There is a space on the medical school application for work experience, so you may be wondering what are the most beneficial jobs for pre-medical students? I’ve worked a lot of jobs. Some of them, just for fun. But others have genuinely benefited me as a medical student.
If you are going to work before medical school, it should be something that will add value to your career as a physician. This is not limited to lab work, as you will see below. You can do a myriad of things that will be useful for you in your practice.
Why working experience is important
Medical school admissions are looking to diversify their class. This not only applies to race/gender/ethnicity, etc. But also with experiences and the types of students they have.
Going straight to medical school after college sounds ideal, and it definitely was the route I thought I would have prefered. However, my unintentional gap year was the best thing that could have happened to me. I needed a break from school to just experience life, which gave me the vigour and determination to continue my journey of becoming a physician.
During this time, I worked a couple of different jobs, some in the list below. If you are in the position of taking a gap year, then some of these jobs may be ones you could be interested in pursuing during that time. If you are determined to go straight to medical school after undergrad, then that’s totally fine! The jobs in this list are also things you can do part time as a pre-med student.
You don’t have to excel at these jobs. They are more for you to get valuable experience before going to medical school. Maturity, grit, and perseverance are all qualities required to do well in medical school. Jobs like these can prepare you with those qualities. So, here are the most beneficial jobs for pre-medical students.
Teacher
Before starting medical school, I worked as a substitute teacher. Teaching is one of the most beneficial jobs for pre-medical students. Teachers DEFINITELY do not get paid enough. I liked working with the kids, and I enjoy teaching. However, there are so many gaps in public education, that it was easy to get overwhelmed. Many of the students needed extra assistance and attention that just was not available.
This experience provided me with insight on education, working with different learning styles and how a lack of resources can truly impact one’s life. Many students came from underserved backgrounds. They couldn’t focus on school because they were worried about what they were going to eat for dinner. Many students had personalities that just didn’t vibe with some of the teachers. They are burnt out, and the kids are unengaged. This led to tension that often interfered with learning.
Being a teacher taught me to look further underneath the surface. Most kids are not jut “bad” or have behavioral issues. Many of them need something, but just don’t know how to express that. Therefore, they act out. I also learned how refreshing a new perspective can be, and when someone is acting out or differently than themselves, keep digging for the underlying cause.
Tech/Assistant
Many pre-med students work as some sort of tech or medical assistant. This is hands down one of the most beneficial jobs for pre-medical students because you get so much experience that will come in handy during medical school.
I worked as a behavioral health tech at an inpatient psych hospital. That experience was helpful when we were in our neuro/psych section because I had real patients with the same disorders we were studying. Medical assistants, scribes, and anyone who worked in a medical clinic or inpatient atmosphere really benefited when it came to clinical knowledge, infection, emergency situations, etc.
If you can get into a medically-related job, you can add it to your application as clinical experience, and also start preparing for some of the topics in medical school.
Coach
During my time as a substitute teacher, I also coached girl’s basketball. I was an 8th-grade C-team (no or minimal experience) and assistant varsity coach for one season. I really just did it because I loved basketball and was able to return to my alma mater. It had no influence on me being a doctor, but I figured it would be my last opportunity to do something fun before starting my career.
I actually enjoyed this experience more than I could have ever imagined. One of the best feelings I’ve ever felt was when my 8th grade girls won their first basketball game. It was the last game of the season, and the growth they displayed and the hard work is an unbeatable feeling. Coaching taught me to start all the way at the bottom and help others progress step-by-step.
As a physician working with patients who have to learn to take care of themselves, this skill could come in handy. It’s also just really fulfilling seeing someone reach a goal, because they did the work, you just helped them create a plan to get there. If you ever get the chance to coach kids, do it because the impact you’ll have on them is insurmountable, and the impact they’ll have on you is unmatched.
Customer service
My first job ever was a Sonic carhop, and then I worked as a party attendant for a birthday party. Working customer service is also one of the most beneficial jobs for pre-medical students because medicine is a service. You are providing a service to your patients and their satisfaction determines so much. Hospitals are graded and rated, partly on patient perception of care. The better you can be at giving them simple customer service, the better ratings you will get, even if medically you didn’t do much.
As a medical student, the first interaction with patients will be more of a service role. You cannot perform many procedures, discuss treatment plans, or prescribe medication. However, you can be there in a way that the physician simply doesn’t have time to be. Check on them, see if they need anything. Be nice, even when they aren’t being too kind to you. Providing prompt service with a positive attitude. All of these skills can be developed working in customer service, and they will never go away.
Coordinator
Coordinator is a blanket term that includes several different types of jobs. There are only a few coordinator positions in healthcare that don’t require a license. But if you can be a care coordinator, wellness or behavior coordinator, or a coordinator not even in the medical field, you will learn very valuable skills.
The first is time management and multitasking. As a coordinator, you are responsible for bringing separate entities together in a streamless process. Additionally, you oversee many aspects of a patient’s care, a project, a department, etc. This requires leadership, communication skills, and organization, all of which come in handy as a medical student.
This job may be less flexible than some of the others, so is ideal for someone who is taking a gap year. I was offered a coordinator position, but it didn’t leave time for classes in my schedule. However, I think it would have given me a lot of insight on social determinants of health, and how I could have potentially impacted health policy.
Wellness
Wellness is also a broad, catchall term. There are so many jobs that you can have to be considered in the wellness industry. Some of the most beneficial jobs for pre-medical students in the wellness space are dietician, nutritionist, trainer, physical therapist, and anything that requires basic knowledge about anatomy, nutrition, and the human body.
That background information will benefit you when it comes to learning some of those topics in medical school. It’s nice to have an experience to which you can tie the topics you are learning. Wellness jobs also prepare you to make good choices and develop good habits as a medical student. It can be very difficult to stay well when you’re studying 60+ hours a week. But, it’s important because not maintaining physical wellness, can lead to issues that take away from being able to focus on school.
Research or librarian
Last, but certainly not least, being a research assistant or librarian with an emphasis in research is also one of the most beneficial jobs for pre-medical students. I didn’t realize how much that experience would have been useful until I was a medical student trying to do research. Having that background would have been nice because I would have had a head start on how to do research, what the best resources are, and the process of writing.
Now, I have to rely on our librarian, which is totally fine. But getting a meeting, learning everything from scratch, just really slows down an already slow process. So, if you have a degree or certification in library studies, it’s not just about reading books and the Dewey Decimal system. It is about how to do research correctly, what optimal methods are, and how to apply that to a variety of research settings. If you are not qualified to work in a library, try and get a job as a research assistant, where you will learn and get hands-on experience with the research method. You may even be able to get a publication out of it.
Main Takeaways
Working experience benefits your medical school application. This work does not have to be strictly medical. However, medical jobs can be very beneficial when you see those topics again in medical school. Do something that you enjoy. Also, whatever you do, do it to the best of your abilities. You can gain something from every experience. Every job I’ve ever had has taught me something that I use throughout medical school.
If you have any other suggestions or questions, please leave a comment below!
This is a GREAT list of pre med jobs! I helped during student interviews in my medical school, and I did medical student interviews for my residency and I LOVE talking about skill people have learned from non science jobs. I did a lot of odd jobs during college and they really helped shape the physician I am today.
That’s so reassuring to hear! I did a variety of jobs as well and I always worried they just were not helping at all! lol But I can say I utilize a lot skills I learned in those jobs throughout my time in medical school.