Scribing and studying for Mcat

[asummer208]

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This is my current situation, and I would do greatly appreciate help! :/ I currently have an opportunity to take a scribe position. The training is approximately one month long and I would be working as a part-time scribe only putting in about 20 hours a week. I also plan on taking my MCAT in late August and according to the AAMC the approximate study time for the average premed student is 300 hours total study time. I have calculated that if I begin working two days a week I should be studying around five hours every day for the remainder of the week. I am not a good test taker and it does take me more time to study for the MCAT. Should I let this opportunity pass? Or is only working two days a week doable for the MCAT? Thank you so much for your advice in advance.

 

[s5260205]

Depends on how your work hours are distributed. If your work is concentrated on two days only with the rest of the week off, it will be ideal since you will not be drained physically and mentally from scribing. You want to make sure you have a nice mix of study and rest throughout the day, and studying for the whole day without break would only lead to burnout. It's hard to get motivated or stay concentrated to study if you had to work either before or after.

 

[Amarillo]

Everyone is obviously different, and I have yet to take the MCAT, however - you should be able to manage your time wisely and study effectively. The majority of people I know matriculating into medical school studied for the MCAT while taking a full course load or working full-time; many studied while working and taking classes. If you're only working 20 hours a week, you're left with an abundance of study time. Even on days you're working - assuming 10 hour shifts - you're left with an easy six waking hours. If I am diligent about studying (which I can't say I always am), I get up to 3-4 hours in easily after working a full day, commuting, and getting to the gym. Even on days when I work 16 hour shifts, I can get an hour in if needed.

 

[futuredoc331]

How are you going to be doing 20 hours? 2, 10 hours shifts? At my hospital we work 12's only. I have been working 3-4 shifts a week (nights) and have been having a hard time staying on top of my studies. After working 12 hours, driving 2, and sleeping 8, I'm left with 2 hours in the day to eat, shower, workout, study, etc...

If you only work two shifts and don't have much else going on you'll be fine. It's a great opportunity and I really enjoy it. You may even be able to study at work depending on how efficient the physician is that you're working with.

 

[dacas]

It's doable, I did it while also going to school. I studied for 5 months which is around the same amount of time you have. Scribing part time barely takes time away from you, it's only 1-2 shifts per week.

 

[SpartanWolverine]

Of course you can do both. I took (and many others have taken) the MCAT while working a full-time job and did great.

However, you might want to look into a structured course for the MCAT if you're worried about not being a good test-taker. It's important to know the exam well and know how to be a smart test-taker (e.g., timing yourself efficiently, answering questions logically, etc).

 

[lmcdavidkim]

Is there any way to study only MCAT without working? Although you may hear people claim to study MCAT parallel to their full time school / working part time schedule, I highly recommend against it. Many that actually do well are those that spent their summer(s) and countless hours preparing for the exam. In my personal experience, I studied the MCAT while in school full time and did poorly (so i spent an entire summer doing over 10,000 questions and started getting 30+). I believe it's worth investing into your MCAT at least the entire summer because it will decide whether you get an interview or not. Med school usually looks for 1) scores 2) extracurricular. First one gives you the interview, the second gets you into the school. However, if you have great discipline and determination like dacas, you may survive...

 

[Caffeine Matters]

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[GatorsKW14]

I think that you will be fine as long as your hours are spread between 2 days. I work 12 hour shifts as a scribe so I get my hours done quickly and I have plenty of free time during my off days. Plus, scribing isn't physically demanding like a lot of other healthcare jobs so you're not going to feel completely drained after work.