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Study while work full time

26K views 27 replies 22 participants last post by  csrp 
#1 ·
Hi,

Is there anyone out there who is studying while working full time? I would like to get some advice from you.

I work from 7 to 5, by the time I come home it is usually 6. After cooking light dinner, I am often exhausted and have little energy to study. Weekend is good. If I have problem at work, it also affects my study.

This makes my study progress very slow.

I like to hear from you and get some advice as to how to manage.

Thanks a lot!
 
#2 ·
Stop working

Step 1 Exam cannot be studied this way (if you want a high score).

You need to stop working for at least a minimum of three months.

I know that your work is very important for you to survive, but without dedicating your full time for studying you won't make the 99.

Take a loan or borrow money from friends or family so that you can survive those three months.

Once you pass Step 1, you can do the CK and CS while working, but for Step 1 it requires full time attention.

That's just my opinion, let's see what others say.
 
#3 ·
You could try to get up early and do questions, then think about the things you got wrong while you're at work, then read about those subjects when you get home... It's really hard to both work and study! I worked full-time through two university degrees - for my part, I'm pretty useless after work, so if I need to get things done I have to wake up early and do them in the morning. I used to go to sleep every night at around 8pm and wake up at 4am, and I found that I could do more in two hours in the morning that I could in a whole evening.
 
#5 ·
Working full time

Hi, I work 40 hours during the week. I try to wake up at least at 5 am and study until 7:15 then I have to get ready for work. It is very hard and there are some days were the bed wins!!:sleepy: But most of the time I find it better to study in the morning, everything is so quiet and you wake up fresh, not thinking about anything.

I get out of work at around 6:30 -7pm and get home around 8, quick dinner and some nights I study from 9-11pm, I have an advantage which is I have one day of the week off and the weekends ( I work 4 days a week, 10 hours each day).

I am planing on taking off about 2-3 weeks before my test, I have read from some posts of people doing a specialty(and studying for step 1) in their country and getting 99's.
And I have known of people that don't work at all and fail..:(

I guess it all depends on how focused you are when you are studying and how bad you want the 99.

How many times haven't you started to study and 4 hours fly by and you did not know what you did in that time, or you are in the same chapter and have not learned anything?

And how many times when you are focused, learned so much in one hour?

It all depends!

Regarding when you have a problem at work, what I try and do, is I leave it at work!! When you leave the building, FORGET ABOUT IT!! When you go back in the next day, if it is necessary, then you take the problem again and try and fix it. Don't waste your time or neurons trying to fix it out of your job setting... You don't get paid to think about it once you leave your job..:p

Can you try and change your schedule and work 4 days during the week? That might help...

Good luck and I am sure you can do it!
 
#11 ·
docsanam

hey,
i am also planning to take the exam at the end of this year... i am also working, cus its high time tht i have to at least cover up my own expenses... i work in shifts- 8to 2 , 2 to 8 or 10, and 8pm to 10am... its hard to find time to study... even then i m planning to study fr six hrs a day.. i still feel i can do it if i m focussed... cus this is the only thing i need...
i haven't started my prep, yet to schedule, and get registered...
dnt worry , you can do it...
one of my friends ws also working in a similar shift and preparing for mle, and now he is us doing medicine...
all the best.. u can do it..
 
#16 ·
hi

hey,
i am also planning to take the exam at the end of this year... i am also working, cus its high time tht i have to at least cover up my own expenses... i work in shifts- 8to 2 , 2 to 8 or 10, and 8pm to 10am... its hard to find time to study... even then i m planning to study fr six hrs a day.. i still feel i can do it if i m focussed... cus this is the only thing i need...
i haven't started my prep, yet to schedule, and get registered...
dnt worry , you can do it...
one of my friends ws also working in a similar shift and preparing for mle, and now he is us doing medicine...
all the best.. u can do it..
i dont want to discourage , but dont compare with ur friend and usmle is tougher than what it was last year , i did the same as ur doing last year. i now postponed my match for 2013 . be cautious 9 pm to 8 AM duty eats off the schedule
 
#12 ·
I tried the whole working and studying bit, and failed at it miserably. Set me back about 3-4 months. I was working 8 hours a day, with just a 20 minute break. The one thing I realized with the work force is that the managers do not care about your life, and the situation you're in. They want you to get their work done and that is all that they're concerned with. The moment I realized this, I decided to step my foot down. Things fall into much better perspective when you start looking at the bigger picture, and in the big picture, I surely didn't want to end up failing my exam and be stuck with the same job for the rest of my life.
I brought my concern for my exam to my managers attention and though they pretended to care in the middle, they got serious about it when I told them I was quitting because of it. Since they were happy with my work, and deemed me to be an asset, they allowed me to work just one day a week. That was a cut down of about 32 hours in a week.
So try talking to people at your workplace, you never know how things might shape up. You won't be earning much, but that should hardly be our concern at this point. You just need to get enough to get by. Hope this helped and all the very best to you!
 
#15 ·
I just recently began working a part time of 4 hours/day. So far its ok. I do wish i didn't have to work though, especially since my job isnt related to medicine. It doesn't demand much from me, but at times i do wonder if I would be putting in these working hours towards prep if i weren't working. I don't know the answer. I feel a bit guilty if i don't study my study hours only because i do work my working hours, and just knowing that i don't have as many hours in the day to complete review, pushes me to do something that's school related. Im still trying it out to see how it goes. Hopefully i can do it. Many people have done it in the past like ElizabethNYC stated. I think we can also. Good luck to all employees!
 
#19 · (Edited)
Hi, IMCV,

Nice to know I am not there alone. To answer your question about my study plan, I just started not long ago. On weekdays, I study in the morning before going to work and on the bus to work. and I study in the evening if I can. Evenings are hard because I am tired, even I sit there for 2 hours, I do not have much productivity. On the weekend, I can put in more hours during the day and evening.

Everyone has his or her special situations. I have to work out mine constantly due to variuos challenges in life.

Wish you good study.
 
#20 ·
Hi indeed it is very hard i wont say it is not i am a medical student too so < it is a full time job >:D .so i will tell you how did i manage to do school work and the step1 with such time from 7 to 6 oooooooh too long. and indeed you will take a longer time to prepare so you will go slowly and steady here what iam doing
1 i use the time when i am tired and go scan the things i want to study things will be hazy at this point .<take your textbook every where :eek: and i mean it every where >.
2- download those kaplan dvds into an mp4 if you don't have them or you are studying other books and they don't have audio there are some text to mp3 software u can make a mp3 out of any book :).
3- use the dead time when you are feeling Ok like the time u r taking to the the work in the bus or so ......etc to memorize things and to concentrate.
here what i think u should do
1 while at work do the scan approximately hour
2 come to home and take the rest and study for 2 hours don't exceed that or you will feel tired.
3 listen to the audio on your way to work approximately hour thats a conc
voila here a 4 hours to study .

 
#22 ·
Looking to start a Biostatistician position FULL TIME

Dear People !!!

I am looking to start a Full Time job as Biostatistician with my MPH. And want to finish the USMLE Step 1 by start of next year (March possibly). Do you think that putting a time of at least 6-8 months on 4 hours day is enough.
I am an International Medical Graduate with relatively Low to Intermediate medical backgrounds now. Need to read all Kaplan books. Already did Physiology, Anatomy, And most pathology.

Please any ideas if I can take this job. Its actually a very decent job and I need the money.

I got 92 (224) score on Step 2 exam already but looking forward to step 1 now.

Appreciate all the ideas???
Thanks

Bravo Al
 
#23 ·
Dear People !!!

I am looking to start a Full Time job as Biostatistician with my MPH. And want to finish the USMLE Step 1 by start of next year (March possibly). Do you think that putting a time of at least 6-8 months on 4 hours day is enough.
I am an International Medical Graduate with relatively Low to Intermediate medical backgrounds now. Need to read all Kaplan books. Already did Physiology, Anatomy, And most pathology.

Please any ideas if I can take this job. Its actually a very decent job and I need the money.

I got 92 (224) score on Step 2 exam already but looking forward to step 1 now.

Appreciate all the ideas???
Thanks

Bravo Al
hi there Mohabravo!

im interested in your path, could u PM me or email me at upkfurniture@gmail.com?

im starting my MPH next week! in the midst of my step 1 prep!
 
#24 ·
I work 45hrs/week and i am planning to give my test on the end Jan 2013. I am focusing now of FA, as for biochem i found really hard to read it only from FA so i'm reading the important chapters from kaplan. Being a pathology resident helps me a lot in this subject (patho), thank God i don't need to study it except for those basic boring chapters.

Good luck to everyone esp us working people:)
 
#26 ·
Hi there,

IMG here, no steps yet. I'm gonna work as a postdoc for some years and I am wondering if it's doable to study while working. That's my plan anyway. People are always giving me ominous looks when I mention it, though... So, I guess I'm wondering how it went for you and/or others.
Obviously, it's gonna be a challenge, but thinking about it, I can't see why it would be *so* difficult. After all, we're doctors, we're supposed to be the best at studying under stress.

Thanks,
Chloe
 
#27 ·
I work part time

So this is how I'm going to do it, it may or may not work for others...
I work part time three days a week from 10-4 and then I study the other days with one half day off -either Saturday or Sunday. I just started my intensive 14 week study plan. I plan on taking only one week off just before the exam to make sure I have everything down.

If by 4 weeks prior I not doing well on the question banks then I plan on re-scheduling. I'm in the primer phase of DIT and I'll post more later:)

Working and studying is hard, you have to really focus and to be honest... not have any fun. It's the sacrifice we are all making..
 
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