Part-time job or research?

[jvnn]

I don't know what to do at this point. I'm heading into my Winter Quarter and I want to have a part-time job or have a research position at a lab. It would be lovely to work to help pay for tuition, but I feel like my resume would look much better with research. I couldn't find a hospital part-time job...closest I found to pre-med was autoclaving on campus. Maybe I'm not searching for jobs correctly? I'm using the school's site to find jobs so I think that's all that's available at this point. Should I take the part-time job or try to do research?

Thanks =D

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[justAstudent]

Hard to say without more info. Do you need the job to pay bills? If you do then the obvious choice would be to find a job. If no, I would try to find a research position to see if you like research and would like to pursue a MD/Phd of some sort in the future. As far as which one looks better on your application, both has its own merits. Many too ranked medical schools look for strong rrsearch backgrounds though.

 

[kyamh]

It is incredibly hard to find such a temporarily paid position (just for a quarter). If you want to actually find a job it takes a few months, many applications, and carefully constructed resumes and cover letters. No one wants to hire help for such a short amount of time for any position that requires skill, you would not be worth the effort to train since youwillleave soon after training. The same applies to working in a lab.

If you want a part time job, or a good lab position, you should find one you can keep throughout the year and for multiple years while in school.

 

[polyatomic]

Does your school offer any good paid positions? Throughout all my years at undergrad I was able to get paid for the hours I spent doing research on campus.

 

[MedMinded]

It is incredibly hard to find such a temporarily paid position (just for a quarter). If you want to actually find a job it takes a few months, many applications, and carefully constructed resumes and cover letters. No one wants to hire help for such a short amount of time for any position that requires skill, you would not be worth the effort to train since youwillleave soon after training. The same applies to working in a lab.

If you want a part time job, or a good lab position, you should find one you can keep throughout the year and for multiple years while in school.

100% agree.

I worked 2 different hospital jobs during undergrad, first as a patient sitter for 1 year and then as a care tech for 2 years. I applied to almost every hospital in the area and was constantly looking for new positions. Most hospitals have a job search page you can look through for positions you're qualified for. Check those regularly and apply broadly.

 

[jvnn]

All of you make valid points. The money would be nice to help pay for tuition and rent next year. I guess I could always do the autoclaving for work study since that is at least somewhat related to lab experience. I just don't have a stable transportation this year, so I'm looking for primarily on campus positions. I don't know of any paid research positions either, but I will ask friends and professors just to double check.

Also, maybe I should wait until Fall Quarter again to apply for a lab, that way I can stay for a whole year rather than 5 months. However, I think I'll still take a shot at researching. I'll apply to both and see what happens from there. Thank for the help!

 

[aspirantmed]

I don't know what to do at this point. I'm heading into my Winter Quarter and I want to have a part-time job or have a research position at a lab. It would be lovely to work to help pay for tuition, but I feel like my resume would look much better with research. I couldn't find a hospital part-time job...closest I found to pre-med was autoclaving on campus. Maybe I'm not searching for jobs correctly? I'm using the school's site to find jobs so I think that's all that's available at this point. Should I take the part-time job or try to do research?

Thanks =D

If you need the money, then I would recommend getting a job - maybe a paid research assistant position would suit your needs, though any type of employment can be a positive addition to an application if you can discuss well how it has enhanced your personal and professional goals.

If finances aren't as much of an issue, consider getting a lab position and asking if you can get research credit for the work. An A in a research course will do a lot for your science GPA, which eventually may pay dividends more than another line in the AMCAS activities section.

 

[papi89]

I would think the resume boost would be more valuable unless you really need the money.