need some scheduling suggestions

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hello3angel

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Hi! I am in the process of getting my pre-reqs, starting this fall. I am currently in a bind concerning my current options, so I would like to ask all of you for your input!

I am currently working full-time at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine (Dept. of Psychiatry). As an employee, I receive 100% tuition remission after my first full year of working full-time. Until then, I am paying for Chemistry I & II with labs using my AmeriCorps education award and savings.

Sounds great, right?



Well, here are my current issues:
  • My current job requires me to work late evenings, as late as 8:00 and 9:00 PM, on the nights I don't have class. Because of this, it is very difficult for me to make time for volunteering and shadowing.
  • The way it is set-up now, working full-time, it will take twice as long for me to graduate. If I didn't work, I would finish in one year. If I worked full-time for two years, and then worked part-time for one year, I would finish my classes in three years. If I worked full-time straight through, it would take me four years to finish pre-reqs.
  • I would like to get CNA or EMT certification to get more hands-on experience, but working full-time and taking classes, I will not have time to do that.
If it was up to you, what would you choose to do? I'd also like to mention that since I started working in May, I am not in the position to ask for part-time employment until atleast 2 years. They made it clear that training for the position I have is very costly, so there is no way I am requesting part-time employment before then. It's really all or nothing... And if nothing, then I'll have to find another part-time job... one with benefits not quite as great.

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do you have enough money saved up for 1 year+ worth of tuition + living costs (including health insurance) if you were to quit your job?
 
The reality is that you will be in school for many years- and the concept of free tuition sounds wonderful. Especially as I opened my lovely 'total debt' notice the other day. :scared:

You don't say what you have been doing to date/if you already have a degree. Schools will want to see a longer-term commitment if you are coming from another career. They want to know that medicine is not simply the flavor of the week, and can at times be pretty hard on non-trads making a switch. The extra time can be beneficial in that respect.

What about volunteering with an ED/hospital on the weekends? That is what I did while working FT + PT, taking 9 credits, and raising a family-- were there weeks I really didn't want to go? Absolutely- I was so interested in what was going on, but exhausted with all the plates I was juggling.

Why CNA/EMT? You could get experience in other ways- and if you are already working for a School of Medicine in some capacity, there may be other doors that will open to you. Also, this is not the same as shadowing a physician or volunteering where you can observe physicians. Just something to think about. Some schools will love it, others may say why not be a CNA/EMT vs. going to medical school?

I also didn't see how you plan to address the MCAT? What is your plan for studying/taking the exam? Just something else to think about, as it is just as important as the grades.

I hope the feedback helps--- good luck and keep us updated!
 
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do you have enough money saved up for 1 year+ worth of tuition + living costs (including health insurance) if you were to quit your job?

I would have to get loans for sure. I definitely do not have enough to get through a full course-load in a year + living expenses. Working part-time would be reasonable though.
 
Hi, thank you for the insight! I graduated in 2008 with a BA in psychology, I was in City Year (AmeriCorps) for one year, and then I was an AmeriCorps VISTA at a county health department another year. During that time I also volunteered at a hospital L&D and at a free clinic each week (~95 hrs total).

I am currently in the process of looking for volunteer opportunities on weekends, but it has been more difficult than expected. I'll keep trying though. Any suggestions as to how I should go about doing this? Would you suggest I just focus on my studies this first year I am adjusting to full-time work, since I volunteered until earlier this year? Sorry if I sound silly asking this, but what is an ED? Emergency Dept?

I plan to take an MCAT course at Wash U as part of my post-bacc curriculum. I am reserving 2-3 semesters for prep and will be taking the MCAT sometime in the Spring, hopefully in April. I'll reserve June for the MCAT if I decide a retake is necessary.



The reality is that you will be in school for many years- and the concept of free tuition sounds wonderful. Especially as I opened my lovely 'total debt' notice the other day. :scared:

You don't say what you have been doing to date/if you already have a degree. Schools will want to see a longer-term commitment if you are coming from another career. They want to know that medicine is not simply the flavor of the week, and can at times be pretty hard on non-trads making a switch. The extra time can be beneficial in that respect.

What about volunteering with an ED/hospital on the weekends? That is what I did while working FT + PT, taking 9 credits, and raising a family-- were there weeks I really didn't want to go? Absolutely- I was so interested in what was going on, but exhausted with all the plates I was juggling.

Why CNA/EMT? You could get experience in other ways- and if you are already working for a School of Medicine in some capacity, there may be other doors that will open to you. Also, this is not the same as shadowing a physician or volunteering where you can observe physicians. Just something to think about. Some schools will love it, others may say why not be a CNA/EMT vs. going to medical school?

I also didn't see how you plan to address the MCAT? What is your plan for studying/taking the exam? Just something else to think about, as it is just as important as the grades.

I hope the feedback helps--- good luck and keep us updated!
 
An EMT course is a breeze. I completed mine in one semester while working 60+ hours a week. The material you cover is interesting which makes studying easy, whereas studying for a class like statistics can be absolutely brutal if you can't find something interesting in it.

As other posters mentioned above, you might be able to get better PT interaction by volunteering at your place of employment. Furthermore most EMS companies won't want to invest the time training you and breaking you in if you are not going to work full time, which I'm assuming you couldn't swing on top of your current job and classes.
 
Thank you for the input! Today I actually picked up an application to volunteer at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Hopefully we will be able to work together to find a time or two each week I can volunteer! :xf:


An EMT course is a breeze. I completed mine in one semester while working 60+ hours a week. The material you cover is interesting which makes studying easy, whereas studying for a class like statistics can be absolutely brutal if you can't find something interesting in it.

As other posters mentioned above, you might be able to get better PT interaction by volunteering at your place of employment. Furthermore most EMS companies won't want to invest the time training you and breaking you in if you are not going to work full time, which I'm assuming you couldn't swing on top of your current job and classes.
 
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