Working in med school..?

[Bookmark311]

Do you recommend working in med school? How do people do it?

[tavenan]

One of my friends was a MCAT tutor while in medschool and also tutored for interviews, though he was working part-time in these roles not full time. He matched into neurosurgery in Toronto, so it worked out for him.

I guess it depends on how focused you are. He didn't really have any interests outside of the world of medicine so he didn't "waste" any time. Ontop of all of this he also founded a company with a couple of uwaterloo engineering grads to track patient date for movement disorder specialists. So all in all I think it's definitely possible to have a job, but like I said you have to stay focused with your time. 

I would not recommend it unless you're doing something exceptional that will help you get matched into a competitive residency. 

[End Poverty]

I don't recommend working in med school b/c how busy it is in medicine. I would recommend spending all your spare time with family or friends, self-care,  exercising,..etc  However, it depends on your situation, and how much debt do you have whilst in medicine.

Few people in my class who were lawyers, NP, and nurses are working very part time ( less than 10 hours a week).. They are working very part-time..

[Lesigh2]

Depends on how much time you need to spend studying and how familiar you are with the material. No one can gauge how well you will be able to handle it better than you. I worked 16 hours a week during the semester and it was fine. Other people need that time to study or do other things. Totally individual. Do what you feel is right and if it’s not right you can always change it.

[JohnGrisham]

My rule of thumb is unless you're making 30-50$/hr+ and have very good flexibility with scheduling, its probably not worth it. The only ones I know that worked were prior flexible careers in CS, consulting, nursing and pharmacy where the hourly wage was solid and they could pick up 4-6hr shifts whenever they wanted without restrictions. 

In fact the nurses and pharmacists worked through year 3/4 also. Not during surgical block but the lighter ones.

One other person worked s 20$/hr job during year1/2 but only because they could sit around and study during the job and it was very relaxed workload.

[mononoke]

I did a few night shift work here and there, paid enough to cover my rent living in downtown toronto each month. Sure I was sleep deprived and it's not considered good 'self care' by some people's definitions but sometimes I skipped classes to sleep during the day and just watched the lectures at 2x speed later. Other classmates worked as tutors for $20-30/hr on weekends, others did lab research (they were previously lab assistants) or pharmacist, optometrist work during the day and watched lectures at night. Some worked for those med consulting companies for premeds -  not sure what the payment for this would be, perhaps someone else can share how much they earn?

Wouldn't recommend it in clerkship though especially during internal and surgery, nearly failed a rotation because I was working too much

[OwnerOfTheTARDIS]

Keep in mind that even if you can handle working, any income often reduces your bursary eligibility and amount of student loan grants, making it a waste of time.

[cleanup]

I recommend trying to enjoy your youth, which is hard enough in school.