Your job during your undergrad?

[volleywallyMD]

I thought I would start this thread to see what kinds of jobs you all had as undergrads. Anybody flipping hamburgers? Anybody making really good money? Any suggestions as to what jobs are better to have as a pre-med undergrad???

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[Stolenspatulas]

I thought I would start this thread to see what kinds of jobs you all had as undergrads. Anybody flipping hamburgers? Anybody making really good money? Any suggestions as to what jobs are better to have as a pre-med undergrad???

Worked as a Circulation Desk Assistant during the summer before I took the MCAT. Between checking out books and handling requests, I studied for the MCAT.

Worked as a Princeton Review MCAT teacher. GOod money there if you have the time. Med students do this as well... though I think I'll stop.

Worked as a tutor through the ugrad's tutoring program. $10/hr.

Can't go wrong with tutoring/teaching. Find some needy high school kids.

 

[MDAdam]

Undergrad job? What undergrad job?

I am still an undergrad and have not had a job since my high school years. I will work at an internship this summer which will pay me a stipend. Other than that it would rather hard to juggle classes, extracurriculars, and a job. I have a lot of respect to those of you who can maintain a job and be a premed. We did not pick the easiest career path.

 

[greytmedic]

Firefighter/Paramedic

 

[Dr.D-man]

Phlebotomy has been a great job. Tutoring was nice too.

 

[alwaysaangel]

I paid my way through undergrad so I always had a job.

One year I was a cashier at a coffee shop. Then I was a tutor at a middle school. And my last two years I worked as an office assistant (this was the best gig - paid like 12.50 an hour and it was easy, fun, and you occaisionally got free time or study time).

I also picked up odd jobs here and there - if you like babysitting look for a babysitting job I got $13/hr and the kids were almost always in bed pretty early which meant study time.

 

[alicias108]

Right now, I sell wedding gowns fulltime at David's Bridal. It's customer service intensive and I deal with people everyday..sometimes they're pissed, sometimes they cry, sometimes they hate me..all in a days work. I have a 401K, insurance and make decent money for an undergrad.

Alicia

 

[etf]

flipping equities.

 

[baylormed]

Serving ice cream and making slushies...mmmm. (I miss the free perks)

Working as an office assistant on campus.

Department stores (NEVER AGAIN!! hahaha)

Tutoring here and there.

That's it.

 

[Steve203]

I like cheese

 

[volleywallyMD]

During the interviews for med school, did they not care that you never had experience in the medical field as far as a job is concerned?

 

[Steve203]

During the interviews for med school, did they not care that you never had experience in the medical field as far as a job is concerned?

I volunteered and shadowed for 2 years, so that wasn't an issue as far as experience went. They were actually receptive to the fact that I worked and had a career outside of medicine. I have also been teaching high school for the past 2 years, so I've had plenty of experience doing other jobs...all this time doing other things had really made me sure that medicine is what I want to do.

 

[baylormed]

I volunteered and shadowed for 2 years, so that wasn't an issue as far as experience went. They were actually receptive to the fact that I worked and had a career outside of medicine. I have also been teaching high school for the past 2 years, so I've had plenty of experience doing other jobs...all this time doing other things had really made me sure that medicine is what I want to do.

Amen.

Nothing like a 12-hour shift at a crappy job to motivate you to study even more.

 

[Aggie07grl]

I worked at a summer camp the summer between my freshman and sophmore years (it was my third summer there) then my sophmore year I worked in a honey bee research lab (lots of washing dishes and feeding bees...i got to wear the big white bee suits too!) and my last job was in the vet school at my university. I've had lots of babysitting jobs too.

 

[armybound]

First aid team for intramural sports freshman/sophomore years
Tech in the ICU sophomore year

Didn't hold a job again until I graduated.
Now in grad school I'm a TA for ugrad biology lab.

 

[SupergreenMnM]

Firefighter/emt for beginning, tutored a lot later for bio/chem/physio. Paid undergrad TA position as a senior. Hired as an instructor during graduate school.

 

[SpartanBlueJay2]

My main job during undergrad was as an office assistant in a residency office. Mostly boring office work, but interview season was fun, and match day could be crazy. Also spent a summer working in clinical trials. During grad school I've done a couple TA stints and tutored. Technically, we weren't supposed to work outside of school during grad school, but I had some unexpected major dental bills that I wanted to get paid off (word to the wise... don't blow off the dentist during college, you'll pay for it later!).

 

[Baum123]

I'm still an undergrad like a few of you, working part-time as a certified surgical tech (scrub nurse). It's great to work side by side with all sorts of medical professionals and know exactly what I'm getting into. Plus, the pay is great, not many other jobs an undergrad can hold and get $24/hr. Participating in a few thousand surgeries can't hurt a medical school application either.

 

[flyingdutchman]

Did clinical research in anesthesiology for 3 years while also working at various restaurants as a server.

 

[microgal]

Washed dishes for my sorority during the year...real fun

Worked for a Biotech startup during the summers that then let me do consulting from across the country during the year. It paid REALLY well...I should have gone back there after graduating instead of taking the stupid lab job I have now!






Ooh I almost forgot my banana

 

[mongrel]

...not many other jobs an undergrad can hold and get $24/hr. Participating in a few thousand surgeries can't hurt a medical school application either.

Wowzas, man. That's awesome! If I could do over I'd certainly look into something like that. As for me, I worked two summers in a pharmaceutical production lab, tutored freshman chem students during the semester, took off school for an 8 month engineering internship in biotech industry, and for a very short stint worked as a pharmacy tech (note: VERY short, didn't take long to rule that path out!).

 

[trainride]

I valet parked at night and on weekends. Paid well and I got to drive just about every car under the sun. (not including exotics and such) Probably one of the best jobs ever if you did not have to work when all the parties were going on!

 

[NickRiviera]

Investment Banker

 

[microgal]

Investment Banker

You were an investment banker as an undergrad? Um ok

 

[carn311]

Tech in oncology and then critical care. The critical care job is at a local community hospital so I get to do a ton more (telemetry, phlebotomy, transcription, etc) and make a TON more. I'm sorry I have to leave the job for medschool this fall...I might have tried to keep it parttime.

 

[Auron]

sales agent for a major telephone company. I make more sales then anyone here, the commission is just awesome
I'd say for a college student I'm making a ton of money, but the summer is the big one, I'll make serious money in the summer. I wonder why I don't get an MBA at times. I guess MD/MBA for me.

 

[blargh]

boring lab job for about 3 years where i got promoted by $1/hour each year. definitely not big money.

summer research stipends... they're great for the CV and come with money!

teaching assistant. our university pays about $13.60/hour.

before freshman year i worked at a subway sandwiches and as a technical writer. working at subway was actually the most interesting job i've had so far. it was probably the most work, but when the boss would leave (every day around 3), we'd start watergun fights with the kid's meal toys, listen to music, and feed our friends and families.

 

[MonkeyNuts!]

Uh, my name is Hope, yo
I was blessed with the body of the Goddesses
Have you any idea how hard this is?
I could flex in 25 positions
But I only work here to pay my tuition
Yo, tantalizing teaser
Table-top pleaser
Give me what I need a
Mastercard a Visa
Black mans fantasy
Picture us on a all white canopy
Wyclef extended his hand to me
Like Billy D. said he's feelin me
Take me away from here, so far
Where they ride horses, no cars
No more stripping in bars
Me and you 'Clef, against the odds

 

[MessyJessie]

sterilizing speculums ... I kid you not! Worst job ever!

 

[JennyB]

Summer before college I sold tickets at a movie theater, then I worked at a restaurant as a hostess up until summer before junior year, then I worked at a Jet SKi rental place until summer before senior year...then I got smart and decided I wanted to do something somewhat medically-related, so I got a job in the hospital as an admin asst. Now I work there full-time.

 

[bbabul01]

Sperm donation.

 

[Topspin82]

Did research and my PI took pity on me and gave me $$$, which isn't too bad but lab work isn't well paying unless you're in a powerhouse lab with lots of publications and grant money.

I have a farking paper cut on my pointer finger

 

[Crazy4F1]

i work as an office assistant in a dorm. in between answering the phone (almost never rings), and signing out spare keys to kids whose roommates have locked them out while theyre in the shower (almost never happens)...i sit in the office and do my homework for the princely sum of 7.75 an hour.

 

[Chargers]

Sperm donation.

me too bro, me too. plus you get free time to read over the MCAT material when you're in that private room. I get off by just doing a passage .

 

[beauregard]

Summer resort reservation maker
Pharmacy Tech
Office assistant
ER Registration
Urgent care registration
Research work

(I've always had at least 2 jobs, but at some points 3.)

 

[ssquared]

I teach MCAT classes. Not bad money, and it doesn't feel like a job (huge plus in my book). I did research over the summers, as well.

Before I got to college I worked in a competitive swim shop (cool) and was a lifeguard for a long time (not so cool).

 

[curlywurly]

lifeguard
university housing food service-worst job ever, but decent pay
probably lifeguarding again this summer or waiting tables

 

[lina123321]

retail...an emoticon should suffice my feelings towards it:

 

[chemist323]

During school Year:
My best paying job in undergrad: IT Consultant
Other jobs: Mentorship program coordinator, High School Math/Science Tutor, Sorted campus mail for students.

 

[scholj]

Freshman year I didn't work. Summer after freshman year, I was a teacher's aide and a lifeguard. Sophomore year I started working for the people who call alumn and ask for money. Horrible decision... bad hours, bad pay, and everyone hates you. That lasted a year. Then that next summer I worked at a small deli and espresso bar while taking O Chem 1 and 2. I started working at Applied BioPhysics in the second semester of my junior year, first doing research, then as the quality control manager (it's a small company!). Good money there, great people, and GREAT contacts! I've been working there ever since. I'll be sad to leave

 

[arex]

Haven't worked yet but I'm only a freshman, wondering what would be best to do for the summer though. I don't live near school over the summer so getting a lab job over the summer wouldn't be easy. However, I do live near a couple hospitals and they hire patient transporters for around $11-12 an hour. How good would this be on an application in comparison to volunteering in a hospital? I also plan on doing shadowing and lab work/research later on, and I guess working in a hospital could help make contacts for shadowing later on.

 

[KaraKiz]

I worked FT through college.. here's my list:

Office Assistant
Physicians Record Assistant (ER)
Hostess
Waitress
Research Assistant (7 internships, 5 diff labs.. so tired of research.. )
Waitress (again)
Teaching Assistant

Best job was waitressing. The work can be hard on your body (knees, back, feet...), but you can make a ton of money, especially if you work weekends.

 

[TMP-SMX]

Research can pay well if you are at the right university with a lot of funding. I'll have earned 6000 total, 3000 last summer and 3000 for September through June.

TAing can be easy money even though it isn't much. Just maximize your hours and TA multiple classes.

I've never tutored but you can charge obscene amounts of money so that's what I would recommend.

 

[IUHoosier21]

I'm convinced that I have the best job as an undergrad and would seriously never quit if they paid me more than $6.50/hr. I am a kitchen boy at one of the sororities on campus. Basically I cook, serve, and mingle with 120 of the most beautiful women that IU has to offer and then take as many leftovers home as I'd like. In other words I get paid to cook, eat, and flirt. I don't think it gets any better than that (at least for a single guy).

 

[momtwo]

My daughters were both pre-med.

Daughter 1 worked as an EMT volunteer(12 hours week overnight) and as a clinical research assistant at an Oncology Medical office(15 hours week), she volunteered in an Alzheimer's clinic on Sundays(3 hours). She worked part time also in a pharmacogenomics lab(10 hours). Full time every break and summer plus weekends extra. She's a Physician Assistant / Oncology.

Daughter 2 worked as ane EMT volunteer(12-24 hours week overnight), an EMT in transport(12 hours week), a pharmacy tech(4 hours most every week), and in the pharmacogenomics lab(10 hours week). Full time every break and summer plus extra on weekends. She'll start medical school this summer.

They did all those things at the same time.......all four years.

In highschool they worked in chiropractic office, in a dermatologist office (receptionist) and at a fast food restaurant - one job at a time. They also volunteered in the lab before college to get their feet in the door. Got EMT and CNA certification during highschool so started volunteering at 16.

 

[brbsb]

I'm a resident assistant in one of the residence halls at my college. It takes up a lot of time and doesn't always pay terribly well (although free room and board is nice), but it's been a good experience. I've really enjoyed it.

During summers, I've worked as a waitress primarily...at a country club, I made $15-20/hr depending on the day and the tips!

 

[BlackSails]

Next year, my "job" will be working in a lab, and possible TAing a gen chem clinic.

 

[picaresque]

As an undergrad, in chronological order, i was:
1. A short order cook in a school cafeteria
2. A convenience store clerk (later an assistant manager)
3. A carnival employee (only in summers, and I "drove" a small train)
4. A photo technician for the anatomical pathology dept of a med center
5. A medical guinea pig
Do I win a prize for most schizophrenic employment history?

 

[Vanguard23]

Pharmacy Technician in a hospital for two years now, full time. Lots of clinical experience, I get familiar with a lot of drugs and what their mechanisms of action are, and since I work the midnights, I go on codes(which are normally reserved for pharmacists, but we only have one on midnights, so he has to stay in the pharmacy). I've seen lots of cardiac and respiratory codes, intubations performed, lines ran, and all that, with the presence of an E.R doc and even a trauma surgeon.
I think that will look good on an app.

 

[blargh]

As an undergrad, in chronological order, i was:
1. A short order cook in a school cafeteria
2. A convenience store clerk (later an assistant manager)
3. A carnival employee (only in summers, and I "drove" a small train)
4. A photo technician for the anatomical pathology dept of a med center
5. A medical guinea pig
Do I win a prize for most schizophrenic employment history?

haha! from cook to carnie to experiment!