silly question

[williamChenry]

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I have the option of a job working at a pharmacy part time or working in a computer shop that pays a little better..

Question is will pharmacy experience help out any on a medical resume since it is being around medicine?...I have a feeling it doesn't but I just wanted to make sure before I turn it down fr the higher paying job

 

[toothless rufus]

That is, quite literally, "being around medicine"! 😛 I would imagine that would qualify more favorably than "being around computers" as healthcare exposure, but try to get some clinical experience with patients: maybe volunteering somewhere? Then you could take the job paying more $$ with less worry.

 

[williamChenry]

thank you

 

[Spankete87]

Yeah, from what I can gather about med schools, they really don't care if you get healthcare experience by volunteering or by having a job related to the field as long as you show commitment to the field. I'd definitely say to find some volunteering somewhere if you're going to take the other job to show your dedication to the field.

The only advantage to actually getting paid to do healthcare jobs is that you normally can actually DO more with the patients than you can when you volunteer. So I volunteered for 1.5 years in a hospital and 6 months with a free clinic and never had any real hands on experience with patients except to talk to them, push them around in wheelchairs, and when the supervisors weren't looking, take vitals. I got a job in a derm office for 6 months and was drawing blood, charting, writing rx, assisting in surgeries, administering local anesthesia, taking vitals etc. Because of the experience, I had a lot more to talk about in my interviews. 😛

And whether or not it helped me get in this year, I have no idea. I didn't get in anywhere last year and got accepted to 3 D.O. programs this year with no change in my grades or MCAT and only the new job. But then again I didn't apply D.O. last year cause I didn't know it existed! Good Luck either way!

 

[deleted19731]

Well what would you say about a person like me who is taking 18 hours and working almost full time as a mechanic so as to pay for school and sustain life.

I literally don't have time or energy to volunteer or even shadow. I have 18 hours of upper division science classes btw.

 

[Jamers]

Well what would you say about a person like me who is taking 18 hours and working almost full time as a mechanic so as to pay for school and sustain life.

I literally don't have time or energy to volunteer or even shadow. I have 18 hours of upper division science classes btw.

It all depends. Take two cases: I haved worked as a C.N.A. for over two years now, shadowed three doctors, shadowed in a hospital for over 500 hours and even have some clinical based research (diabetes). Seven interviews, 3.9 GPA, 22Q MCAT.

My friend: Clinical based research, alcoholism. No health care experience at all. Seven Interviews, 3.9 GPA, 23R MCAT.

In the end, they look at everything you have done. I am not on an adcom. commit. but, I would not look down upon you working that much and taking those classes. To me, that says you can handle the stress. My best advice, try to do what you can and as much as you can that way you have the best shot.

 

[deleted19731]

Well that truley doesn't show what I've done.
I played varsity baseball for two years until I ruptured my achillies tendon for the second time, which also caused me to lose all of my pending scholarships so I had to go to work.

While I as playing ball I won a couple of awards, volunteered at a grade school teaching 1st graders how to read, was a volunteer lab assistant, and was an offficer in a club along with being active in several campus organizations and I've done some independent research on Grignard reactions which was noting spectatular.

Oh and I shadowed a fp doc for about 3 hours once.

GPA: 3.67
Sci. GPA approx 3.5

MCAT in April.

 

[Jamers]

Well that truley doesn't show what I've done.
I played varsity baseball for two years until I ruptured my achillies tendon for the second time, which also caused me to lose all of my pending scholarships so I had to go to work.

While I as playing ball I won a couple of awards, volunteered at a grade school teaching 1st graders how to read, was a volunteer lab assistant, and was an offficer in a club along with being active in several campus organizations and I've done some independent research on Grignard reactions which was noting spectatular.

Oh and I shadowed a fp doc for about 3 hours once.

GPA: 3.67
Sci. GPA approx 3.5

MCAT in April.

Id say at least shadow a bit more, it usually makes for a much better letter of rec.

 

[Spankete87]

Well what would you say about a person like me who is taking 18 hours and working almost full time as a mechanic so as to pay for school and sustain life.

I literally don't have time or energy to volunteer or even shadow. I have 18 hours of upper division science classes btw.

I'd say you gotta do what you've gotta do - you can only do so much. That's a lot of class and work. Adcom's look at different people's applications differently and I think as long as you have some kind of volunteering somewhere and some kind of shadowing somewhere on your app you're fine. Heck, my old roommate volunteered for one hour in an emergency room and never shadowed, had a 3.5 overall and science and a 32 MCAT and is at UNC-CH med school this year. It's definitely not a requirement.

I'd also say, take a break and go to the beach/mountains/happy place. 🙂

 

[theunc31]

If you can afford to take a job that pays a little less, I would do the pharmacy route. You would actually be surprised how much you learn about the drugs which has helped me with pharmacology (masters level, not med school level). Also, you will probably learn about ordering products, dealing with insurances, angry patients, etc. Now, I realize that many people are in a position where they need the money. Whether they have a wife, kids, etc then you have to do what you have to do. It definitely won't penalize you as far as getting into med school taking the computer job, but taking the pharmacy job may make your learning curve a little smaller when you get into med school. Either way, being committed to a job (any) is something that seems to be very enviable with admissions committees. Good luck!