Pre-med: Job as Residency Coordinator?

[2015istheYear]

Hi SDN! Am looking for some of your sage wisdom and advice here please.

I'm a non-trad pre-med (2nd bachelor's) student, getting ready to take the MCAT and apply to med school this June. I was just offered a job as a surgical residency coordinator from the hospital I have been a volunteer at for the past few years. This is pretty awesome in many ways, as I have been working as a restaurant manager for several years (I am not sure of the schedule, pay, really any details, as I just got this call today from my supervisor). It MAY not even be do-able for me because of my class schedule over the next year. But anyway, I am hoping some of you with know-how of the med school application process and such could tell me...

Would this position and the experience it offers make me a better candidate for medical school? Is anyone aware of the time investment this job typically requires (ex. 9-5 or odd hours, full-time/part-time)?

Thanks for your time-- it is much appreciated.

PS-- I was told it would be wise to tag you:
@Goro @LizzyM (thanks)

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[GomersGoToGround]

You could scare the living crap out of 3rd and 4th year student interviewers, forcing them to rate you very highly during your interview. /just kidding.

 

[2015istheYear]

You could scare the living crap out of 3rd and 4th year student interviewers, forcing them to rate you very highly during your interview. /just kidding.

LOL.. well that's one perk. But I'm like seriously looking for advice. I never even thought about doing something like this, and then it was presented to me. My volunteer supervisor said the chair of surgery has been on his ass to get another coordinator after the last one started med school this fall... and he said he immediately thought of me. I have been in a leadership role within the volunteer department for a couple years, training new volunteers, leading orientation, implementing new procedures, working as liaison with departments, etc.

 

[DrBowtie]

LOL.. well that's one perk. But I'm like seriously looking for advice. I never even thought about doing something like this, and then it was presented to me. My volunteer supervisor said the chair of surgery has been on his ass to get another coordinator after the last one started med school this fall... and he said he immediately thought of me. I have been in a leadership role within the volunteer department for a couple years, training new volunteers, leading orientation, implementing new procedures, working as liaison with departments, etc.

Kinda surprised they would offer someone that they knew would be leaving soonish. It takes awhile to get up to snuff with all the ACGME regs.

 

[2015istheYear]

I was surprised myself. But I am pretty awesome so.... 😛
Well I know the last one was a volunteer who they knew would only be there for about a year. If i started next month, I would be there until med school starts in fall 2016, so I guess that's a year and a half. As long as I get accepted that is....

Would this position and the experience it offers make me a better candidate for medical school? Is anyone aware of the time investment this job typically requires (ex. 9-5 or odd hours, full-time/part-time)?

 

[2015istheYear]

?

 

[625233]

Go for it

 

[bigloley]

doesnt seem to be a downside. take it

 

[BuffPremed]

If you can handle the job AND continue to ace your classes, why not? Plenty of clinical exposure and you could meet some docs that'll let you shadow on your off time.

 

[Hospitalized]

You were offered a job but they didn't tell you the time commitment? Odd.

But do it.

 

[2015istheYear]

Thanks for the replies. I'll tell you when I get more information. It was kind of a casual phone call from my supervisor. He said we would talk more on Monday and he would put me in touch with the person who last had the job so I can hear about it from her. If the schedule still permits me being able to take 2 upper level bio classes the next 3 semesters (I have 6 bio classes left) before starting med school fall '16, I would do it in a heartbeat.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Surgical residency programs tend to be small and the PC tend to act as a "surrogate mom". In every case I'm familiar with, this is a full time job that includes being up to speed on ACGME/RRC requirements, assisting with NRMP/ERAS applications (and applicants OMG the applicants), and then any issues the residents might have. That might mean their electricity got turned off - how do they get it reinstated; a problem with a faculty member; a parent has died and they need emotional support as well as a change in the call schedule, etc.

With very large programs, the PC is really more of an administrative person, but in smaller surgery programs they can be much more. The PC from my program had been there for nearly 30 years and was well loved. To be honest, I cannot imagine a PC coming in and working for such a short period of time; there's a lot to learn about regulations and reporting that it seems like a lot of work to train someone who will be leaving shortly.

There is a residency PC who posts in the ERAS forum, you might wish to ask her what the job entails. I cannot imagine it being part time especially during interview season (essentially September - Feb).

 

[Winged Scapula]

If you can handle the job AND continue to ace your classes, why not? Plenty of clinical exposure and you could meet some docs that'll let you shadow on your off time.

A residency coordinator is an administrative position without any clinical duties.

 

[Catalystik]

I was surprised myself. But I am pretty awesome so.... 😛
Well I know the last one was a volunteer who they knew would only be there for about a year. If i started next month, I would be there until med school starts in fall 2016, so I guess that's a year and a half. As long as I get accepted that is....

Would this position and the experience it offers make me a better candidate for medical school? Is anyone aware of the time investment this job typically requires (ex. 9-5 or odd hours, full-time/part-time)?

The one I know well works 9-5, but from what I know of her role, it should be amenable to more flexible hours if the boss would support it.

 

[LizzyM]

It is an administrative job. It might be more relevant than a job as a restaurant manager but it isn't going to impress the adcom folks I know. We wouldn't consider it a stepping stone to med school, in other words.

 

[mimelim]

+1 to everything @SouthernSurgeon and @Winged Scapula have said.

 

[Winged Scapula]

@SouthernSurgeon has a good point about off duty hours. Our PC comes in for weekend interviews, nighttime pre-interview dinners and is always available by phone, text, email or Facebook if we needed to reach her.

 

[2015istheYear]

This is very helpful information. First of all, it really helps to know I have people from the health care community to give advice, so thank you so much.

It sounds like a job that I would enjoy very much actually. But with my focus being going to med school, I may not have enough of "me" to give. But I'm jumping to conclusions until I find out more from the hospital. Perhaps it's more of a part-time assistant to the program director or something. I'll reply when I find out more.

In terms of the job and helping me be a better medical school candidate, I do agree with a PM I got from @GomersGoToGround advising me that being chosen for a management position in something as important as residency coordination, not to mention establishing relationships with the chief of surgery (who happens to be legendary in our city...), is a major plus in the application process. It is definitely more impressive than managing a restaurant or sticking with the volunteer-y leadership I have already accumulated 400+ hours doing.

 

[2015istheYear]

Also...how the f*** has a program been without a PC for the past six months?

All I can think is...that poor program director...

Maybe this is an assistant coordinator job?

Wow, we do think alike... I just posted that sentiment at exactly the same time as you!

 

[2015istheYear]

 

[2015istheYear]

Just to clarify some terms for you in case you aren't aware...

"Chief of Surgery" = Department Chair. Director of the department of surgery.
"Program director/PD" = Attending physician, who is the director of a residency program. Must have a minimum of 5 years experience as an associate program director in order to be eligible for this position. Answers to the department chair (*sometimes the dept chair will also take on the PD responsibilities, but this is less common these days as there are a lot of requirements from the ACGME for the PD to handle).
"Program coordinator/PC" = Administrative position, not an MD.

Many program coordinators will have a staff of 2-4 people working under them, especially at larger institutions (for instance our program coordinator is the program coordinator for plastic surgery, general surgery, and our fellowship programs). So that's why I asked if this might actually be for one of those underling positions.

I would be fine with an "assistant" type position, actually preferable at this point.

I obviously do not know the details, but my supervisor told me this would be working for the Chairman of the Department of surgery, who needs someone to "coordinate the surgical residency program". This Dr. has been the chair since 1997 and pretty much runs the whole show. I think he is actually the surgical residency program director as well.

 

[BuffPremed]

A residency coordinator is an administrative position without any clinical duties.

Oh damn my bad.

 

[ridethecliche]

I would say that you should totally do it. Use the connections you make there to see if you can shadow some of the providers and watch cases in the OR. The surgeons in my department would be psyched if any of the admins wanted to come and watch a case.

My first job out of college was a residency/fellow education coordinator position. While it had some minor clinical parts what the position gave me was the knowledge of how hard training is for providers and how hard everyone from med students to attendings work to get good at what they do. Most of my friends doing research didn't have any such insight.

Additionally, hospital systems like to hire from their own ranks, so it's feasible that your next position could be much more clinical in nature should you choose to pursue it. i.e. research coordinator or such.

I think my time away served me well and I certainly had a lot to talk about at interviews due to those experiences.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I am going to keep posting in this thread because @emontina 's avatar is one of my favorite kitten pictures evar.

 

[2015istheYear]

Hey everyone, just wanted to drop a quick message because all of you were very helpful during the time when I was considering the residency coordinator job. I ended up not taking the offer to interview because, as many of you suggested, it was very time-demanding and not possible for me to continue with pre-med courses. It was very nice to be offered the position, and my volunteer coordinator still talked about it in his LOR. Anyway, thanks again and best wishes to all.