Really screwed the pooch

[messeduppremed]

Hi SDN,

I'm currently an AmeriCorps VISTA for my gap year. I've been a really awful employee lately, generally phoning it in. I got a bad performance review, then the next day I accidentally fell asleep at my desk. My bosses pulled me in to scold me and told me that they are not sure if they want to fire me and they will discuss amongst themselves and make a decision sometime next week.

Assuming I do get fired I am wondering how to handle this on my medical school application. I have already done my secondaries and when they ask "What are you doing for the gap year?" I wrote down that I'm a VISTA - but unfortunately that might change in a week. I have 3 interviews scheduled so far as I am otherwise a decent candidate. I'm wondering:

1) What do I do if I get fired? Try to get a different job?

2) Do I have to email all the medical schools that I've been fired?

3) How do I handle this during interviews?

I am very fortunate that I am in good financial shape so I can spend the year volunteering if need be. I was thinking about trying to volunteer doing research with a local university or doing clinical volunteering at a local hospital and trying to spin it as "We parted ways so I could pursue activities more in line with my long term goal of medicine".

I'm really worried that I ****ed up my chances of getting admission.

PS: I know I was a really disrespectful and unprofessional employee. If I get fired I totally deserve it. You don't have to remind me.

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[Kpw101]

1) That decision is up to you. Find a new job, find a hobby, watch TV, volunteer.

2) No.

3) Be honest and be prepared to explain yourself. Worst case scenario is you don't tell them about being fired and they call a reference. In that case you'd really muck up your chances.

 

[messeduppremed]

3) Be honest and be prepared to explain yourself. Worst case scenario is you don't tell them about being fired and they call a reference. In that case you'd really muck up your chances.

Could you be more specific about this? As of right now I haven't actually put their contact information on any of my medical school applications, so I'm not sure how they would call this reference. I obviously have no intention of lying in the interview but as of right now I have no alternative lined up and my first interview is in 3 weeks. I'm worried about them asking "How is your gap year going" and me saying "Oh I worked at AmeriCorps but it didn't work out so now I'm asking around for jobs" because I'm worried that will almost certainly doom my chances.

 

[LizzyM]

"I worked for Americorps for x weeks but the assignment wasn't a good fit for me. Right now I am a part-time volunteer at ___ and I am also keeping busy with ___."

 

[messeduppremed]

"I worked for Americorps for x weeks but the assignment wasn't a good fit for me. Right now I am a part-time volunteer at ___ and I am also keeping busy with ___."

Yeah, I was thinking this is the best possible way to address it. I'm just wondering if, assuming I find a part time clinical volunteering or research job and keep busy with some paid employment (probably non-clinical), does this stand out as a huge red flag for admissions committees? Most people complete their year of service with no problem.

@LizzyM

 

[Goro]

"I worked for Americorps for x weeks but the assignment wasn't a good fit for me. Right now I am a part-time volunteer at ___ and I am also keeping busy with ___."

That is a silk purse from a sow's ear!!!!!!!

 

[LizzyM]

Yeah, I was thinking this is the best possible way to address it. I'm just wondering if, assuming I find a part time clinical volunteering or research job and keep busy with some paid employment (probably non-clinical), does this stand out as a huge red flag for admissions committees? Most people complete their year of service with no problem.

@LizzyM

Sometimes things just don't work out... it is understandable. No need to be completely frank (I hated it and fell asleep at my desk) and no need to make up a story that blames the other side.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

"I worked for Americorps for x weeks but the assignment wasn't a good fit for me. Right now I am a part-time volunteer at ___ and I am also keeping busy with ___."

That is a silk purse from a sow's ear!!!!!!!

Yes!

Only a fool would go in and say, "uh, I was a lousy and got canned."

That said, @messeduppremed , you need to do some self-reflection for personal growth. Why were you "a really awful employee"? Why weren't you giving the job 100% or something just short of that? Did you take on the EC just because you thought it would look good on a resume, but your heart was never in it? Or what? "Phoning it in" as a medical professional likely means mistakes will be made and people will die.

 

[messeduppremed]

That said, @messeduppremed , you need to do some self-reflection for personal growth. Why were you "a really awful employee"? Why weren't you giving the job 100% or something just short of that? Did you take on the EC just because you thought it would look good on a resume, but your heart was never in it? Or what? "Phoning it in" as a medical professional likely means mistakes will be made and people will die.

I think you're right, I took the job thinking that AmeriCorps would look good on a resume even though my program was never aligned with my professional goals. I just took the first VISTA program that I got because I was scrambling for a gap year job. The goal of my organization has nothing to do with medicine or even working with people (I basically just do office work in a basement all day, don't get to talk to anyone outside the building). My heart was never in it.

FWIW I have had other jobs before where I performed well and didn't phone it in. For example I was an excellent cashier at a dept store which I enjoyed because I got to interact with customers, even though I had no intention of moving up the ladder at that workplace.

I don't think I will ever phone it in as a doctor, mostly because there are very serious consequences towards actual people who are directly in front of me, and I don't think I could slack off when I know the consequences could cause harm to someone. Also I hope to make medicine a career, not just a stepping stone.

 

[Goro]

I think you're right, I took the job thinking that AmeriCorps would look good on a resume even though my program was never aligned with my professional goals. I just took the first VISTA program that I got because I was scrambling for a gap year job. The goal of my organization has nothing to do with medicine or even working with people (I basically just do office work in a basement all day, don't get to talk to anyone outside the building). My heart was never in it.

FWIW I have had other jobs before where I performed well and didn't phone it in. For example I was an excellent cashier at a dept store which I enjoyed because I got to interact with customers, even though I had no intention of moving up the ladder at that workplace.

I don't think I will ever phone it in as a doctor, mostly because there are very serious consequences towards actual people who are directly in front of me, and I don't think I could slack off when I know the consequences could cause harm to someone. Also I hope to make medicine a career, not just a stepping stone.

Here is a classic example of why you should never approach the medical school application process as checking boxes and simply doing things because you think it looks good on your CV.

As we see from this example it will simply come to bite you in the ass.

Do what you love and love what you do and we will see your passion shine through.

 

[mwsapphire]

I love that stuff like this isn't the end of the world. I recently had this crazy paranoia that I was gonna be kicked out from my hospital volunteer position ( it was unfounded), but it's nice to know that even if that does happen it's not lethal. And I can still use the hours on my app. ( According to the rest of SDN).

 

[PreMedMissteps]

I worked a retail job for two years. I came back from Christmas break, and all the employees and management were different. I didn't like how I was treated, had a lot of issues with other employees, and ultimately quit. Will be using my job on my application, but leaving the HR for reference/checks.

Not that your med schools will be calling retail stores to ask about your employment, but HR would only state that you worked from X to Z without any commentary.

 

[ReapPremed]

Not that your med schools will be calling retail stores to ask about your employment, but HR would only state that you worked from X to Z without any commentary.

I believe that's why he's referring them to HR. Just so they can confirm "I worked there."

You know I was reading about Americorps and I was surprised to learn how many volunteers get put in clerical jobs. Mind you, I'm sure the direct service positions are probably harder to get because they require more training in the case of liability. And I'm also sure you're still helping, somehow, doing desktop. But most people on SDN cite it as a fairly robust activity. Is volunteering at a clerical-type position considered somehow "lesser" than direct service? I'm talking about volunteering in general of course, under the assumption the applicant has sufficient patient exposure.

 

[longhaul3]

I think that if you were going to get fired, you would have been fired already.

 

[1203xx]

Sometimes things just don't work out... it is understandable. No need to be completely frank (I hated it and fell asleep at my desk) and no need to make up a story that blames the other side.

Hi LizzyM going off your post,

But will OP have to explicitly tell the adcoms during the interviews that "I got canned". Like what if he says what you had mentioned, but the interview just keeps prodding into it for more - "Oh why didn't it work out blah blah?"

Will adcoms explicitly ask "were you canned?" if you mention to them that your gap year plans had changed from what you had originally put in the written application?

 

[messeduppremed]

Update: It took them a few weeks but I've officially been ****canned. First interview is in 1 week. The scramble to find something else to do and to spin this as somehow good begins!

Also: First interview at rochester, their secondary question directly asks if I have or am currently working for AmeriCorps - so I imagine it will be brought up.