your head), and you'll gain more respect for pharmacists after learning all the bulls**t they have to put up with.
 
I answered an ad on Craigslist for a pet sitting gig for a well-off family. I stay at their house while they're on vacation for maybe a week or two weeks every couple months. It's $50 a day and I just study as I would at home. It is annoying sometimes though bc their pets are kind of high maintenance and I can't be away from the house for more than 3 hours at a time.

I'd look for ads like that. It's not much, but it's low effort for some extra money and I can study.

I'd do a minimum wage job if I could study during it--why not. The only issue is scheduling around school.
 
Penguin Fan said:
Get a job as a pharmacy technician. You'll learn more about the medications (helps to see them in your head), and you'll gain more respect for pharmacists after learning all the bulls**t they have to put up with.
Click to expand...
Actually this really would be the perfect job. The pharmacy would love to hire someone like you because if you got into medical school then your intelligent. And if its a community pharmacy, word will get around to the customers that your a medical school student which will command respect = your managers will love you. And since your not a pharmacy student they know you're not there to move up in the ranks.

Oh and like I already mentioned, you'd be around the medications which makes a world of difference when you talk about them in school because you'll be able to see them in your head.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
Disability insurance as medical student?
Replies
15
Views
907
RangerBob
RangerBob
B
MD & DO Pilot Survey about Interpreters [Medical Student Participants Needed]
Replies
0
Views
350
beaneo
B
A
  • Locked
Part Time remote work during M1?
Replies
19
Views
2K
chicandtoughness
chicandtoughness
C
CHOP Summer URM Medical Student Research (SUMMR) Program
Replies
1
Views
632
coolknight99
C
J
LGBTQIA+ Medical Student Survey
Replies
0
Views
452
justanotherqueerkid
J
Top