Working while in Medical School?

[davidgareau]

I'm a good student and have always worked while in college, but I was curious if it's common for Medical School students to work in the beginning (before they do their clinical that is) What are your experiences with this, how many of the 4 years did you guys/girls work, and how many hours a week? Doing what?

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[Law2Doc]

I'm a good student and have always worked while in college, but I was curious if it's common for Medical School students to work in the beginning (before they do their clinical that is) What are your experiences with this, how many of the 4 years did you guys/girls work, and how many hours a week? Doing what?

Everybody is different. Some people can swing a part time gig while others cannot manage it. The vast majority of med students do not work. Best idea is to start out without a job, and after the first exam or so, you can decide whether you have the time to spare. Most common jobs tend to be research related.

 

[colbgw02]

i've only ever heard of one person having a job while in medical school - much less actually known someone.

it's certainly possible, but i would recommend against it. the first two years of medical school is your last chance to be a traditional student. i suggest taking advantage of your free weekends and holidays.

as to waiting until after the first test, remember that most pre-clinical curricula get progressively harder. just because you can hack it with a job during anatomy doesn't mean you'll be okay come spring when you're juggling three courses.

 

[Anka]

I worked about 20 hours per week as a preclinical student, and still work about 10 hours a week as a clinical student. It's research work for a physician-scientist. I've gotten excellent mentorship, publications, and a paycheck out of it. During my preclinical years, having a job added structure -- I had to be someplace at 7 a.m. It also forced me to be very efficient. There was a downside, of course. I had a lot less free time than other students in my class. I'd actually recommend the opposite of what others are recommending. If you think you want to work, get a position as soon as possible so your schedule is built with that in mind, rather than trying to adjust something that works later on. Unless you go to a school with attendance requirements, you'll be surprised at how much free time you have.

Best,
Anka

 

[AmericanIMG]

something slow like research/lab work is doable (most people that i know that worked in med school simply worked in the library so they could sit around and study).
IMO, bad bad bad idea (unless you are working in the med library, then its not too bad). it would be better to just take out a little more in loans and focus on your grades...you don't want to hit a semester (might be 2nd or 3rd or 4th) where up to that point you had juggled everything well then all of a sudden you find yourself in big time trouble come exam time.
instead of working, perhaps put 10hrs a week to get used to First Aid so that when it comes time for step1 you are ahead of the curve

 

[NonTradMed]

I tried the 'do everything' approach back in college and it hurt me pretty badly. I refuse to try that approach again. My first semester, I plan on doing nothing but focusing on passing my courses. I guess some people can make it through school working, but the majority that I see do not work. I'd suggest trying out first semester and see where it gets you.

 

[psychbender]

I've worked at least one job while in school up to this point (MS2 now). I'm a medic, and still put in about 170 hrs per month volunteer at the local rescue squad, then work an additional 40-80 hrs per month as a medic in another city (and get paid). This is usually weekends, and during our breaks between blocks. I'm about to quit that job because I want more time to myself, but have two other jobs to supplement income. The others are teaching Pharm to paramedic students (4 hrs a week, one night) and being a Cardiac Rehab medic (3 hrs per week, one early morning before class). Teaching really hammers home the physiology and pharmacology, and the cardiac rehab job is really just paid study time, as I only have to work if someone dies on us. I feel like I've generally had enough time to study, and that work and volunteer activities haven't jeopordized anything (well, other than a bit of the social life). So, it can be done, provided you have a job that allows you plenty of downtime to study.

 

[Wizard of Oz]

It can be done. I was a medical technologist before starting school, and the hospital lets me pick up shifts at a pretty nice per diem pay rate. There are a few other people who do it, but they are mostly nurses or other health professionals who just take shifts here or there and on the weekend.

This is not as common in years 3 and 4, as the rotations will each have their own schedule.

I agree with the others, wait until your first round of exams.

 

[docdoc]

I was a vet before returning to med school. I continued to work overnight shifts at an animal ER during the first two years, usually one 15 hr overnight shift per week. Third year was harder to get work. Your schedule is variable with less free time. I usually worked one weekend shift per month. Fourth year is great. Most of my real rotations will be done early in the year and I plan on working almost full time the second half of the year. Working the first couple of years of med school in retrospect was almost identical to what everybody does during third year. School all day with a weekly overnight call.
If you don't have to do it don't. I have a family so we needed the extra money. You would be better off just getting the loans and living a more comfortable life. Most jobs that med students can get pay very little and aren't worth the added work.

 

[bjackrian]

It can be done, especially if you find something low stress that you enjoy doing. I get paid to referee intramural sports for the undergrads at my school (usually 10-20 hours/week--some weeknights and some weekends), and I love it, plus I get a bit of extra spending money.

On the other hand, I taught for Kaplan which was better money, but I didn't like doing it, so I quit. In other words, even though Kaplan was a little less time and better money, it wasn't worth it to have one more thing that I *had* to do after studying.

 

[DocVirk]

I'm working for Kaplan too, and it's not a horrible job. It is a pain to have to work when you know you should be studying. I agree, only work if you absolutely have to (i.e. if you have a family). Otherwise, it's not worth the little bit of money you'll make.

 

[davidgareau]

I'm an EMT-B and was thinking about doing my Paramedic before Med-School so I have something that I could do in my off time for extra cash, I've also taught for Princeton Review, so considered that. However, I was just curious because I don't know how I will "feed" my family. I'm not worried about social life, as I am not the big socialite, nor is my wife.

My family is me, my wife, our cat and my credit card bills

Some of you said, just take out more loans, I thought loans were only to cover tuition and fees? Will they cover books? Housing? Food? Transportation? Supplies for class?

 

[Flopotomist]

My thoughts on working while in med school -

Is it POSSIBLE? Sure... for a few hours a week (certainly no more than about 5-8 MAX).

HOWEVER... why? You will only be generating a couple hundred bucks (at MOST) and you will be missing out on a lot of the fun things that you can do as extracurriculars (plus you will be stressing yourself out with academics).

I say just take out an extra 2K in loans per year instead of working, and join some clubs that you are interested in and actually enjoy medical school.

 

[bjackrian]

Some of you said, just take out more loans, I thought loans were only to cover tuition and fees? Will they cover books? Housing? Food? Transportation? Supplies for class?

Yes, they will (at least to a large degree). Financial aid budgets are bast on costs of attendance--not just tuition and fees. Therefore, each school sets an amount you get for living expenses (at my school in Washington, DC, it's about $14,000, not including money budgeted for travel home, local transportation, and insurance). Most schools have a copy of their financial aid budgets on their websites--check 'em out!

 

[Law2Doc]

Some of you said, just take out more loans, I thought loans were only to cover tuition and fees? Will they cover books? Housing? Food? Transportation? Supplies for class?

You can often borrow even a lot more than you really need actually, once lenders see you are enrolled in a professional school. It's just not always a good idea to see how far you can push that envelope.

 

[PowderHound]

I'm a third year and I work Saturday nights waitressing/bartending. I have done so since I began medical school. It's kind of a pain now that I'm on clerkships and have to go in on the weekends so I get zero days off, but I really found it to be a nice break when I was pre-clinical...get to interact with "real" people, etc. Plus an extra $150 a week in cash is nice. Do what works for you; you can always quit if it gets out of hand.

 

[dr4ku]

Working over a 2 year period earning anything under $20 per hour is a waste of your time. It just drains your brain of time spent studying. And, to make 20+, you have to work. So, you will not be studying.
So, you are working 20hrs per week @ 20 = 400x3=1200/mo. 1200/mo for 2 years wld be 28000 = take home of 22k If loaned, it would be approx. 40K to pay back over a 10 year period.
You make 200K/yr x 10 yrs is 2mil. Take home of 11K/mo. The load of that loan over a ten year period is a payment add-on of approx. 300.00/mo. So, that would be 3% of your take home pay. Is that worth it? I say squeeze your lenders hand and build your credit.

 

[Anka]

It depends on what you're doing. If all your getting is money, some might decide it's not worth it (personally, I'd rather graduate with less debt). However, if you're working in a lab and have the opportunity to get publications, mentorship, etc. there's more value added there.

Anka

 

[Catalystik]

During med school I worked up to three part-time jobs, all medically related: doing pre-op physicals for a CV surgery unit, pre-employment physicals for a large department store, and putting IVs in at night if the nurses couldn't get them (but mostly sleeping). I also got paid for participating in research projects. I graduated owing one semester's (state school) tuition worth of debt. To me being nearly debt-free and learning to do top-notch, speedy physcials was more important than staying in the top 10% of my class. You have to know your priorities before you make the decision to work.

 

[theantidrug4u]

has anyone had a job other than research or non-med stuff? I'm graduating with an engineering degree and a few consulting firms have said they would be willing to hire me part time to do work on projects. I just want to know if thats even possible, handling a job thats a bit more high stress and probably high demand. I figure if MBA students can work part time we should be able to right? or am I just dreaming. The job does pay upwards of 25 dollars an hour but I'm not going to risk failing out for it.

 

[AmericanIMG]

has anyone had a job other than research or non-med stuff? I'm graduating with an engineering degree and a few consulting firms have said they would be willing to hire me part time to do work on projects. I just want to know if thats even possible, handling a job thats a bit more high stress and probably high demand. I figure if MBA students can work part time we should be able to right? or am I just dreaming. The job does pay upwards of 25 dollars an hour but I'm not going to risk failing out for it.

no job is worth the risk vs. the reward. things might be fine and dandy, but when you hit finals time, or even exam time in general and you are trying to review your path pharm and micro you will be kicking yourself...not to mention that every hr worked is an hr you could be prepping for step1 and getting yourself a better residency. plain foolish in my mind, just as foolish as getting into high end debt (new car etc) while in residency.

 

[Law2Doc]

has anyone had a job other than research or non-med stuff? I'm graduating with an engineering degree and a few consulting firms have said they would be willing to hire me part time to do work on projects. I just want to know if thats even possible, handling a job thats a bit more high stress and probably high demand. I figure if MBA students can work part time we should be able to right? or am I just dreaming. The job does pay upwards of 25 dollars an hour but I'm not going to risk failing out for it.

You are just dreaming. Comparing to an MBA program is unrealistic. MBA programs are often designed to allow folks to squeeze in part time work, but even if not, the workload is typically several times lighter. There is no way to do a high stress, high demand job and do decently med school. Sorry.

 

[lorelei]

For me, working keeps me sane. I waited until halfway through first year to start working, and I should have done it earlier (right after the first test). I don't work a lot, just several hours a week usually. I teach for Kaplan and do other stuff on the side - freelance editing, tutoring, etc. The only thing I'll do for under $20 an hour is proctor tests for Kaplan, as I can study or read while I'm doing that.

Why working is good for me:
-somehow I stress less about money when I have an income, even if I'm only bringing in $100 extra a month. Also, knowing that I have the option to teach more and get more money if I want new shoes or my cat gets sick reduces stress.
-I need structured time. If I have hours and hours every day where I don't have to be anywhere, I will spend lots of it sitting on the couch doing nothing and getting depressed.
-you people who want to focus your entire life on your medical studies are nuts. I need to have exposure to people and ideas outside school.
-it keeps me smart by letting me use my brain in different ways.

So I don't think you should work if it causes your learning to suffer, but for me, working improves my mental health and happiness which actually allows me to learn better.

 

[Trekkie963]

I pretty much agree with lorelai 100%. I also began teaching for Kaplan part way through my first year, more as a way to keep myself sane than as an actual extra source of income. I am no means at the top of my med school class, but if I hadn't worked I still don't think I would be. Even though studying for medical school is very tough and time-consuming, you do need to do other things with your life. For some people, working part-time during medical school may be a productive change of pace.

 

[AmericanIMG]

Lorelai and Trekkie you are one of the few that can do this, and congrats

 

[primadonna22274]

I plan to work--I'm a PA and could pick up 4 shifts/month (12 hr) and realistically net $2200/mo--enough to cover the mortgage and basic needs.
Unlike some of you, I already owe $100k for my PA & undergrad and don't want to bury myself much deeper than I have to if it can be helped.
But I don't plan to work every weekend or holiday or vacation, and that will be freedom to me.
L.

 

[little_late_MD]

Every stripper I meet says shes working her way through med school.

 

[bubbylover]

how much does kaplan pay? i'm thinking of joining up with them but it has to be at least the same money as bartending one night a week. looks like i will be working through at least my first year so i'm trying to figure out what i can do to stay afloat.

 

[lilnoelle]

I figure that I put in at least 30 hours in a week taking care of my kids and house. I don't get paid for it either. (Well, I guess thats not entirely true, there are perks to my "job", they just don't involve a paycheck)

I definitely think that its POSSIBLE for a person who is motivated to work and good at time management. If I had to work, I'd want to make sure it was an extremely flexible job in which I could work when I had time available. That way, I wouldn't have to stress out about how I was going to fit in a shift AND study for my exam at the end of the week. If your job is TRULY flexible, then I think it'd work.

 

[Law2Doc]

how much does kaplan pay? i'm thinking of joining up with them but it has to be at least the same money as bartending one night a week. looks like i will be working through at least my first year so i'm trying to figure out what i can do to stay afloat.

Way to revive a 2 year old thread. I think there is actually a more recent one that is active. At any rate, you are best off starting with no job and seeing what's what. Once you get through an exam or two, and are staying afloat, then sure, add that low impact job. It's not an accident that most people don't find time to work while in med school though. Some percentage of the class is struggling to get by, another chunk is struggling to get plastics/derm, and most in the middle would prefer to blow off steam for a few hours if they have it.

 

[dd128]

Something I'm wondering about, is if there is an actual need for an average single med student with no family to support to work?

 

[lilnoelle]

Way to revive a 2 year old thread. I think there is actually a more recent one that is active.

Oops... I didn't see that.

 

[wisconsindoctor]

My thoughts on working while in med school -

Is it POSSIBLE? Sure... for a few hours a week (certainly no more than about 5-8 MAX).

HOWEVER... why? You will only be generating a couple hundred bucks (at MOST) and you will be missing out on a lot of the fun things that you can do as extracurriculars (plus you will be stressing yourself out with academics).

I say just take out an extra 2K in loans per year instead of working, and join some clubs that you are interested in and actually enjoy medical school.

Please, 5-8 max? Just 2 hours of work for 7 days a week can give you 14 hours. You would only do this for the first two years though unless its a type of job that you can do via the computer.

Although I'm not a medical student, I do have two small part-time gigs that I can do via the computer that gives me 20 hours per week of work. These two small gigs gives me 1,000 dollars a month (this isn't counting a full-time job).

 

[Phoenix.]

Please, 5-8 max? Just 2 hours of work for 7 days a week can give you 14 hours. You would only do this for the first two years though unless its a type of job that you can do via the computer.

Although I'm not a medical student, I do have two small part-time gigs that I can do via the computer that gives me 20 hours per week of work. These two small gigs gives me 1,000 dollars a month (this isn't counting a full-time job).

Flopotomist was talking about 5-8 hours of work a WEEK, not a day. I'm currently contemplating trying that myself. I've got a pretty high paying hourly gig right now, and am thinking about trying to talk them into letting me continue for about 5-8 hours per week (not sure if they'd go for it though). If I didn't have a mortgage (and thus high expenses beyond my COA) I probably wouldn't do it, but that prospective $300,000 of debt is making me lose sleep at night already and I haven't even taken out any med school loans yet (I'm starting med school this July). Of course, I can see the wisdom in waiting to see how you do in med school before taking on outside work. Hrm.

 

[lilnoelle]

Flopotomist was talking about 5-8 hours of work a WEEK, not a day. I'm currently contemplating trying that myself. I've got a pretty high paying hourly gig right now, and am thinking about trying to talk them into letting me continue for about 5-8 hours per week (not sure if they'd go for it though). If I didn't have a mortgage (and thus high expenses beyond my COA) I probably wouldn't do it, but that prospective $300,000 of debt is making me lose sleep at night already and I haven't even taken out any med school loans yet (I'm starting med school this July). Of course, I can see the wisdom in waiting to see how you do in med school before taking on outside work. Hrm.

I think that wisconsindoctor was thinking it would be easy to do much more than 5-8 hours a week.

 

[Phoenix.]

I think that wisconsindoctor was thinking it would be easy to do much more than 5-8 hours a week.

Wow, talk about sloppy reading. Thanks for clarifying. Yeesh.

 

[soeagerun2or]

I kept my job at Abercrombie but cut hours a lot. First two years it's not a problem, 3rd year can be harder and traveling 4th year can severely restrict hours. Also, a paid research gig can be nice because in essence you're being paid to both build your CV and study.

 

[notdeadyet]

I think that wisconsindoctor was thinking it would be easy to do much more than 5-8 hours a week.

I think wisconsindoctor will have a better idea of how realistic this is or isn't once s/he's in medical school.

Folks who are able to handle part-time jobs in medical schools are there, but they're outliers.

Telling folks they can handle a part-time job while in med school is like telling someone to get a 36 on the MCAT. Sure, it's possible, but it's just plain highly unlikely.

 

[UVABranch]

what about bartending somewhere one a month? Some places you can make about 400+ in a night, those in school, do you think that would really have a negative imapct on your studies? I think a 4k decrease in loans would be worth it...

 

[lilnoelle]

what about bartending somewhere one a month? Some places you can make about 400+ in a night, those in school, do you think that would really have a negative imapct on your studies? I think a 4k decrease in loans would be worth it...

My guess is that it would be difficult to get a job that pays so well and is willing to let you work once a month. If they pay that well, then they probably have plenty of people that want the job and are willing to work many more hours.

 

[primadonna22274]

Maybe not. Plenty of smaller EDs need weekend coverage. There's a job locally that I could pick up $1200 in 2 weekend days (day shift) and they're trying to build a pool of per diem PAs to do just that. In fact the job is advertised as "perfect for someone who has a full-time job" since the job is straight salary with malpractice covered, no benefits.

My guess is that it would be difficult to get a job that pays so well and is willing to let you work once a month. If they pay that well, then they probably have plenty of people that want the job and are willing to work many more hours.

 

[CardiacIntensivist]

It is definitely possible to work during medical school (at least during first year). Just keep the hours down to a minimum (no more than 10 hours) and make sure you really enjoy that line of work. If you're not having a good time, it will make things more stressful. Everytime I take off from work I leave happy and energized and so I am able to continue.

 

[CardiacIntensivist]

how much does kaplan pay? i'm thinking of joining up with them but it has to be at least the same money as bartending one night a week. looks like i will be working through at least my first year so i'm trying to figure out what i can do to stay afloat.

Depends on where you are. When I was in Upstate NY, I got paid 17 an hour starting (for teaching) along with 7 an hour for preparing classes. Another common one is for proctoring which goes for 10 an hour.

At the Metro area of Kaplan, starting is 22 an hour for teaching (the rest is similar). They also have something called the Elite program which means that if you get enough positive feedback from a certain amount of students you get a raise of 5 dollars an hour which caps at the pay of $50 an hour. From my knowledge, very few teachers actually build on those elite levels. I taught for a year until I reached Elite level I.

I hear about other programs that have a much higher starting pay for teaching. I think Examkrackers is around 35 dollars an hour? Maybe someone can confirm that for me.

 

[45408]

I've still got my job as an EMT. I only work about once a month though, either a 16 or 24 hour shift. I just schedule it for the weekend right after our exams, when I wouldn't be studying anyways. The money is negligible compared my wife's full-time job, but it keeps me feeling a little more sane.

I think my license will actually still be valid until a month after I get my MD. I should ride around in the ambulance and tell my patients "Trust me, I'm a doctor."

 

[PreMD86]

It is definitely possible to work during medical school (at least during first year). Just keep the hours down to a minimum (no more than 10 hours) and make sure you really enjoy that line of work. If you're not having a good time, it will make things more stressful. Everytime I take off from work I leave happy and energized and so I am able to continue.

Would you mind sharing what it is you do that leaves you happy and energized? No matter what job I do, work always feels like work, it's just a high pay that keeps it pallatable.

 

[lilnoelle]

Maybe not. Plenty of smaller EDs need weekend coverage. There's a job locally that I could pick up $1200 in 2 weekend days (day shift) and they're trying to build a pool of per diem PAs to do just that. In fact the job is advertised as "perfect for someone who has a full-time job" since the job is straight salary with malpractice covered, no benefits.

Well, you have a very marketable skill. I was talking more about the average med student who doesn't have a marketable skill. (My post was referring mostly to the idea of bartending once a month)

 

[primadonna22274]

True. For me at this point in my life the only way I could imagine affording to go back to med school is if I could work a little and make a little $$. I've gotten too used to an income to totally give it up. Also I owe so much $$ for PA school still that I don't want to take on any more debt than necessary.
But see, I don't have any little kids like you do, and if I did I don't know how I could fit in work. Unfortunately I have a poor teacher husband so he can't really pick up the slack.
L.

Well, you have a very marketable skill. I was talking more about the average med student who doesn't have a marketable skill. (My post was referring mostly to the idea of bartending once a month)

 

[CardiacIntensivist]

Would you mind sharing what it is you do that leaves you happy and energized? No matter what job I do, work always feels like work, it's just a high pay that keeps it pallatable.

What's to explain? I'm an attention *****. I like being in front of a classroom, teaching the science I learned in college (a rare sub group of people actually enjoyed the premedical classes, like me ) . I like having 30 pairs of eyes on me and I thought stripping would be too creepy.

 

[nieceyj12]

I'm super late, but I will be working for at least the first semester. I'm teaching for Kaplan and I'm teaching a intro Bio class for non-majors at a local university...an idea I definitely recommend for anyone who has a graduate degree. I figure since it's non-majors I'll make it super easy and we'll all be happy Plus, it's great experience since I might do academic medicine

 

[PreMedNuevaYork]

Examkrackers starts at $28/hour. You earn "bonuses" based on how the students evaluate you. I think the maximum is $40/hour.
I have a graduate degree and have taught undergraduates; I was considering continuing to teach during my first semester, but I think I'd rather focus on my studies.