Post-Bach + Work=?

[Sundarban1]

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Does anyone have insight about working ft/pt while in a post bach program?
Advatage/disadvantage?

Explain yourself!

 

[titoincali]

Are you talking about a formal or informal post-bacc?? I am doing my post-bacc by taking 2-3 classes each term at the local university while working full time. It's doable but not easy. It also helps that I have a position that supports my taking classes. I'm not so sure it's easy to do a formal post-bacc program while working. My friend is doing the Davis program and she definitely doesn't have time to work.

 

[wendywellesley]

it all depends how many classes you are taking and what kind of job it is. i'm working part time in a research lab and taking 2 classes. it's totally doable and not that hard because the classes are pretty easy. i would suggest your work be related to health or research. if you are going to sacrifice some study time to make money, you might as well do something that will help you out in the long run.

that's what i think.

 

[PthaloKitty]

I am starting informal post-bacc in January. Any tips on getting a health/research job? Is it difficult to get a paying position without prior medical experience?

 

[Sundarban1]

Are you talking about a formal or informal post-bacc?? I am doing my post-bacc by taking 2-3 classes each term at the local university while working full time. It's doable but not easy. It also helps that I have a position that supports my taking classes. I'm not so sure it's easy to do a formal post-bacc program while working. My friend is doing the Davis program and she definitely doesn't have time to work.

I was talking about formal post bach. I am a research coordinator now, not sure how a part time job in the same position will go with a post bach program. Well see...
Thanks!

 

[jewell]

Are you talking about a formal or informal post-bacc?? I am doing my post-bacc by taking 2-3 classes each term at the local university while working full time. It's doable but not easy. It also helps that I have a position that supports my taking classes. I'm not so sure it's easy to do a formal post-bacc program while working. My friend is doing the Davis program and she definitely doesn't have time to work.

Titoincali, how are you paying for your classes? Are you getting financial aid. I'm just wondering b/c I have a degree and need to take the prereqs.

 

[cammy1313]

Does anyone have insight about working ft/pt while in a post bach program?
Advatage/disadvantage?

Explain yourself!

I just completed the BU post-bac (Master's) program and chose to just live off of loans. Those students that did take on a job while in the program struggled A LOT. In fact, the faculty there strongly discourages students from working during the program. This makes sense to me because you are there to prove that you CAN be a successful med student. Why hurt your chances of doing your best to earn insignificant amounts of cash. If you're willing to plunge into serious debt for med school I say just suck it up and live off of loans for the post-bac also. But these are only my opinions 🙂

 

[sidewalkman]

I think there are two schools of thought on this depending on what type of program you're in. If you are in basic sciences post-bacc, where you're taking gen chem, physics, and an elective for example, you will have time on your hands to invest 10-15 hours a week or so in volunteering or research if you choose. You may even get free classes for working PT. OTOH, if you're in an SMP, cammy1313 is right - it's not worth the meager extra $$ to risk losing what will become the best way to show adcoms you can handle medical school.

As for getting a job, it depends on what you want. If you mean a volunteer job, that should be easy enough. If you need $$ in a hospital, though, you'll most likely need training, whether it be OJT or a course you take. It's relatively easy to get training for things like phlebotomy, EMT, OR tech, etc. and they pay decently. If you want a research job, just start contacting PIs that do research that interests you, and eventually you will find someone who will pay you to do it. Don't expect great pay if you go this route. One note for research: I have found overall that volunteering leads to far greater rewards than being paid.

 

[Sundarban1]

What is SMP?

 

[cammy1313]

What is SMP?

Special Master's Program

 

[Sundarban1]

Special Master's Program

Thank you! I'm in a Master's program now, and when I apply to a post bach, I will be hoping to just take the required courses I did not have as an undergrad. Just curious as to how "admissions" people view those who plan to work during that course.

Thanks again!

 

[joy77]

Thank you! I'm in a Master's program now, and when I apply to a post bach, I will be hoping to just take the required courses I did not have as an undergrad. Just curious as to how "admissions" people view those who plan to work during that course.

Thanks again!

I think that the job would be looked upon favorably if you can still make good grades in your courses. That said, if you do poorly in the post-bac classes, I have a feeling that no amount of work experience can offset low post-bac grades.

Because of this, I chose to work part-time in a position where my boss understood that (although I was committed to doing a good job), my top priority was doing well in my courses and getting into med school.

 

[titoincali]

Titoincali, how are you paying for your classes? Are you getting financial aid. I'm just wondering b/c I have a degree and need to take the prereqs.

Actually, my work is paying for my classes. They pay for employees that are in a degree program that have been working with them for more than a year and I signed up as a "second-bacc" so that I could officially be in a degree-seeking program. Of course, I had to get it approved by my supervisor and it's all continigent on the work getting done but it's been working for the past 2 years. I still pay for books but it is definitely a load off not to have to pay for classes, especially with all the tuition increases!

 

[blankguy]

Work in a related field is a bonus. Just a matter of managing your time right.

 

[jules0328]

Yeah, it definitely depends on how many classes you are taking. I am in a formal post bacc right now and I am taking bio, chem and physics all with labs and I have a hard time balancing all the work. The labs alone are major work for that measely 1 credit they give you. Its like taking 6 classes.

If you take 2 classes you should be fine and work PT. I think that working full time and taking 2 classes is a lot when you figure that these classes meet once or twice a week per class, so you are probably going to school monday through thursday straight from your full time job in the morning. Besides the weekends, where will you have time to study during the day for your class at night?

Unless you dont take a lab, then your chances of being able to study during the day are better. And if you can study at your day job then thats a plus. But being a research coordinator (as the op said), that may not be a possibility, you seem like you have a lot of things on your plate being coordinator and all!

Pace yourself is all that I can say!

 

[Sundarban1]

Yeah, it definitely depends on how many classes you are taking. I am in a formal post bacc right now and I am taking bio, chem and physics all with labs and I have a hard time balancing all the work. The labs alone are major work for that measely 1 credit they give you. Its like taking 6 classes.

If you take 2 classes you should be fine and work PT. I think that working full time and taking 2 classes is a lot when you figure that these classes meet once or twice a week per class, so you are probably going to school monday through thursday straight from your full time job in the morning. Besides the weekends, where will you have time to study during the day for your class at night?

Unless you dont take a lab, then your chances of being able to study during the day are better. And if you can study at your day job then thats a plus. But being a research coordinator (as the op said), that may not be a possibility, you seem like you have a lot of things on your plate being coordinator and all!

Pace yourself is all that I can say!

Jules- Thanks for your responses. You sound like your in a similar situation to me in terms of work/goals. Look me up on AIM when you have a sec, it would be interesting to chat!

 

[jules0328]

Jules- Thanks for your responses. You sound like your in a similar situation to me in terms of work/goals. Look me up on AIM when you have a sec, it would be interesting to chat!

Hi, I added you to my AOL buddy list so I will look for you when you are online. I would like to chat as well.

This past summer I did bio I and chem I at a CC and it was a disaster, as far as balancing work and school. I would wake up at 6am, go to work until 4pm and commute an hour sometimes an hour in a half to school and pray there would not be too much traffic ( I am in NY so things are complicated when it comes to jobs and school). I managed to pull a B+ in Bio and a B in chem. I decided to retake these in my formal post bacc program at a 4 year institution and I am learning things there that we never covered at CC.

Anyway, not to get away from my point. Although summer classes do not compare with taking semester classes, it will still be difficult for you to balance two classes and take the labs simulatenously. Its not an easy task, yes, it can be done but with tons of sacrifice. And you must realize that weekends will sometimes just not be enough for you to cover things.

Look me up too on IM, juliana0328. I would be more than happy to discuss.

 

[r_salis]

If you can do it, *don't* work when you're in school -- unless you have a really flexible job. Like one of the other posters said, if you do great in your classes it'll look great that you're working, but you can't erase poor grades.

 

[dliptzin]

Umm...yeah, good luck with that. I tutored an hour a week. I could have squeezed in MAYBE 10 hours of work a week if I had other kids to tutor. Your grades may suffer. You will be taking out loans for med school, anyway, and if your grades aren't good enough, you may not get into med school. I have friends who did their postbaccs taking one class at a time while working full time and were not very successful. I can't imagine working even part time while doing a full postbacc program. It's possible, but you would probably have no time outside of work, school, and homework. Good luck!!!!

I was talking about formal post bach. I am a research coordinator now, not sure how a part time job in the same position will go with a post bach program. Well see...
Thanks!

 

[sstache1]

I work full time clinical research and take post-bach classes. This semester I am taking 1 class, while working, which is totally do-able. next semester I am going to take to classes, which I still think is do-able. If you were going to take 3 or more classes, working full-time would make things difficult in my opinion. Of course, like some others that have posted here, my job allows me to easily fit in a few classes a week. Basically, I think if you feel it is necessary to work and take classes, you'll find time to do well at both.

 

[jintonic5]

is there any preference given to certain jobs? would clinical research stack up better compared to OR tech or EMT? or vice versa?

 

[sidewalkman]

You mean preference as in med school admissions? I don't really think so. I think a good job in our situation is one that you can passionately participate in and easily discuss in essays and interviews. And that gives you money. 😀

 

[ecoffin]

I work full-time+ as a computer programmer and am enrolled in a post-bacc program. I am taking two classes a semester, and have started an 8 hour Princeton Review MCAT class on Sundays that goes through April. I am doing well, but it is very hard.

Here are the issues:

1. I almost am never able to make office hours, and have to figure out a lot on my own -- especially if the professors are unresponsive to email (they usually are). This is a disadvantage, because all our professors must fill out recommendations for us, and (as far as I know) my professors probably have no idea who I am.

2. I have no life. At all. I basically don't go out, I can never have more than one or two drinks (if that) when I am "relaxing" (in quotes, because I won't be relaxed again until finals are over), because I need to do work afterwards, or be up in the morning. I study Friday nights, I study all day Saturday. On Sundays, I have an MCAT class. I study before and after that. Most weeknights I am in class. I get up at 6:30 AM (even on weekends) to study before work/class/my boyfriend wakes up. This doesn't bother me that much, because a) I enjoy the material, and b) semesters go by quickly, but some people may have a harder time. I find it hard to socialize, because I am stressed out about studying all the time, and the only good stories I have to relate are about, say, the citric acid cycle. One woman who has a similar schedule says she sees me more often than her husband.

3. Scheduling is a pain in the butt. Every semester is torture trying to find classes that will fit, because I have to schedule around work -- evening classes, early morning, even lunchtime.

4. But, I am really, really lucky. My boyfriend (who I live with) is extremely supportive, and very proud of me. He does most of the cleaning, all of the laundry and all of the cooking. I don't know how I would do it without him. As an added bonus, he puts up with a LOT of my being cranky and stressed out a lot of the time.

5. I HAVE to keep up. If I fall behind, even a little, I am completely screwed. There is no way I can make up the time. There just aren't enough hours in the day. Here again, I am lucky, I can absorb material pretty quickly, and I can often improvise for the rest with good deductive skills (an advantage of computer programming for so long).

6. Volunteer work. Yeah right. I am part of New York Cares, and do volunteer work between semesters. I am hoping to ride partly on all the volunteer work I did before I became a pre-med (I was heavily involved in September 11th recovery work). This is obviously NOT the recommended route. Hopefully next semester (with "just" Orgo II lecture and Orgo I & Orgo II labs) I can kick this up.

I didn't have a choice when I started out, because we were being sued (which is massively expensive, if you've never experienced it), and were bleeding about $10-$15k/year to pay our lawyer. When I tried to quit, I got lucky again, the people I work for doubled my salary, which basically means I can save enough each year I'm here, to pay for about 1.5 years of medical school. They also agreed to be tolerant of my schedule. IMO, it is totally worth it, not to have the loans.

I also started out taking only Biology 1, and that was completely doable. If you're concerned, start out with only one class, and see how it goes.

So, I would look at your situation this way:
1. How much flexibility do you have in your job?
2. How solid is your family/friends support network?
3. Can you afford not to work?
4. How flexible is the schedule at the school you plan to go to?
5. What kind of person are you? Are you good at keeping up or are you a crammer? Are you well-organized? Do you enjoy studying? Can you enjoy studying?
6. Do you need a lot of R&R?

Hope that helps,
Erica

 

[jintonic5]

I work full-time+ as a computer programmer and am enrolled in a post-bacc program. I am taking two classes a semester, and have started an 8 hour Princeton Review MCAT class on Sundays that goes through April. I am doing well, but it is very hard.

Here are the issues:

1. I almost am never able to make office hours, and have to figure out a lot on my own -- especially if the professors are unresponsive to email (they usually are). This is a disadvantage, because all our professors must fill out recommendations for us, and (as far as I know) my professors probably have no idea who I am.

2. I have no life. At all. I basically don't go out, I can never have more than one or two drinks (if that) when I am "relaxing" (in quotes, because I won't be relaxed again until finals are over), because I need to do work afterwards, or be up in the morning. I study Friday nights, I study all day Saturday. On Sundays, I have an MCAT class. I study before and after that. Most weeknights I am in class. I get up at 6:30 AM (even on weekends) to study before work/class/my boyfriend wakes up. This doesn't bother me that much, because a) I enjoy the material, and b) semesters go by quickly, but some people may have a harder time. I find it hard to socialize, because I am stressed out about studying all the time, and the only good stories I have to relate are about, say, the citric acid cycle. One woman who has a similar schedule says she sees me more often than her husband.

3. Scheduling is a pain in the butt. Every semester is torture trying to find classes that will fit, because I have to schedule around work -- evening classes, early morning, even lunchtime.

4. But, I am really, really lucky. My boyfriend (who I live with) is extremely supportive, and very proud of me. He does most of the cleaning, all of the laundry and all of the cooking. I don't know how I would do it without him. As an added bonus, he puts up with a LOT of my being cranky and stressed out a lot of the time.

5. I HAVE to keep up. If I fall behind, even a little, I am completely screwed. There is no way I can make up the time. There just aren't enough hours in the day. Here again, I am lucky, I can absorb material pretty quickly, and I can often improvise for the rest with good deductive skills (an advantage of computer programming for so long).

6. Volunteer work. Yeah right. I am part of New York Cares, and do volunteer work between semesters. I am hoping to ride partly on all the volunteer work I did before I became a pre-med (I was heavily involved in September 11th recovery work). This is obviously NOT the recommended route. Hopefully next semester (with "just" Orgo II lecture and Orgo I & Orgo II labs) I can kick this up.

I didn't have a choice when I started out, because we were being sued (which is massively expensive, if you've never experienced it), and were bleeding about $10-$15k/year to pay our lawyer. When I tried to quit, I got lucky again, the people I work for doubled my salary, which basically means I can save enough each year I'm here, to pay for about 1.5 years of medical school. They also agreed to be tolerant of my schedule. IMO, it is totally worth it, not to have the loans.

I also started out taking only Biology 1, and that was completely doable. If you're concerned, start out with only one class, and see how it goes.

So, I would look at your situation this way:
1. How much flexibility do you have in your job?
2. How solid is your family/friends support network?
3. Can you afford not to work?
4. How flexible is the schedule at the school you plan to go to?
5. What kind of person are you? Are you good at keeping up or are you a crammer? Are you well-organized? Do you enjoy studying? Can you enjoy studying?
6. Do you need a lot of R&R?

Hope that helps,
Erica

wow great post erica! i'm inspired by your drive and efficiency! how much sleep do you get? do you have time for exercise? i'm someone who needs to be careful with their health, so it's scary to think of a life with less than 7-8 hours of sleep a nite.

 

[ecoffin]

wow great post erica! i'm inspired by your drive and efficiency! how much sleep do you get? do you have time for exercise? i'm someone who needs to be careful with their health, so it's scary to think of a life with less than 7-8 hours of sleep a nite.

Yes, sleep is a HUGE priority for me (and a major concern about med school/residency). I'm not 19 anymore. I generally get 7-8 hours a night. My productivity decreases massively when I get tired, so it's not worth it to me to take 30 minutes trying to work out something that would take me 5 minutes to figure out in the morning. Sometimes it decreases around exam time, but not by much.

The gym is a problem. I'm a big gym person (I want to get certified to teach step after my doctor lets me back), but right now I'm down to about once a week for 20 minutes, which is just not cool. Fortunately (or something), I'm in physical therapy twice a week, so I get a lot of leg work there. Early in the semester, it's not as big a deal, and I can make it more often -- it wasn't until the end of October when I started to really get buried, and I have only another 3-4 weeks to go. On the plus side, I'm a hell of a lot more motivated when I do get to the gym, because I'm so damn happy to have made it.

Also, I promise I'm not nearly as efficient as I sound, I'm just going along by the seat of my pants (actually, it feels more like I'm being dragged along by them).

There was a similar thread on the post-bacc mailing list at my school, and I just went back through it. Here's the summary: most people seemed to think 1 class per semester while working is completely workable, you're better off if you can be creative with labs (take them separately from the classes, ie, over the summer or whatever) and many people thought 2 classes was very challenging, and their work/social life suffered for it. Also, you won't have much time to work with other students, nevermind professors.

Erica

 

[N1DERL&]

👍 👍 wow erica! keep up the good work! alright, no more complaining for me after seeing your schedule!! 😀

 

[sidewalkman]

Great post, Erica! 👍