Working Part-Time During Medical School

Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine
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Most people DO NOT work during medical school. If money is a problem, they usually borrow enough to cover expenses. Some people do work during free summer sessions. With the heavy course load and study hours, most folks don't have much time to do things like sleeping much less working.
 
If you haven't started med school yet, assume you will be unable to work parttime--most can't. Once you are in med school and doing well, you can rethink this. but i'd go into it assumng you wont have the time
 
I work part, part time (i.e. a few hours a week) and it's not very hard. It does get a bit stressful around exam time but if you plan accordingly and study more in advance, you'll be well prepared.

I was thinking about doing private tutoring on my own and charging 50 to 100 bucks an hour. I do live in the upper east side Manhattan, so that price range is definitely realistic 😀 Have you thought about something like that? Junior high and high school tutoring by a medical student should pay very well.
 
Working during med school, even part time, is really frowned upon by the administrations and in most schools is PROHIBITED.

For the amount of money that you are really likely to make, it is not worth the trouble, stress nor the anxiety that it may generate.....unless you find it therapeutic, of course.
 
I wouldn't consider working during medical school, but don't a fair number of people moonlight during residency? And don't you have even less time then?
 
Don't listen to this so called advice. I worked part-time in med school and still am AOA. Just be smart about it. Also it can be VERY worth it. What did I do?

I was a tutor for either HS or undergrads in chem, physic, math. I charged $35 per hour ( was not in Manhattan so I guess my rate is less SuperHiro setting the bar 🙂 🙂 )and I had people calling me ALL the time to tutor their kids with visions of Harvard in their heads. So I worked 4-6 hours per week on a schedule that I designed. and pulled $140-$210 dollars CASH (not worth it huh?) per week. Most of my kids Aced their classes so you do have to have some skills here.

People don't understand your situation so they are quick to dismiss you but you have to do what you have to do. So make your own decisions and be smart about what you do for work.
 
bodonid said:
I wouldn't consider working during medical school, but don't a fair number of people moonlight during residency? And don't you have even less time then?
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It's not an issue of test grades then. You can screw up your GPA working during med school. You just screw up your sleep schedule moonlighting in residency.
 
RockShox said:
Don't listen to this so called advice. I worked part-time in med school and still am AOA. Just be smart about it. Also it can be VERY worth it. ...
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Disagree. You are in no position to know if working is something you can handle before you start med school. Some people struggle in med school even without working. Until you know that's not you, you absolutely shouldn't assume you can work. If, later in med school, you are acing things, then sure, get yourself a job. Before that point, it's just a bad idea.
 
Law2Doc said:
You are in no position to know if working is something you can handle before you start med school.
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This is very true. I'd worked 40 hours/week while in school since I was 16, so I knew how to organize my time. That said, I didn't get a part-time job until after my first block of first year because I wanted to make sure I could do it. I worked ~15 hours/week at our school's rec center (I also did a couple hours/week of tutoring as a second year, but that doesn't really count). It was not that demanding and I could sometimes study during slow times. My exam grades actually went up a couple of points because I was back in the routine I had known for the last 6 years (I have trouble knowing what to do with free time), but I wouldn't recommend that until you have at least had your first round of exams. Also, know that you really can't work during third year.
 
Law2Doc said:
Disagree. You are in no position to know if working is something you can handle before you start med school. Some people struggle in med school even without working. Until you know that's not you, you absolutely shouldn't assume you can work. If, later in med school, you are acing things, then sure, get yourself a job. Before that point, it's just a bad idea.
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Law Doc that is why I used the phrase "be smart about it" I mean these kids should be bright enough getting into medical school to know their abilities and non-abilities.

I agree totally with what you are saying as it is a pragmatic approach, and would have made mention to that fact in the post but was being quick. Most of my comments are in rebuttal to the number of people who shot down the idea completely.

Some people have to do things that others don't to make it work, life is not always doled out the same way. I have a fellow student who is a single mom with kids. She had to work for several years and that was just the way it was. Telling her don't do it was the same as saying quit medical school. Many people in the posts said it can't be done, its not worth it (which i think is arrogant presumption), and so far there are two people who did it and quite successfully and I thought that should be expressed.
 
When I took Kaplan for the MCAT, many of my teachers were current med students. However, most of the course was during summer vacation (May-August).
 
Working as a part-time tutor is a great idea, especially for medical students. Because this will make medical students review all their academic subjects and it will help them tackle difficult subjects in medical school. Remember, everything is a building block, many concepts are understood when the basic fundamentals are understood first.
 
Just wondering...for those that did work, what hours did you work? Did it differ depending on the semester?

i've been thinking of finding a graveyard to work (i'm used to working nights) but unsure of how it would affect my concentration in school, as i've heard the classes don't get easier.
 
I worked 1st, half of 2nd and 1/2 of 4th year during med school as a tutor and teacher for Kaplan. It was a fairly lucrative deal, since I had done it for a year already before and already had practice with the lessons. Tutoring was especially lucrative. It was usually 3 hours a night, 1-3 times per week, with the occasional saturday or sunday. Proctoring tests was also a sweet deal- although the pay was only 10$ an hour, they basically paid you to sit in a quiet room and study for a total of 8 hours.

I'm sure there are other such deals/offers out there as well. 2-3 of my classmates had bartending jobs on weekends during 1st and 2nd year (very lucrative), and I know one resident who moonlighted during med school and internship designing navigation systems for fighter jets (lucrative, but not common!).

This all hinges on whether or not you can still do well in school. That you can't work, or shouldn't work is entirely based on an HONEST self-assessment. To make a blanket statement that med students can't work and be successful is not true.

To those who say "it's not worth it", consider this... Even only making 10-15K in med school means 10-15k less loans. Doesn't sound like a lot when you're facing 140K in the hole until you consider the interest over 25 years.
 
what's the avg hourly wage nowadays for tutoring, say, high school students in AP Physics, AP Calc, AP Bio, etc? is $50 too high?
 
Well, some of you are talking about some very unique situations. Yep, let all go tutoring rich kids in the upper East Side of Manhattan, or I vote to just check out Beverly Hills. The weather is better there...Or, just charge $200.00 an hour, then it will be really worth it. After all, there is gotta be someone out there that is dying to hire a "medical student" cause they make better tutors, than working professors who usually do this all the time.

Let's be real here, people. You should not think of working part time as part of your med school years. No counselor, or advisor from any medical school in the country would recommend that.....and I believe that they advise against it for very good and proven reasons. Then again, in the realm of SDN anything is possible...of course. Some people here really have "unique" and "paranormal" experiences..

To the OP: check with your school counselor. Don't you think that he would have better "insight" into this than what some anonymous SDN poster could offer ...?
 
RockShox said:
Don't listen to this so called advice. I worked part-time in med school and still am AOA. Just be smart about it. Also it can be VERY worth it. What did I do?
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Good for you! I am sure you were able to do research, graduate with honors and publish a few articles as well ....and maybe even turn down that Derm or plastic position at Harvard 🙄

If we were all like you.....😀
 
I'm working very part-time in med school.

I tutor for high school kids for a private family. Pays $35/hr for 15-20 hrs/week. So an extra 500-600/month. I don't need the money but its nice to have it. Plus I do better when I'm busy.

So really its a personal choice.

But for me, I'm doing fine in my classes (no I'm not honoring everything but thats because I'm not into killing myself for no reason), I work for a free clinic set-up committee, work with a homeless initiative, and do the tutoring. And I still have time for myself.

Its all about how your schedule your time.
 
alwaysaangel said:
I'm working very part-time in med school.

I tutor for high school kids for a private family. Pays $35/hr for 15-20 hrs/week. So an extra 500-600/month. I don't need the money but its nice to have it. Plus I do better when I'm busy.

So really its a personal choice.

But for me, I'm doing fine in my classes (no I'm not honoring everything but thats because I'm not into killing myself for no reason), I work for a free clinic set-up committee, work with a homeless initiative, and do the tutoring. And I still have time for myself.

Its all about how your schedule your time.
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How did you get this tutoring job? It pays very well.
 
taponthecloud said:
How did you get this tutoring job? It pays very well.
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I know. I feel a little dishonest everytime they write me a check. Its just so much money.

I actually just lucked into it. I took over for a 2nd year who is going underground to study. Plus living in Orange county and they live in Newport Coast has a lot to do with the high salary.

But if someone wanted to I'm sure they could advertise at local high schools or something and find their own position. Especially private schools.
 
RockShox said:
Law Doc that is why I used the phrase "be smart about it" I mean these kids should be bright enough getting into medical school to know their abilities and non-abilities.
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No way. You cannot possibly know what med school involves until you get there. I suggest that MOST of your class did not have a clue. That you did likely makes you the exception, not someone who should be telling folks to follow your road.

And your saying "be smart about it" was canceled out by the "Don't listen to this so called advice". The majority of med students are better off following this so called advice. Your advice is for the exceptional outliers. How many folks in med school hold down jobs and make AOA? Not that many. Congrats to you, but you ain't the norm. It's not an accident that most med students don't work during the school year. It's a product of necessity.

As for people who have to work, I would suggest that if you cannot manage working and doing well in your coursework, you simply have to take out more loans. There are private lenders happy to loan to future physicians. Doing well is too important, and will have impact on your future earning, which BTW will dwarf the couple of grand you can earn part time while in school.

So see how med school goes. If you are acing stuff like our AOA friend, then sure, take on a job. But if not, then focus on what is really important.
 
I started med school as a part-time teacher for Kaplan teaching the MCAT. The commitment was usually 4 hours a week and the pay was decent ($15 per hour + 7 for outside work stuff per hour). It was rough doing both teaching and studying at times, but I somehow managed throughout the m1 school year. My grades didn't really suffer either; I've always scored very well above the standard deviation and I'm pretty sure I'm at least top quartile (conservative estimate) in the class. It's doable to have a part-time job, but it's gonna suck at times, especially during test weeks.
 
Law2Doc said:
As for people who have to work, I would suggest that if you cannot manage working and doing well in your coursework, you simply have to take out more loans. There are private lenders happy to loan to future physicians. Doing well is too important, and will have impact on your future earning, which BTW will dwarf the couple of grand you can earn part time while in school.

So see how med school goes. If you are acing stuff like our AOA friend, then sure, take on a job. But if not, then focus on what is really important.
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Sure I get what you are saying. I am just telling people not to completely dismiss the idea because in their personal universe it seems like an impossibility. SDN is notorious for splitting. I only am showing that it can work and be fine. Perhaps for some it cannot. but lets give the OP the benefit of the doubt for their given situation.

Your thing on the loans is a total fallicy. Anyone who has a family in med school will tell you that they get NO extra money for raising a family. I hit the same limits as everyone else and CANNOT take out any more loans for living except for child care or medical expenses (but everyone can do that too). So if a given students living budget is 18,000 so is mine and I can get no more.

Now there are some unscrupulous loans that are NON-certified loans...meaning they do not run through the schools financial aid (the residency relocation loans are one example) but these almost always carry predatory interest rates and terms making them akin to a check cashing shop or worse. bottom line NOT recommended.

My wife and I thought it best that our kids have a parent at home so she did part-time work out of home, I worked 4-6hrs a week tutoring, we lived of some savings and thats that.

Finally, the irony is that the amount of time that my classmates spend on getting drunk, going on dates, concerts etc. is way more than my meager 4-6 hrs a week is spend working...so that is where I have extra time. So how do i lose time by working? Its a mirage. They spend way more time than i do partying and no one I know ever says "don't party in med school"

Every year some one makes a post about "is there still time for fun and life in med school" and everyone posts that there is plenty of time for it. But then when someone asks if there is time for work the sudden answer is "hell no" hmmm
 
Even assuming you had free time to work, why would you use it to work?

Wouldnt it be nice to relax or do something fun after you did all that school work?
 
DBR said:
Even assuming you had free time to work, why would you use it to work?

Wouldnt it be nice to relax or do something fun after you did all that school work?
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For me - I do it because if I spend a few hours a week working then I have lots of extra money to spoil myself with. Way better than spending a couple hours a week drinking or watching movies.
 
RockShox said:
...

Your thing on the loans is a total fallicy. Anyone who has a family in med school will tell you that they get NO extra money for raising a family. I hit the same limits as everyone else and CANNOT take out any more loans for living except for child care or medical expenses (but everyone can do that too). So if a given students living budget is 18,000 so is mine and I can get no more.

...Finally, the irony is that the amount of time that my classmates spend on getting drunk, going on dates, concerts etc. is way more than my meager 4-6 hrs a week is spend working...so that is where I have extra time. So how do i lose time by working? Its a mirage. They spend way more time than i do partying and no one I know ever says "don't party in med school"

Every year some one makes a post about "is there still time for fun and life in med school" and everyone posts that there is plenty of time for it. But then when someone asks if there is time for work the sudden answer is "hell no" hmmm
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ABSOLUTELY AGREE! I'm a MS-I, married, with 3 children. I teach PALS, ACLS, BCLS, and work PT as a paramedic. I DID NOT work PT until after the Christmas break, once I figured out how much everyone was partying/drinking and determined my personal workload necessary to succeed. I also ran out of loan money (some could take less than the maximum for living expenses and I needed twice as much) to support my family and turned to the sinister private loans to provide health insurance and food for my kids. I couldn't keep digging that financial hole. I work about 8 hours/week and I'm a little higher than the mean in my class. Who cares if I'm not in the top 3% in my class because I work...my wife and children certainly do not.

Whether you're a financial aid advisor or think you own the patent for flawless advice, don't pretend to understand everyone's situation and give out blanket advice. We're in medical school...I'm fairly sure that those who are considering work after the start we've just been through has an 'important' reason for it. For newcomers...give it time until you have your feet under you.
 
RockShox said:
Every year some one makes a post about "is there still time for fun and life in med school" and everyone posts that there is plenty of time for it. But then when someone asks if there is time for work the sudden answer is "hell no" hmmm
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I think it has more to do with being in control of one's own spare time. If one has an exam coming up, one will typically limit the partying/dating done that week. However, if one has a job, that control over his/her own time is not as complete, and if one's boss schedules one to work until closing the night before one's exam, that shift has to be covered in order to keep the job. If one can find a job (like a tutor, working at the rec, etc...) where one is in control of one's time and can dictate exactly when one works and for how long, you are right to compare that to the time wasted partying that most students do. However, most jobs in the world aren't like that. If one wants/has to work, one needs to be careful in selecting the part-time job taken so as to maintain control of one's own time.
 
Does anyone else have any suggestions as to how to get one of these positions? I start med school in July, and I am supporting myself right now, with some difficulty. these jobs sound incredible. I would be thrilled with $15/hour even, much less something like $35 (holy crap!). I did very well on the SATs, so I probably wont have too much trouble. But besides working for Kaplan (dunno what they have in terms of tutoring here), how have people set up tutees by themselves? Thanks for the suggestions 🙂
 
Ambrosha said:
Does anyone else have any suggestions as to how to get one of these positions? I start med school in July, and I am supporting myself right now, with some difficulty. these jobs sound incredible. I would be thrilled with $15/hour even, much less something like $35 (holy crap!). I did very well on the SATs, so I probably wont have too much trouble. But besides working for Kaplan (dunno what they have in terms of tutoring here), how have people set up tutees by themselves? Thanks for the suggestions 🙂
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Here is how I set up my tutoring...

First assess your skill areas: Be broad enough to get customers but still only do subject you know well

Second: Determine how to market yourself. I did Chemistry, Bio, Physics, Math, and medical sciences. Then I listed my qualifications i.e. - A's in the classes, a degree in the subject, if you are currently a med or grad student. I was Chem Eng and med student.

Third: Advertise: Craigslist is a good place not only can you put an ad but you can brouse ads from people wanting a tutor. Also ad boards at schools ESP. in the building that houses what you want to tutor in. Word of mouth also helps....a number of my clients came from Docs in the hospital that I had mentioned my tutoring to in passing conversation (NO I did not prostitute myself it just came up naturally in conversation)

Fourth: SET UP YOUR HOURS. Meaning set your limits and be up front with them that you are also a student and will need some flexibility when required.

Finally: Be a good tutor. Many of my students were C's and then had A's at end of semester. Use these people as references. I always negotiated Salary I was NEVER inflexible ESP if I thought the person was actually motivated to work.

Hope that helps.
 
Law2Doc said:
No way. You cannot possibly know what med school involves until you get there. I suggest that MOST of your class did not have a clue. That you did likely makes you the exception, not someone who should be telling folks to follow your road.
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Agree wholeheartedly with this ^^^.

A big majority of medical students are incapable of holding down a part-time job while in medical school without it interfering with performance.

The person who is capable is, like L2D says, an outlier. I'd be careful of recommending a PT job to a new matriculant because odds are very very good that he's not one of these outliers. It's just math.

I'd strongly recommend to anyone thinking about medical school to assume they can't work during the school year and be happily suprised if they can. All it takes is a handful of bad tests and poorly learned concept to make the difference between being landing that Anesthesiology residency you really wanted and doing a primary care you didn't want outside of Tulsa. The extra loans you'd have had to take out to avoid this situation may have seemed like a bad idea at the time, but I'll take high interest rates over an $80K/yr paycut any day of the week.

Takeaway: Most students can't work PT in med school without hurting performance. Odds are good you're one of these students. You can not know if you are or aren't until you get to medical school. Til then, assume you're like most of us and can't take the PT job.
 
i worked part time my M1 year - probably more than part time actually, but only on the weekends (usually double shifts) on breaks i worked a lot more. i also wasn't a tutor. i worked at a group home for handicapped adults. (same job for 5 years) now i am a nanny on a part-time basis. i do what i do b/c i need the time away from studying sometimes.

i knew what i could handle and i was used to working so it wasn't too big of a deal to me --- my school hated it.

i also knew i couldn't work this year (m2 or next) and i plan to try and work again part of m4 year if we don't have kids yet.... so to each his own i guess.
 
best part about private tutoring is 0 taxes.
 
taponthecloud said:
best part about private tutoring is 0 taxes.
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Eh, when you're in med school if you submit for a lifetime education rebate or whatever its called you're unlikely to end up paying taxes anyway. Unless you really make a boatload of money (which I guess you could if you had a spouse who worked fulltime)
 
Some nontrads who've survived calamaties may not qualify for all of those extra loans. Some may not want to go that far into debt. If one has access to a job that pays $30-50 per hour and can work less than 10 hours per week, then it's doable. Many people are too quick to say debt is unavoidable or an "investment in your business." Debt to finance a certain lifestyle in med school is not a requirement for attendance.
 
DBR said:
Even assuming you had free time to work, why would you use it to work?

Wouldnt it be nice to relax or do something fun after you did all that school work?
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I teach music to kids...way more fun than beer and TV
 
RockShox said:
Don't listen to this so called advice. I worked part-time in med school and still am AOA. Just be smart about it. Also it can be VERY worth it. What did I do?

I was a tutor for either HS or undergrads in chem, physic, math. I charged $35 per hour ( was not in Manhattan so I guess my rate is less SuperHiro setting the bar 🙂 🙂 )and I had people calling me ALL the time to tutor their kids with visions of Harvard in their heads. So I worked 4-6 hours per week on a schedule that I designed. and pulled $140-$210 dollars CASH (not worth it huh?) per week. Most of my kids Aced their classes so you do have to have some skills here.

People don't understand your situation so they are quick to dismiss you but you have to do what you have to do. So make your own decisions and be smart about what you do for work.
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Are you kidding me? 4-6 hours is nothing. You can not even really consider that "part-time."

I probably spend 4-6 hours a week just brushing my teeth.
 
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I don't see a problem with having a library job that lets you study during your shift. If you can find one of those jobs where you just sit all day doing nothing, why not go for it.
 
Hats off to all of you who are able to work part-time. Maybe it's a first year thing for me right now, but I can't see how I would squeeze in time to work. Hopefully it gets better.
 
I teach CPR and tutor first year med students for $10/hr honorarium.

I must hate myself.
 
If you can find a library/info desk type job, 20 hrs/week, it is more than do-able both first and second year.
 
notdeadyet said:
I'd strongly recommend to anyone thinking about medical school to assume they can't work during the school year and be happily suprised if they can. All it takes is a handful of bad tests and poorly learned concept to make the difference between being landing that Anesthesiology residency you really wanted and doing a primary care you didn't want outside of Tulsa..
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so you are saying that a part-time job may lead to a med student being stuck in primary care?:laugh:
 
It definitely is POSSIBLE to work part time in medical school. I worked at a restaurant and played multiple gigs (I was a violinist in my former life). However, I would agree with the sentiments that not everyone can handle both a job and medical school. I looked into taking out extra loans because my school barely gave enough to cover cost of living, but I could not take out any more loans. I was fortunate to be able to mesh both my work and school schedules, but I had flexibility in my work schedule just based on the nature of being able to pick and choose my gigs. Plus I was able to handle the workload. Give medical school a chance to get going before you seek employment.
 
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