Exia Posted May 24, 2009 Report Share Posted May 24, 2009 I am going to be a Class of 2013 student next year and I just had a couple questions about med for all the medical students out there. I wanted to work a part-time job over the year, but from what I've heard so far, med is a pretty time consuming program. I was wondering if it was possible to work a PT job, would it be really difficult to do so, and if I can, how much could I reasonably expect to work? Welcoming all advice negative and positive . Thanks and congrats to all my fellow 2013 and 2012'ers!!! We worked hard and we did it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted May 24, 2009 Report Share Posted May 24, 2009 Someone who used to post here eons ago worked as a paramedic during medical school. I intend to do the same (as long as it doesn't result in my losing more money in bursaries than I'd make on the wahhhmbulance). It works out well because if you are in a quiet area like me, you have a ton of downtime, so you get paid to study all day. But I don't know how many other jobs would allow you to have that much downtime; and I don't know how tough it would be to work at a job that actually had you busy the entire time you were there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLengr Posted May 24, 2009 Report Share Posted May 24, 2009 I am going to be a Class of 2013 student next year and I just had a couple questions about med for all the medical students out there. I wanted to work a part-time job over the year, but from what I've heard so far, med is a pretty time consuming program. I was wondering if it was possible to work a PT job, would it be really difficult to do so, and if I can, how much could I reasonably expect to work? Welcoming all advice negative and positive . Thanks and congrats to all my fellow 2013 and 2012'ers!!! We worked hard and we did it! It's hardly worth it. You don't get much free time and why waste it. The money you make won't really make a dent in your debt. Better to use the free time relaxing and trying to keep your sanity. NOTE: If you have some job where a 8 hour shift is going to haul you in $500 bucks, then yeah maybe try to get a Saturday night shift. I know a few people who were pharmacists before med, and they sometimes pull a Saturday night shift at Shoppers. But they make enough doing it to make it worthwhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1234 Posted May 24, 2009 Report Share Posted May 24, 2009 good point additionally, with the huge time consumption that is med, unless you have a job like jochi stated, you are just asking for a burn out. Enjoy the time you do have off in preclerkship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darla Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 On the other hand though, having something that is definitely *not* med school related can be a great outlet. If that's something you think you'll need and the job doesn't give you the flexibility that you need to study it may be worth considering volunteering or taking interest classes outside of school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 On the other hand though, having something that is definitely *not* med school related can be a great outlet. If that's something you think you'll need and the job doesn't give you the flexibility that you need to study it may be worth considering volunteering or taking interest classes outside of school. This worries me about the ambulance thing, actually. I remember when I was nearing the end of my 90-day EMS school/EMS job stint (with a grand total of 2 days off through it all), I got to the point where I'd literally feel a wave of nausea coming on whenever I heard the words "911 dispatch with in-town call information when you're ready, over," "interfacility transfer," and "we're 10-17 to 112," lol. Burnout is a scary thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exia Posted May 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 thanks for all the input guys (and girls) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 On the other hand though, having something that is definitely *not* med school related can be a great outlet. If that's something you think you'll need and the job doesn't give you the flexibility that you need to study it may be worth considering volunteering or taking interest classes outside of school. yeah, I am hopoing to continue to do some computer programming in school, if nothing else for something different to do. The fact that I will probably be paid for it is secondary but of course nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 I would say it depends on the person, and you almost have to try med school & see if you personally have time to (and want to) fit in part-time work. In that sense, I would either wait until school starts to see how it goes and get a job if you decide you want to, or get a job that you can easily quit if you end up choosing not to work (ie a job were everyone won't be depending on you). Also, I'd only consider part-time work if you have something you really like. Pharmacy, paramedicine, ski-patrolling & research assistantships are jobs some people at my school have held during pre-clerkship. They had a flexible schedule that could be worked around their exams, and just really enjoyed the work. If it's going to be minimum wage at a job where you're not super interested, and/or if the schedule won't be flexible, I would avoid it. There's so many fun activities that you can do in those first 2 years that you're sure not to be bored, to learn a lot and to have so much fun doing non-work-related things, that your average job is usually not worth it, especially considering the little impact it would have on your debt. I'd say the vast majority of people chose not to work during the school year, and those that did only worked about one shift/week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidkey777 Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 As a medicine student, I don't think you have much time for out-side job. Just concentrate on your study! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swift Fox Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 No offence but you are a fool if you work. Why are you working? To make money??? If so that lil' spare change will likely mean nothing as it will be a drop in a sea of debt. Yet when you are out, and if didn't like high off the hog during medical school, it should be a synch paying off this debt. Why complicate your life further by working as a med student? You have enough on your plate, trust me. Just suck up the debt as a student. It is manageable after you are out of med school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neisseria Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 I think some folks are missing the point. I don't expect to earn enough money to pay down my debt. But I would definitely like to earn enough to cover my outings with friends, say at a dinner or movie or buying something nice for your family before Christmas. When you see your crd card balance is going up while your acct is not, it's quite unsettling (especially for me since I've worked all through my undergrad). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLengr Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 The few bucks you earn to cover going out for beers once a week is not going to make you feel any better about the mountain of debt you will be in. In fact, you'll probably feel worse since you are wasting the little time for relaxing you will get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviathan Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 I know of an ALS paramedic who worked one shift/week during med school. He basically graduated debt free by doing this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neisseria Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 I can work and not feel stressed. I used to work at an office and look forward to going to work not because the job is exhilirating but because the people are great and always have something fun to chat about. Honestly that's relaxing from all the studying and school related junk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-Stark Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 But does such an office have normal 9-5 hours? That almost certainly won't fly with med school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 I know of an ALS paramedic who worked one shift/week during med school. He basically graduated debt free by doing this. Probably the same guy I know, lol. I wouldn't make enough $ to live on doing 4 shifts a month, but it'd certainly take care of the mortgage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flying kumquat Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 I worked as a prosector first term in second year of med school. I (and about 11 other classmates) had my own cadaver and prepared weekly dissections for the first year class' anatomy teaching. We were paid well and I learned anatomy way better than I ever did in first year. While it did get a bit stressful towards exams (we only have one set per term), I still did well on them and it was definitely worth it overall. There are many jobs that are around that pay more than minimum wage and can be worth your while. I think it's a shame to be so inflexible as to say, "No jobs in medical school, ever," as you can miss some interesting opportunities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 I worked as a prosector first term in second year of med school. I (and about 11 other classmates) had my own cadaver and prepared weekly dissections for the first year class' anatomy teaching. We were paid well and I learned anatomy way better than I ever did in first year. While it did get a bit stressful towards exams (we only have one set per term), I still did well on them and it was definitely worth it overall. There are many jobs that are around that pay more than minimum wage and can be worth your while. I think it's a shame to be so inflexible as to say, "No jobs in medical school, ever," as you can miss some interesting opportunities. How did you nab that gig? Did you just do really well in your meds anatomy course? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Microbiodude Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 I worked as a prosector first term in second year of med school. I (and about 11 other classmates) had my own cadaver and prepared weekly dissections for the first year class' anatomy teaching. We were paid well and I learned anatomy way better than I ever did in first year. While it did get a bit stressful towards exams (we only have one set per term), I still did well on them and it was definitely worth it overall. There are many jobs that are around that pay more than minimum wage and can be worth your while. I think it's a shame to be so inflexible as to say, "No jobs in medical school, ever," as you can miss some interesting opportunities. haha, I read Prosecutor...then cadaver dissections...and I got a bit scared. LOL, especially with the 11 others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviathan Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 Probably the same guy I know, lol. I wouldn't make enough $ to live on doing 4 shifts a month, but it'd certainly take care of the mortgage. The guy I heard of is now an emerg doc in BC. Basically one shift a week would get you around $21,000 a year, which would be enough for tuition and a bit extra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 The guy I heard of is now an emerg doc in BC. Basically one shift a week would get you around $21,000 a year, which would be enough for tuition and a bit extra. OK, not the same guy then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flying kumquat Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 How did you nab that gig? Did you just do really well in your meds anatomy course? Yeah, it was based on anatomy marks. I really enjoyed the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviathan Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 Yeah, it was based on anatomy marks. I really enjoyed the job. That's totally unfair! I could have been an anatomy TA, but it was a volunteer position. Hahaha. I still considered it though, because I'm sure it'd definitely help you retain all that material. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurfette Posted June 14, 2009 Report Share Posted June 14, 2009 I think it totally depends on your situation. Most people do not have a part-time job because med school is enough to handle already and if you don't overspend you should be able to repay back everything once you start making money (ie. practicing). Many people do work during the summers (if you're at a school with summers in preclerkship). However, there are exceptions to this. I know that some people do work part-time. These generally are students who were in somewhat lucrative professions prior to med school (eg. pharmacists, lawyers, engineers, software designers). They make good money just by working a few hours a week in jobs they've been in before. It's not bad to have the extra income and it's not a lot of work for them. Although they have to put in extra time, if you're careful about budgeting your time, you can definitely do this during preclerkship. It probably isn't worth it to work part-time if you're just going to be doing a minimum wage job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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