Quit Clinical Position?

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newolduser

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Hey everyone!

Background: I'm a non-trad and I need to work full time to support my family, so I've been trying to get clinical hours in any way possible, but it's starting to wear on me. I'm currently working 40 hours a week on COVID-19 as an Epidemiologist and taking 5 classes (14 credits total - 2 are 1 credit lab classes).

In addition to the above, I work 12 hours a week in a clinical overnight position to get more recent clinical hours. I'm not in need of the clinical hours (I had 2200+, both at home and abroad, before starting this position), but I did need the recent clinical hours (last set of clinical hours ended in 2015). I went into this application cycle preparing to reapply, which is why I applied for this position. I actually really love the job - it's sitting with the same patient for 12 hours making sure they aren't a danger to themselves or others. It's at an FQHC, so the exposure to this patient population also offers lots of insights into the level of care some people receive. Even though I've only worked 10 shifts thus far, I've actually taken away a lot from those shifts. I know in residency that I need to be able to stay awake for long stretches of time, but tbh, my mental health is suffering a bit from my schedule being all over the place at the moment.

I started this job in December. How would it look to AdComs to quit so soon into it? My other experiences prove I'm not a quitter, and my grades aren't suffering (high As in all classes thus far this semester). Should I stick it out until August, when I start a second Bachelor's program? I'm planning to reapply during the 2022-2023 application cycle to give myself the best shot of success this time.

Thanks in advance for the advice!

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Hey everyone!

Background: I'm a non-trad and I need to work full time to support my family, so I've been trying to get clinical hours in any way possible, but it's starting to wear on me. I'm currently working 40 hours a week on COVID-19 as an Epidemiologist and taking 5 classes (14 credits total - 2 are 1 credit lab classes).

In addition to the above, I work 12 hours a week in a clinical overnight position to get more recent clinical hours. I'm not in need of the clinical hours (I had 2200+, both at home and abroad, before starting this position), but I did need the recent clinical hours (last set of clinical hours ended in 2015). I went into this application cycle preparing to reapply, which is why I applied for this position. I actually really love the job - it's sitting with the same patient for 12 hours making sure they aren't a danger to themselves or others. It's at an FQHC, so the exposure to this patient population also offers lots of insights into the level of care some people receive. Even though I've only worked 10 shifts thus far, I've actually taken away a lot from those shifts. I know in residency that I need to be able to stay awake for long stretches of time, but tbh, my mental health is suffering a bit from my schedule being all over the place at the moment.

I started this job in December. How would it look to AdComs to quit so soon into it? My other experiences prove I'm not a quitter, and my grades aren't suffering (high As in all classes thus far this semester). Should I stick it out until August, when I start a second Bachelor's program? I'm planning to reapply during the 2022-2023 application cycle to give myself the best shot of success this time.

Thanks in advance for the advice!
Working 40 hours a week, taking five classes including two labs, and then working an overnight shift once a week and presumably being up for 36 hours straight is definitely too much. The workload in some residencies is maybe this much (I doubt it though) but no one expects you to do that as a premed, especially not when you have a family and you're about to apply. Have you taken the MCAT yet? Also I'm confused, you said that you are preparing to apply the cycle, but now you're starting a second bachelors in August?
 
Hey everyone!

Background: I'm a non-trad and I need to work full time to support my family, so I've been trying to get clinical hours in any way possible, but it's starting to wear on me. I'm currently working 40 hours a week on COVID-19 as an Epidemiologist and taking 5 classes (14 credits total - 2 are 1 credit lab classes).

In addition to the above, I work 12 hours a week in a clinical overnight position to get more recent clinical hours. I'm not in need of the clinical hours (I had 2200+, both at home and abroad, before starting this position), but I did need the recent clinical hours (last set of clinical hours ended in 2015). I went into this application cycle preparing to reapply, which is why I applied for this position. I actually really love the job - it's sitting with the same patient for 12 hours making sure they aren't a danger to themselves or others. It's at an FQHC, so the exposure to this patient population also offers lots of insights into the level of care some people receive. Even though I've only worked 10 shifts thus far, I've actually taken away a lot from those shifts. I know in residency that I need to be able to stay awake for long stretches of time, but tbh, my mental health is suffering a bit from my schedule being all over the place at the moment.

I started this job in December. How would it look to AdComs to quit so soon into it? My other experiences prove I'm not a quitter, and my grades aren't suffering (high As in all classes thus far this semester). Should I stick it out until August, when I start a second Bachelor's program? I'm planning to reapply during the 2022-2023 application cycle to give myself the best shot of success this time.

Thanks in advance for the advice!
Just saw your signature. Your LizzyM seems low to be worrying about all these ECs. Especially as a nontraditional applicant, you really need to focus on getting as close to a 4.0 as you can. Adcoms love to see that you have a passion for working with underserved populations and making connections with people, which it sounds like you do at your overnight job. But, first they have to know that you can academically handle medical school. That is why MCAT and GPA are said to get you in the door.

Oh, you absolutely have to have shadowing before you apply, and really as soon as possible. To be honest, you should do shadowing as one of your first ECs because if you shadow 4 to 5 different specialties and realize you don't even want to be a doctor, but have already done all this work, that is going to be a major bummer.
 
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Working 40 hours a week, taking five classes including two labs, and then working an overnight shift once a week and presumably being up for 36 hours straight is definitely too much. The workload in some residencies is maybe this much (I doubt it though) but no one expects you to do that as a premed, especially not when you have a family and you're about to apply. Have you taken the MCAT yet? Also I'm confused, you said that you are preparing to apply the cycle, but now you're starting a second bachelors in August?
When you put it like that, yeah it does sound like a lot. I forgot to mention I work 4-10s as opposed to the usual 40 hours over 5 days, which gives me a bit of extra time for the other stuff. The classes aren't too bad - during the (little) downtime I get during the workday, I work on classwork. I'm usually up for no more than ~26 hours straight.

My work will pay for classes, but only if taken towards a degree program. Hence - the second Bachelors. I wanted to take some more in-depth Biochem classes, and it would be nice to get them for "free" rather than pay out of pocket. I don't actually have to graduate, just be working towards a degree. The plus side is, the school I applied to offers free MCAT classes for students.

I'm a current applicant but basically got the last of my Rs last week, so I'm skipping a cycle (the one that opens this May/June), and applying next year. I plan to retake the MCAT around March 2022.

I hope those clarifications help!
 
When you put it like that, yeah it does sound like a lot. I forgot to mention I work 4-10s as opposed to the usual 40 hours over 5 days, which gives me a bit of extra time for the other stuff. The classes aren't too bad - during the (little) downtime I get during the workday, I work on classwork. I'm usually up for no more than ~26 hours straight.

My work will pay for classes, but only if taken towards a degree program. Hence - the second Bachelors. I wanted to take some more in-depth Biochem classes, and it would be nice to get them for "free" rather than pay out of pocket. I don't actually have to graduate, just be working towards a degree. The plus side is, the school I applied to offers free MCAT classes for students.

I'm a current applicant but basically got the last of my Rs last week, so I'm skipping a cycle (the one that opens this May/June), and applying next year. I plan to retake the MCAT around March 2022.

I hope those clarifications help!
That definitely makes a lot of sense. What is your current MCAT and GPA if you don't mind me asking? Taking off a cycle definitely sounds like a good plan, it can be really hard to to directly reapply and have a substantially different application.
 
That definitely makes a lot of sense. What is your current MCAT and GPA if you don't mind me asking? Taking off a cycle definitely sounds like a good plan, it can be really hard to to directly reapply and have a substantially different application.
Thanks! Yeah - so I applied with a undergrad GPA of 3.51 (PB was 3.64, but it's now at 3.72 after 14 credits of 4.0 last semester). My PB GPA is "low" because I tried a post-bacc in 2013, but still didn't have the best study habits. I've since discovered I have ADHD and really understanding that has made all the difference. If trends continue as they have the first part of this semester, by May I should have a uGPA of 3.57 and a PB sGPA of 3.77.

I haven't gotten anything below an A in any undergrad classes taken since 2018 (though I did get two A-s during my MPH). I actually have a habit of doing a lot (again, think it's a function of the now-named ADHD), since I worked full time and went to school full time the last semester of my MPH.

I got a 506 (125/128/125/128). I'm a naturally gifted test taker (and teach/tutor others on how to take standardized tests), so I know content is my weakest area, which is my reason for taking some upper-level Biochem classes in the Fall. I've downloaded Anki and found a couple of app that "gamify" the learning experience for me. I'm really leaning in to what I know about my learning style this time around, rather than trying to copy what has worked for others in the past. Also, I had a lot going on with reschedules and family deaths around my MCAT time (though that's not an excuse to not just cancel it).

I've tried to look for shadowing, but as someone in their early 30s with very few connections to docs, I figured my clinical job was my best bet to that exposure. Plus, COVID. I'm actually starting research in a wet lab in March (a function of one of those 1-credit classes), so I was thinking of quitting the clinical job around then.
 
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