Anybody make money on the side while going through med school

[carolinablue]

dear hustlers
I'm curious to know if anyone here was able to make some money while being in medical school....perhaps flipping a house you renovated over time, playing in the stock market, or having some sort of business that could run itself while you focused on studying....otherwise how the hell do you survive?? Is everything you paid for coming from loan money?? From parents money? I'm 23, practically broke and am curious how ppl manage four years of school penniless while most of my friends are working full time.

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[Kuba]

Turning tricks.

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

dear hustlers
I'm curious to know if anyone here was able to make some money while being in medical school....perhaps flipping a house you renovated over time, playing in the stock market, or having some sort of business that could run itself while you focused on studying....otherwise how the hell do you survive?? Is everything you paid for coming from loan money?? From parents money? I'm 23, practically broke and am curious how ppl manage four years of school penniless while most of my friends are working full time.

male or female?

the thing im thinking would yield more success if you were indeed female........

 

[Phlame217]

I do work-study within the school. My wife works, and with a little on the side from loans we make it very well. I have some money in stocks and mutual funds, but in todays market they aren't doing well. I do have some in commodities too and it is doing well however.

 

[Kuba]

For a legit answer - most schools won't let you work on the side. We were explicitly told we would have to speak to the dean if we had anything like that in mind. Most of us just go into a ton of debt and soldier on.

 

[Gheorgia]

Turning tricks.

Good one

 

[Gheorgia]

dear hustlers
I'm curious to know if anyone here was able to make some money while being in medical school....perhaps flipping a house you renovated over time, playing in the stock market, or having some sort of business that could run itself while you focused on studying....otherwise how the hell do you survive?? Is everything you paid for coming from loan money?? From parents money? I'm 23, practically broke and am curious how ppl manage four years of school penniless while most of my friends are working full time.

If you know of a way of making a ton of money without hard work or a significant time commitment, please let know.

 

[tehdude]

For a legit answer - most schools won't let you work on the side. We were explicitly told we would have to speak to the dean if we had anything like that in mind. Most of us just go into a ton of debt and soldier on.

We don't have this kind of restriction at my school. I know many students who work 10-20 hours a week and a few that do 25+.

 

[Sloo0]

We don't have this kind of restriction at my school. I know many students who work 10-20 hours a week and a few that do 25+.

Lol how much can you expect to make on the side working that many hours in most likely a job that isnt going to pay top dollar for part-time work.


It wont even be a drop in the ocean compared to the debt you end up coming out with, and those hours could have been put to better use.


Always have to weigh cost/benefit buddy.

 

[carolinablue]

If you know of a way of making a ton of money without hard work or a significant time commitment, please let know.

no need to be a dick, I just asked a simple question..I'm not asking about a get rich quick scheme here..although why would that even be a bad thing anyways?

 

[hawkeye pierce]

I'm personally hoping to work about 10 hours a week at 40-50 dollars an hour.

 

[235750]

perhaps flipping a house you renovated over time

This.

But since you have no money, there's really no hope of you buying a house. It's also a huge risk. And it absolutely takes a lot of time.

You also can't buy stocks since that also requires money. So it sounds like the examples you gave aren't going to work.

or having some sort of business that could run itself while you focused on studying

As Gheorgia said, if you do find some way to own a business that has no start-up costs or time commitments, then please, do tell. And being a part-time rent boy doesn't count

 

[Gheorgia]

no need to be a dick, I just asked a simple question..I'm not asking about a get rich quick scheme here..although why would that even be a bad thing anyways?

I'm not being a dick. I'm just pointing out the obvious. There really aren't any way of making enough money to cover your debt while working part-time in medical school - unless you consider doing something seriously illegal.

 

[AMEHigh]

There are people in my class that have part time jobs. They mostly seem to be jobs they had before they started school. Jobs such as working with kids, teaching athletic classes, working in nursing homes, etc. I think many people do the jobs because they actually like them and the money is an added bonus. During the 1st 2 years, although not ideal, I don't think working part time would've been too terribly terribly horrible. However, I think the key would be to somehow find a job that is very flexible.

 

[carolinablue]

well im not completely broke, i could probably pay my own rent for a good 4 months..but its money that can burn up quickly. i guess in the big picture making a couple hundred dollars a month is meaningless when i'll be 70k debt in the end regardless.
do people ever use loan money to play in the stock market? don't flame me for this unless you actually have experience with investing...i've spent my time learning how things work and gaining experience through simulators but have never really put any big bucks on the line.

anyways, i suppose the answer is no to my original question. thanks guys

 

[carolinablue]

There are people in my class that have part time jobs. They mostly seem to be jobs they had before they started school. Jobs such as working with kids, teaching athletic classes, working in nursing homes, etc. I think many people do the jobs because they actually like them and the money is an added bonus. During the 1st 2 years, although not ideal, I don't think working part time would've been too terribly terribly horrible. However, I think the key would be to somehow find a job that is very flexible.

i can see that happening. i know a few people who have had the same job since highschool..they just enjoy them and the extra cash helps

 

[carolinablue]

I'm not being a dick. I'm just pointing out the obvious. There really aren't any way of making enough money to cover your debt while working part-time in medical school - unless you consider doing something seriously illegal.

like being a snowman?

 

[hawkeye pierce]

As far as using loan money in the stock market: I will flame you with out doing it, simply because it is illegal.

 

[carolinablue]

As far as using loan money in the stock market: I will flame you with out doing it, simply because it is illegal.

fair enough..it was just something i had always wondered about for a while. i completely accept your flaming sir.

 

[hawkeye pierce]

I know people who have done it (and other similarly illegal activities) and done well with it. However, i think the risk is high financially and legally.

 

[HH Holmes]

1. Apply for Pharmacist Tech job at CVS.
2. Explain to the Pharmacist that you are a med student (lie and say you're an M4 with pharmacology experience), so he/she can take extended lunch breaks.
3. ???
4. Profit.

 

[hawkeye pierce]

Why can't I just work as a pharmacist? I mean i'll be a Med student

 

[engineeredout]

Can work for your school for minimum wage. Get a job in the library so you basically get paid to study.

Better than nothing.

 

[DocEspana]

Sold a kidney

 

[DocEspana]

honestly though. A person in my class had saved up enough money to cover her expenses (rent, food, travel, nonsense costs) for at least her first year. She took the entire Grad PLUS loan (and the scraps from her stafford loans) and put it in the stock market. She made some *really* good money off of that decision.

 

[Kevin Baker]

I've been looking at sperm banks. At the places I've looked, it is $100 per sample (CA), and you can do it up to twice a week. Plus, you can list it as a cool extracurricular on your CV.

-worked for four years at a reproductive health clinic assisting infertile couples get pregnant

 

[Deceptacon]

high yield savings/checking account, cash back credit card, and a good budget would be a decent place to start

 

[jphwki82]

dear hustlers
I'm curious to know if anyone here was able to make some money while being in medical school....perhaps flipping a house you renovated over time, playing in the stock market, or having some sort of business that could run itself while you focused on studying....otherwise how the hell do you survive?? Is everything you paid for coming from loan money?? From parents money? I'm 23, practically broke and am curious how ppl manage four years of school penniless while most of my friends are working full time.

National Guard, or a Army, Navy or Air Force HPSP is another way to go. You get a $20K signing bonus, and $2060/month (before taxes) as a living stipend. The US government foots the bill for your tuition. Also, they reimburse for textbooks, health/dental (depending on school requirements), medical equipment and a OMM Table. All the HPSP students at my school, including myself, live fairly comfortably off the stipend and signing bonus. However, I wouldn't recommend signing with the military solely for financial reasons.

Also, I tutor for a company on the side. It allows me to manage my own scheduling with students, and pays about $20 per hour. Our school allows second years to TA courses (i.e. Anatomy, Histology and etc.), and you get paid a little over minimum wage for those. Also, you can become a scribe at your med school, and get paid for attending lectures and taking notes. These are definitely not enough to live off of alone, but is good for extra spending cash.

 

[DrHogFan]

Since I'll be going to school in the deep south I was hoping to get on board with Troy Landry from Swamp People and hunt gators.

 

[tehdude]

Lol how much can you expect to make on the side working that many hours in most likely a job that isnt going to pay top dollar for part-time work.

It depends. Not every med student is straight out of college. Some are pharmacists, nurses, engineers, business owners...

It wont even be a drop in the ocean compared to the debt you end up coming out with

You might be surprised.

and those hours could have been put to better use.

Doing what? Studying so you can get a 95 instead of an 85 in some preclinical course?

 

[Slane]

I'm a graphic designed and still work my salaried job alongside medical school. A few of my friends are EMT's that moonlight and work weekends, one friend is a pharmacists and still works a part-time salaried gig, and another is an ER tech that works weekends and some evenings. Working while in medical school can be done, but you just have to be even more diligent about your studies and conscious of how your time is being spent. If you're gunning for straight A's, perfect board scores, and a competitive MD residency, then you might go crazy trying to find the time to do both, but I still make consistent A's and B's and feel like I'm gonna be in pretty good shape come time for the COMLEX.

 

[ProtossCarrier]

is this (working while in med school) purely a DO phenomonon? I have never heard of any of mine allo buddies do this.

 

[DocEspana]

is this (working while in med school) purely a DO phenomonon? I have never heard of any of mine allo buddies do this.

I've never heard of a DO working during medical school either (Exceptions: working in the school library. Being in the army reserves. But I dont think either are counting as 'work' under my somewhat restrictive definition)

These appear to be individual exceptions, not a DO thing. I'd rather have the 95 on the test than the 85 and take out more loan money. Mostly because it wouldn't be an 95 or 85 thing, but a 95 or 65 thing.

 

[swimchick]

Since I'll be going to school in the deep south I was hoping to get on board with Troy Landry from Swamp People and hunt gators.

I don't know about that...his new shooter seems to be working out well for him

 

[tehdude]

is this (working while in med school) purely a DO phenomonon? I have never heard of any of mine allo buddies do this.

It's probably more common partially because DO schools have more non traditional students.

 

[Slane]

These appear to be individual exceptions, not a DO thing. I'd rather have the 95 on the test than the 85 and take out more loan money. Mostly because it wouldn't be an 95 or 85 thing, but a 95 or 65 thing.

I don't do it to save on loans--I do it to maintain the cushier lifestyle I got used to before medical school. The pharmacist I know does it because she has a family and kids, and the EMT's I know do it because they're junkies and can't give it up. I can't say I know anyone working as an alternative to taking out loans. That definitely wouldn't be worth the stress--there has to be some enjoyment from working whilst in medical school, otherwise you'd go nuts.

 

[TexasPhysician]

I'm not being a dick. I'm just pointing out the obvious. There really aren't any way of making enough money to cover your debt while working part-time in medical school - unless you consider doing something seriously illegal.

Aside from my illegal activity, I held a part-time job in a pathology lab. It definitely didn't pay for all of school, but it was good money. More than minimum wage for sure.

 

[scpod]

I'm not being a dick. I'm just pointing out the obvious. There really aren't any way of making enough money to cover your debt while working part-time in medical school - unless you consider doing something seriously illegal.

I taught Anatomy and Physiology classes part-time at night at a nursing school for the first two years. I made an extra 50 grand and took out much less than the maximum loans for two years. Anything less than than really would not have been worth it to me, though.

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

I taught Anatomy and Physiology classes part-time at night at a nursing school for the first two years. I made an extra 50 grand and took out much less than the maximum loans for two years. Anything less than than really would not have been worth it to me, though.

Pretty funny they had a med student teach nursing A/P. That easy, eh?

My guess is you had experience teaching A/P prior to med school....

 

[gmreed2]

Someone who goes to AZCOM does this: www.affordableomttables.com/p/about-us.html

I don't know if they make much money off of it but it sounds pretty legit considering they have a company called "orange aspen llc".

 

[DrYoda]

is this (working while in med school) purely a DO phenomonon? I have never heard of any of mine allo buddies do this.

I'm an MD student and worked most of the first two years. I know a couple other MD students who have worked as well.

For a legit answer - most schools won't let you work on the side. We were explicitly told we would have to speak to the dean if we had anything like that in mind. Most of us just go into a ton of debt and soldier on.

I think this is just your school... and if you didn't sign anything they can't stop you. (but I will admit I kept my working on the DL, partially to avoid admins/other students bugging me about it)

It wont even be a drop in the ocean compared to the debt you end up coming out with, and those hours could have been put to better use.

You'd be surprised. There aren't many stupid people in med school, we know our time is worth more than $8/hr. Most working med students are either making decent or better money or their job is some kind of leisure activity for them.

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

It's probably more common partially because DO schools have more non traditional students.

I think this is the key. Someone coming straight out of college into Medical school probably doesn't have the skills and/or experience to net a job to make it worthwhile. While someone who had a previous career does.

 

[Slane]

The AOA president was at our school yesterday speaking to the classes, and when she asked how many of us were non-traditional, I would say at least 25% of my class had hands in the air. I definitely think that's a big factor.

 

[Wolverine2007]

I'm not a medical student yet but how about tutoring college students or high school students a few hours a week. I tutored and made $20/hr. It won't help with the med school debt but you can buy yourself some food, pay for gas, laundry, or save it. I'm sure as a med. student you can charge a tad bit more if you'd like.

Good luck with working.

 

[Wolverine2007]

is this (working while in med school) purely a DO phenomonon? I have never heard of any of mine allo buddies do this.

A few of my MD friends have told me they know people that work while in med school. One specifically told me their friend works at a Starbucks and has time to study. So my guess is that this isn't purely a DO thing.

 

[fiznat]

The doc I shadowed was a nurse before he went to medical school. He told me he would occasionally moonlight at hospitals on weekends for big bucks. Apparently they pay travel nurses really well to work hours that they have trouble filling with regular staff. I am a paramedic and I was hoping I might be able to do something similar, but I wouldn't make as much money and there are a lot of roadblocks to working part time EMS like that. I want to make sure my studies come first, but if the time and opportunity is there to make a little pocket money I might have a hard time turning it down.

To the poster who said his school wouldn't allow students to work outside of school-- I don't see how the school as any say in that whatsoever. It is absolutely none of their business how you spend your time away from the classroom.

 

[Kuba]

To the poster who said his school wouldn't allow students to work outside of school-- I don't see how the school as any say in that whatsoever. It is absolutely none of their business how you spend your time away from the classroom.

Not exactly.. Especially in the medical fields of EMS, nursing, PA, etc., your role as a medical student can clinically start merging with your role in those professions. You can start overstepping those roles based on things you learned in cardiology, etc.

I think that's one of the schools concerns. The other being that to get the most out of medical school it is nearly impossible to hold on to any meaningful amounts of extracurricular work and keep your sanity. If you are doing very well they will very likely let you do whatever you want, but if you are struggling I think they will discourage you from working, as they should. Ps. It seems every year the non-trads struggle a bit more than the trads. Point to consider for the non-trads trying to keep their day jobs.

 

[fiznat]

Not exactly.. Especially in the medical fields of EMS, nursing, PA, etc., your role as a medical student can clinically start merging with your role in those professions. You can start overstepping those roles based on things you learned in cardiology, etc.

I think that's one of the schools concerns. The other being that to get the most out of medical school it is nearly impossible to hold on to any meaningful amounts of extracurricular work and keep your sanity. If you are doing very well they will very likely let you do whatever you want, but if you are struggling I think they will discourage you from working, as they should. Ps. It seems every year the non-trads struggle a bit more than the trads. Point to consider for the non-trads trying to keep their day jobs.

Yeah, I mean I don't have a problem with schools discouraging extracurricular work. You're probably right that it should be discouraged. Prohibiting it, however, is something else.

As far as "clinical merging" of roles, it seems to me that would be an issue that should be addressed by the employer, and only on a case by case basis. I've been a paramedic for many years, and though I've learned lots of other stuff throughout the years, I know I have a professional mandate to stay within my scope of practice.

 

[carolinablue]

I'm sitting here on a futon, by the pool, at a high class pool party in las vegas..I'm reading this forum on my phone...ppl around me are talking about the pachqio fight tomorow....ands I'm thinking, I'm I ready to give up my lifestyle for the next ten years? Lets face it from the age of 23-27 ill be broke, and from 27-30 ill be paying off a debt and being a slave...i think my problem is that I spend too much money...clothes, food, parties, stupid crap that is more fun then good..i just fear living a really boring life once I start school..but I keep forgetting, studying medicine is a reward in itself

 

[EmmaNemma]

dear hustlers
I'm curious to know if anyone here was able to make some money while being in medical school....perhaps flipping a house you renovated over time, playing in the stock market, or having some sort of business that could run itself while you focused on studying....otherwise how the hell do you survive?? Is everything you paid for coming from loan money?? From parents money? I'm 23, practically broke and am curious how ppl manage four years of school penniless while most of my friends are working full time.

Will I get kicked out of med school for turning tricks if I say that I needed the money? Just kidding lol.