What is your job?

[tle1093]

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I having a tough time finding a clinically-related job for my year off. Instead of asking for suggestions, I'd like to know what kind of job you are currently holding.

Apps cost money. While shadowing and volunteering can yield great clinical experience, they do not have the means to sustain a post-college pre-med.

 

[loveoforganic]

If I don't get in first cycle, I'm going to look into psychiatric aide. Already applied once and was told I was required to work a full year of at least 2 12 hour shifts a week (and rejected for that reason, was looking for a summer job). So it also seems like it would work well with interview season.

Definitely not a job everyone would enjoy though.

 

[DrYoda]

Take the highest paying job you can. If said job is non-clinical then do some clinical volunteering on weekends/days off.

 

[caniac]

Take the highest paying job you can. If said job is non-clinical then do some clinical volunteering on weekends/days off.

I'm a business analytics consultant right now (my biology degree has been ever so helpful the past year 🙄). I've been volunteering for ~7 months in the local hospital 2 nights a week. Unfortunately, it looks like they're going to ship me out of town on a different project, so I'm probably going to have to bag the volunteering in the near future 🙁.

When you get that non-clinical job, make sure you're not working so much that you can't volunteer. I was lucky that my job assigned me to a "capped" project for the past year, so I couldn't charge more than 50 hours per week (and therefore couldn't work more than 50). My college roommates are working in private equity and are working upwards of 65-70. They get home and crash.

 

[Seraph 84]

scut lab work and MCAT studying

 

[jaxasp]

chemical engineering intern, huge pay, horribly boring, volunteer on weekends

 

[STXGregor]

I was a retail pharm tech. I didn't think it would count as clinical but it did because it counted as pt. contact. Good pay and flexible hours. I volunteered in an ER as well.

 

[genswim24]

For the past year I worked as a clinical research coordinator. The pay was ok. The job provided a good amount of patient contact and medical experience, but it did get very boring by the end.

 

[metallica81788]

I have a job at a movie theater during breaks from school. I've had it for the last 4 years and I don't like it anymore, but no hospital or any clinical type job will hire me. I don't know why. But it's not like I know anybody that can help me get a clinical job. Either way, though, it's hard to maintain one job when you live in two cities for different parts of the year.
During school, my research job pays me a little.

 

[DrYoda]

When you get that non-clinical job, make sure you're not working so much that you can't volunteer.

I solved this through self-employment, high hours aren't as bad when you set them.

 

[redlight]

what are you guys considering good pay? sustainability of those wages largely depends on where you are living, but i am just curious.

 

[GlamDoc]

I was a retail pharm tech. I didn't think it would count as clinical but it did because it counted as pt. contact. Good pay and flexible hours. I volunteered in an ER as well.

Same here. As a student I couldn't ask for a better job. Plus you get a more in-depth look into the healthcare field as a whole.

 

[Transmogrifier]

I work for a clinical genetics company that does a lot of molecular diagnostics. I'm just a grunt but the pay is ok and the benefits are good.

 

[DrReo]

Sitting back, collecting unemployment and praying for Obama 2012 so I can do this sometime soon!

 

[scotsdoc54]

Substitute teacher and potentially a teacher's aide in my hometown school system. In the meantime, I'm volunteering at a free clinic and getting a lot of neat clinic experience! 1 doc, 1 NP, and 3 nurses see over 4k patients a year in a clinic with 3 exam rooms rigged out of a housing project. It's great experience for me!

 

[caniac]

what are you guys considering good pay? sustainability of those wages largely depends on where you are living, but i am just curious.

a good wage would be one where you could live in a decent (read: not roach infested) place for 30% or less of your post-tax dollars, put away at least 5-10% in savings/401k/AMCAS application fund, and still have enough for food, bills, and the occasional happy hour.

that's just IMHO

 

[RaginRajon]

How did you do on the MCAT? I am a Kaplan MCAT teacher and it pays fairly well for a part-time job.

 

[Schemp]

How did you do on the MCAT? I am a Kaplan MCAT teacher and it pays fairly well for a part-time job.

This is one of my primary motivations for doing well on the MCAT. You know, other than getting into a good med school, haha. But yeah, if you score in the top 10% you are eligible, right? To be fair though, I think most people who are taking a year off probably didn't score in the top 10%. Not all, certainly, but most.

 

[caniac]

I also tutor on the side through some interwebs sites (Craigslist, etc). The one I work with most is a little obscure and it's mentioned on my AMCAS, so I'm pretty sure I could be IDed by mentioning it--PM me and I can give you the low down 🙂

generally, I've found pay to be ~$25+ per hour of tutoring through these online sites...definitely helps offset my inability to subscribe to the budget listed in my previous post!

 

[Food]

Kaplan MCAT instructor here. Great pay for part-time work. Very flexible, you are basically contracted to pick up whatever hours you want or need. You do need an MCAT in the top 10th percentile - I think that roughly translates to a 34 or so these days.

 

[jaxasp]

Chemical Engineer @ $65,000 / yr. 3 weeks paid vacation. Off most holidays. Great health insurance. Company matches my pension fund / 401k contributions. Hope I don't miss this in 4 years.

I haven't even applied yet (but 100% sure I will), but working as senior ChE intern right now w/ easy, easy 40 hr week at close to $1200/week, prob gonna work it for 12-14 weeks, need to blow/hide my $$ before I apply for FAFSA and they rob me of it though!

 

[s28w]

I'm first doing a 10 week paid fellowship in cancer research and then working as a lab tech for the rest of the year. I had trouble finding a PI who would hire me knowing I'd be leaving in 10-12 months.

 

[DrYoda]

what are you guys considering good pay? sustainability of those wages largely depends on where you are living, but i am just curious.

For a student I'd say $20+/hr would qualify as good (non-Chicago midwest).