Hey all! So I’ve been very fortunate to receive my first medical school acceptance to my top choice this cycle, and have been considering what to do in the interim between now and when I would eventually matriculate. I currently work as a scribe and have been working in the position for the past several years, however I’ve been feeling a bit dissatisfied with the job for a little while now and honestly don’t think I’d be content to just continue working as a scribe for the next 7 months or so. I’ve been considering trying to find a temporary research position, but I’m unsure how to go about finding one, if something like that even exists/if it isn't already too late to apply. I’m several years out of undergrad by now, and I don’t have any past research experience besides a summer program several years ago. One of the reasons I’m interested in a research position specifically is that research is a big focus at the medical school I’ve been accepted at (to be honest I still have no idea why they accepted me, not that I’m complaining!), and I was hoping not to go into the program behind the curve if possible. If looking for a temporary research position with limited prior experience would just be a waste of time, then any advice on other ways to meaningfully pass the time until August would also be much appreciated. Thanks!
Temporary Research Positions?
- Thread starter farwm16
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The answer is: it depends. Are you looking for a paid position for the remaining time? If so, your odds of finding one are close to none - especially since you have almost no research experience. This is because any lab you join will have to spend time and resources to train you - training that likely will take at least a month or more - only to have you leave in 6 or 7 months. No PI is going to make that commitment unless he/she is genuinely desperate for any help. Most research positions require a two-year commitment and won't even consider applicants who will commit 1 year.
If you're looking for a volunteer position, those are more easy to come by because the PI doesn't have to pay you and the only resources he/she will spend on you will be those associated with training. However, even these will be difficult because of the short time commitment issue.
If you're looking for a volunteer position, those are more easy to come by because the PI doesn't have to pay you and the only resources he/she will spend on you will be those associated with training. However, even these will be difficult because of the short time commitment issue.
Thanks for your response! Although a paid position would be preferable, I’d definitely be willing to do volunteer if that was what was available. Any advice on how to go about looking for volunteer research positions that might work with my time constraints?
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If you are not in need of any income, why not take the 6-7 months off to do whatever you want (I know for me it would be travel) ?
You can get trained for whatever research you'll do in med school, in med school. Odds of any skills you gain transferring are pretty slim unless you happen to find a way to get involved with bite-sized retrospective work using the same EMR software as your med school hospital system
Income might not be an issue but cash might be. Traveling requires significant capital outlay. Being frugal and living on AirBnB or with relatives would still require air travel expenses and food.
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I don't follow, they have enough saved up to live on for 6-7 months of purely volunteer work but can't afford ~$350 to get their butt to Scandinavia?
It's not entirely clear that OP has enough saved up to live for 6-7 months. If he/she wrote that somewhere, I didn't see it. Living with one's parents for 6-7 months and volunteering is entirely possible and even probable. Especially if one is fresh out of college.
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Ohhh I gotcha. Assumed they meant they had savings because as much as I love my parents and don't love working, I would not be about to move back in...
Haha I’ve actually managed to save up a good deal over the years through my scribe job + various other jobs, but definitely not enough to last me for the next 6-7 months without any further income. My thinking was that if I ended up with a volunteer research position I could always move back in with my mom for a few months in order to save money, which while not ideal, I’d be willing to do if it could be something that might substantially help for when I’d start school. From what it sounds like here though is that it'd likely not help all that much, so I’m thinking I’ll probably look into some other kind of temporary work. I like the idea of taking time to travel too, though I doubt I’d be able to do that for a whole 6-7 months lol. Thanks so much to you guys for your advice!
