Work Study for Pre-Med?

<p>I am eligible for work study and I would like to get a work study job that would be relevant on my med school app. </p>

<li>Are there positions at the UVa hospital? If not, somewhere else perhaps?</li>
<li>About how much would a hospital or somewhere else pay?</li>
<li>Do med schools appreciate working at a hospital or only volunteering/shadowing? I can’t afford not to work during college so volunteering or shadowing is kind of out of the picture.</li>
<li>I know pre-med will absorb much of my time since I want to get a high GPA but would 10 hours / week be a burden? Is it even worth it?</li>
<li>In the summer between high school and college, would it be advantageous to work at a hospital in my home state? Or should I just be a waiter like I have in the past and make more money?</li>
</ol>

<p>I would appreciate any help on the issue. Thanks.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>You'd have to contact the hospital. They most likely have work-study positions since they're connected to the university, but they may be reserved for med school students. Try to email either someone in the pre-med advising office, or someone at the hospital (it's going to take searching online and a few calls on your own...)</p></li>
<li><p>Again, you're going to have to talk to someone. It probably varies per job and background and how much you'll work.</p></li>
<li><p>Any involvement in the hospital will be seen as a positive. Volunteering just looks good, but since you're doing work-study, you have a legit reason to be paid for it. This whole issue may prove very worthwhile for essays/interviews for med schools/future jobs. Frankly, holding a job like that would require more responsibility than just showing up once a week to volunteer, and you'll ultimately put in more hours I would assume. So, no, I don't think it's negative. My pre-med roommate is currently training as an EMT, and then working as an EMT and interning (paid) in a hospital this summer, and she's done little other volunteering, and she seems secure.</p></li>
<li><p>I doubt it. You'll just need to time manage. Having a job may force you to do so, thus it might be good to hold the job. Roommate has EMT class 8 hours a week, and has ballet 2-4 hours a week, and still manages to do her work, and have fun occasionally.</p></li>
<li><p>If you get paid well at the hospital, go for it. Otherwise, enjoy your last summer with a job that's fun and pays well. If you're planning to work study in the hospital next year, it might be good to take on a different job for the summer and start clean at UVA. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Again, email the pre-professional/pre-med office and ask for help setting up a work-study. You may be able to join a research lab at the hospital or in the med-school for the work-study, which would be equally as good as the hospital, since it's all related to medicine. Options will change over the year, so don't feel like you're stuck in one area for your four years.</p>