Working part time in med school

[lifetime]

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Is it possible for a med student to work as a phlebotomist part time after certification?

 

[moto_za]

No.

 

[pre med 2014]

No

 

[Stellar Clouds]

I don't see why not. I had a classmate who was a pharmacist who worked shifts at the hospital and banked during 1st and 2nd year.

 

[DrEnderW]

It depends on the hours.

Personally, I think it would be pretty tough to maintain substantial hours while keeping your grades up. If you're not too concerned about class rank or go to a truly pre-clinical P/F school, it could be possible.

I tutor basic sciences and MCAT via a tutoring company a few hours a week and I even think I may need to cut that back. So far, it's been manageable and the extra cash is nice.

 

[tantacles]

Definitely possible. I work a side job, as do several of my classmates, and we don't have any problems.

 

[Apoplexy__]

Anything that requires professional commitment you should consider extra thoroughly. It'll add stress to your life if the needs of your employer conflict with your studying needs.

My personal rule is that med school makes my time worth $25/hr. If I'm not making that, then I'm better off using my time studying. I charge $25/hr for tutoring (which I don't even think is fair) for this reason. I earn minimum wage at my school's library, but am able to study during like 90% of that time, so that bumps my effective wage way up.

Keep in mind: If you're not studying for a test, you could always be reviewing and keeping fresh on old material. Research studies show the variable with the strongest correlation for Step 1 scores is your grades in years 1 and 2.

 

[Ismet]

It's probably possible in first year, I wouldn't recommend working part time in second year, but that's probably dependent on the school and the individual.

A few people worked during first year, and there's a first year now still working as a paramedic. Our lectures are recorded and we're P/F so that really helps with schedule flexibility.

 

[lifetime]

Thanks for the responses. I will definitely weigh the pros and cons.

 

[deleted307836]

Definitely possible. I work a side job, as do several of my classmates, and we don't have any problems.

Out of curiosity, about how many hrs/wk? Or something flexible where you can work more/less according to your schedule?

 

[Etorphine]

.

 

[NickNaylor]

I taught a couple of MCAT prep courses with EK towards the end of MS2/beginning of step 1 study time. It was a little stressful at times but was a nice break away from typical medical crap. Class was basically 8 hours a week, plus anywhere from 1-3 hours prepping at some point beforehand. I just reused lectures between the two classes to cut down on prep time.

I'd say it's possible for sure, but it depends on what you're doing. In my case I was replacing free time with make-some-extra-money time, so I didn't mind. If it would take away from whatever you need to do for school, though, I'd say it's probably not a great idea. Even if you did want to work, 11 hours/week was quite a chunk of time for me. Whatever you do you'll probably be pretty limited - I wouldn't think more than 20 hours/week tops - unless you're a mental machine.

 

[Renaissance Man]

I have a classmate who works 15-20 hours a week at the local Starbucks, a lot of times taking the earliest morning shift. It is possible, just not easy at all.

 

[StoicJosher]

I have a friend who bartends Friday and Saturday nights. Did it throughout first and second year. Definitely possible if you can manage your time well and get things done when you have time.

 

[witzelsucht]

MS2 here - I scribe 12-24 hrs/month in the ER. i have good grades. have classmates who work more, and other classmates who have kids, which are way more work than a job.

 

[maybemed2013]

I know Meharry has a work study program, so it can be done.

 

[tantacles]

Out of curiosity, about how many hrs/wk? Or something flexible where you can work more/less according to your schedule?

First year, I worked ~4 hours/week, sometimes a bit more, from February-August.

This year, I have a unique contract job in music (think gigs), and while my work hasn't officially started yet, I'll be working around 3 hours per week up until the weeks around Christmas, when I'll be working about 10 hours per week. Definitely a more flexible job than most.

Another classmate works 20-30 hours per week for a test prep company and did the same last year.

Yet another classmate worked full time in IT last year.

 

[brunkn06]

I worked 24 hours a week (averaged) first year. It was doable but I gave it up for second year because it got to be too much as there was some traveling involved.

 

[alpinism]

Its possible to work a bunch of different jobs during the preclinical years. The question is whether its worth giving up what little free time you already have.

 

[TLAD123]

I plan on working two saturday 12's a month minimum - but because I'll be a pharmacist, I will make $60/hour.

 

[TLAD123]

I plan on working two saturday 12's a month minimum - but because I'll be a pharmacist, I will make $60/hour.