Working as a fastfood restaurant

[irule285]

So throughout my undergraduate years, i had to work at a fastfood restaurant as an assistant manager due to financial issues at home. Some semesters had to work two jobs, this and either at a lab or as a tutor. Averaging close to 30 hours while being full time student
Should i mention this on my app?

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[SSSMDt]

I certainly would. Don't be ashamed if that is what you're thinking.. This can illustrate to schools your leadership skills as an assistant manager, perseverance through adversity, dedication, sacrifice, prioritization is certainly demonstrated having to work 2 jobs while in school, etc.

 

[libertyyne]

So throughout my undergraduate years, i had to work at a fastfood restaurant as an assistant manager due to financial issues at home. Some semesters had to work two jobs, this and either at a lab or as a tutor. Averaging close to 30 hours while being full time student
Should i mention this on my app?

A. If you are filling out your primary right now that might not be optimal.
B. Put them in as work in AMCAS.
C. B doesnt apply if you have more stuff to add to your AMCAS, I did something similar through undergrad and I just combined all my jobs under one heading and summed up the hours since I had other stuff I wanted to share in the primary spaces.

D. Good Luck either way!

 

[Goro]

Absolutely! Work experience ("employment") is a very good thing.

With more and more med school graduates having that residency as their first real employment, PDs are finding they bring along poor employee attitudes.

So throughout my undergraduate years, i had to work at a fastfood restaurant as an assistant manager due to financial issues at home. Some semesters had to work two jobs, this and either at a lab or as a tutor. Averaging close to 30 hours while being full time student
Should i mention this on my app?

 

[Pusheen]

med school graduates having that residency as their first real employment

How?? I would understand if it was their first full time job, but first employment?? Come on now...

 

[WedgeDawg]

Yes 100% but I would say you worked as a fast food restaurant employee rather than as a fast food restaurant because that might be confusing.

 

[Hospitalized]

How?? I would understand if it was their first full time job, but first employment?? Come on now...

Doesn't surprise me one bit. Most med students are children of a physician and/or other high income professions. Why would they need to work in their high school/college years?

 

[Goro]

This. School has been their "job".

So they start residency and then ask if they can leave at 5pm, or take a vacation day after a week on the job.

Doesn't surprise me one bit. Most med students are children of a physician and/or other high income professions. Why would they need to work in their high school/college years?

 

[Pusheen]

Doesn't surprise me one bit. Most med students are children of a physician and/or other high income professions. Why would they need to work in their high school/college years?

I guess I imagine that even rich parents would give their 20+ kid a kick in the pants to get a part time job for pocket money.
Well I hope OP and people like him get due credit in the admissions process for their hard work

 

[libertyyne]

I guess I imagine that even rich parents would give their 20+ kid a kick in the pants to get a part time job for pocket money.
Well I hope OP and people like him get due credit in the admissions process for their hard work

I hope so, I feel like academic excellence is still expected regardless of SES and work in undergrad. so anything less thant 3.7 is still frowned upon.

 

[Whyamionhere]

Got asked about my few years as a barista/cashier more than a couple of my medically related things at interviews so far, so I would absolutely list it.

I think being a fast food manager during school shows a lot of work ethic and the skills you learned there about multitasking and working with different types of people and customers will be more relevant to medicine than u might think at first!

 

[Tenk]

With the way medicine is heading this will probably become a pre-med requirement to improve patient satisfaction and the customer is always right service based model.

 

[libertyyne]

With the way medicine is heading this will probably become a pre-med requirement to improve patient satisfaction and the customer is always right service based model.

Need to improve those HCAPs

 

[aldol16]

That's an important part of the story of who you are and how you got to your present situation in life. Your application shouldn't just be medicine-related activities - schools like to see that you lead a life outside of medicine and that you can overcome challenges in your life, no matter what those challenges are!

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

That's an important part of the story of who you are and how you got to your present situation in life. Your application shouldn't just be medicine-related activities - schools like to see that you lead a life outside of medicine and that you can overcome challenges in your life, no matter what those challenges are!

I've read on this forum that your application should tell your story and have a theme, not just be a bunch of ticked off boxes.

 

[aldol16]

I've read on this forum that your application should tell your story and have a theme, not just be a bunch of ticked off boxes.

It should definitely tell your story since it is what makes you unique but I wouldn't necessarily agree with having a "theme" unless that theme is as broad as "what makes you you." This is because it's okay to have activities that don't pertain to medicine - that might look completely out of place (not in a bad way). That makes for interesting interview discussion. I had several interesting discussions about something I did that didn't pertain to medicine at all.

Sometimes, trying to make an activity "fit" into a preconceived theme dilutes the actual significance of the activity to your development and maturation as a person. And I would argue that's the most important thing during interviews - to show that you're a person with strengths as well as faults and not a drone.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

It should definitely tell your story since it is what makes you unique but I wouldn't necessarily agree with having a "theme" unless that theme is as broad as "what makes you you." This is because it's okay to have activities that don't pertain to medicine - that might look completely out of place (not in a bad way). That makes for interesting interview discussion. I had several interesting discussions about something I did that didn't pertain to medicine at all.

That's why I wrote "your story." And a theme is simply that: what makes you who you are and how you got to this point.

Sometimes, trying to make an activity "fit" into a preconceived theme dilutes the actual significance of the activity to your development and maturation as a person. And I would argue that's the most important thing during interviews - to show that you're a person with strengths as well as faults and not a drone.

I think if an activity contributed significantly enough to making you who you are, then it won't have to be shoehorned in.

 

[freak7]

I've read on this forum that your application should tell your story and have a theme, not just be a bunch of ticked off boxes.

My theme was "life sucked for a while and now it doesn't suck that much."

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

My theme was "life sucked for a while and now it doesn't suck that much."

My theme is "had a great clinical job, life went insane, and now life is less insane, though definitely weird (in a good way)."

 

[DingoPingo]

If you worked as a fast food restaurant you can probably get in anywhere

 

[toddgurley]

hijacking this thread to ask a relevant question:

Do you have to be paid to be considered employed? I'm in a 15 hour a week clinical internship and I basically do the same tasks as a co-worker who gets paid - literally nothing different. Would this internship be considered volunteer work or employment?

 

[MDProspect]

It depends. If you worked as a McDonalds, then say good bye to med school, but if you worked as a In-N-Out, Five Guys, or as a Panera Bread then you might have better chances.

In all seriousness, a solid work ethic goes a long way. It shows commitment, leadership (your managerial position), helping others (tutoring) and other positive attributes. I would definitely include it along with what you have learned and the impact it had on you.

 

[Nerdeka]

Graduated from a "prestigious" university and am a deliver driver (Postmates). It's fine, I swear. I'm ok.

But yeah, I'm going to put it on my app.. It takes up a lot of my time.

 

[samac]

Yes 100% but I would say you worked as a fast food restaurant employee rather than as a fast food restaurant because that might be confusing.

I clicked on the thread because I pictured someone laying out with a buffet on top of them...
It's late and school has gotten the best of me.

 

[samac]

hijacking this thread to ask a relevant question:

Do you have to be paid to be considered employed? I'm in a 15 hour a week clinical internship and I basically do the same tasks as a co-worker who gets paid - literally nothing different. Would this internship be considered volunteer work or employment?

You don't get paid its volunteer.

 

[baratheonfire]

How?? I would understand if it was their first full time job, but first employment?? Come on now...

If I hadn't suddenly decided to become a scribe last April that likely would have been me

 

[CastleG8]

Working at a restaurant to survive and working to fill a gap of time is a different feeling . It's good experience either way.

 

[PooshBag]

I'm was an assistant manager at a pizza place for three years. I applied this cycle. My experiences have been a really good talking point during interviews. If they ever ask about leadership or teamwork or stuff, i always have so many examples from my restaurant job. I had even marked it as most meaningful. So far, my job has helped me quite a bit.

 

[CCmetal94]

How?? I would understand if it was their first full time job, but first employment?? Come on now...

It's hard to believe but I know multiple people in medical school right now that have never had a job. It's not as uncommon as you think (especially when many med students come from affluent families so they never had to work). I've always wondered if this is the reason physician have such a high burnout rate, job unsatisfaction, divorce rates etc.

 

[Catalystik]

Do you have to be paid to be considered employed? I'm in a 15 hour a week clinical internship and I basically do the same tasks as a co-worker who gets paid - literally nothing different. Would this internship be considered volunteer work or employment?

For AMCAS you can list this in the "Other" category and name the space "Internship at . . . .". Your description can make clear that it was an unpaid job where you gained experience with xxx, Yyy, and zzz.