Work during prepararion for USMLE

[freaque 11]

So I was just wondering if anyone here got any ideas what to do while getting prepared for USMLE? I mean, you have to study hard so very limited time left for work. Also, what kind of job could it be? Could pharmaceutical, biotech or medical device sales be an option? 

Thank you!

[millefleur 5,046]

What kind of visa do you have? I think that is going to decide what you can and cannot do while you're waiting.

[freaque 11]

Sorry, forgot to mention. Currently waiting for CR-1.

 

[millefleur 5,046]

1 hour ago, freaque said:

Sorry, forgot to mention. Currently waiting for CR-1.

 

I see, but what what visa is currently allowing you to wait for the CR-1? You must have some other visa at the moment which allows you to stay, correct?

[freaque 11]

10 hours ago, millefleur said:

I see, but what what visa is currently allowing you to wait for the CR-1? You must have some other visa at the moment which allows you to stay, correct?

Nope, I'm just asking in advance. 

I was hoping to hear from people who had such an experience. I'm guessing since I won't be able to work full day, it might be a bad idea and my only option should be mcdonalds or uber or whatever they let me do ) 

 

[millefleur 5,046]

4 hours ago, freaque said:

Nope, I'm just asking in advance. 

I was hoping to hear from people who had such an experience. I'm guessing since I won't be able to work full day, it might be a bad idea and my only option should be mcdonalds or uber or whatever they let me do ) 

 

Ah, got it. My husband used to be a med student, he thought about taking the USMLE but he changed his mind and decided not to purse a medical career in the States. I've heard the exam is extremely difficult. If you can afford it, it might be better to just not work at all and focus 100% of your time on studying.

 

But if you're set on working, with a CR-1 you'll be eligible to work in any job as long as you're qualified to do so.

[Sunnybanana1913 11]

When my brother in law first arrived to to USA,Cali he was just working as a tutor. Actually it was a Tutor for Autistic children.  It was a parttime job because he was stidying for his USMLE most of the time.  Maybe if you can find a part time job it will help something not too physical or too stressful like a Librarian job or some kind of a tutor. 

[bcking 3,157]

Are you a physician in Russia? How far out from medical school are you? Do you speak English fluently? Medical English?

 

At best I would say you can find a part-time job, but the Step exams aren't easy even for medical students in the US. International physicians I know that had to take them later on typically took time off and had dedicated time for studying. Even in medical school, most schools give you substantial time to study for Step 1. I remember my schedule was essentially up at 7:00 am, study until 11:00 am, exercise until noon, lunch/break at noon. Restart studying at 1:00 pm and go until 6:00 pm, dinner, restart 7:00 pm until like 9:00 - 10:00 pm. I did that for about 2 months.

 

Should also add - It also depends on what your career goals are. If you are already a physician, what kind? In particular with Step 1 it isn't just about passing, it is about getting a score that is competitive for a certain type of residency. If you are in a specialty that is competitive, and what to continue working in that specialty you will likely need a Step 1 score that is strong enough to get you a residency here (since you will likely need to repeat whatever post-graduate training you did in Russia since the US tends to assume that we have the best system in the world and training anywhere else is obsolete and inferior).

Edited May 31, 2017 by bcking

[Sunnybanana1913 11]

3 hours ago, bcking said:

Are you a physician in Russia? How far out from medical school are you? Do you speak English fluently? Medical English?

 

At best I would say you can find a part-time job, but the Step exams aren't easy even for medical students in the US. International physicians I know that had to take them later on typically took time off and had dedicated time for studying. Even in medical school, most schools give you substantial time to study for Step 1. I remember my schedule was essentially up at 7:00 am, study until 11:00 am, exercise until noon, lunch/break at noon. Restart studying at 1:00 pm and go until 6:00 pm, dinner, restart 7:00 pm until like 9:00 - 10:00 pm. I did that for about 2 months.

 

Should also add - It also depends on what your career goals are. If you are already a physician, what kind? In particular with Step 1 it isn't just about passing, it is about getting a score that is competitive for a certain type of residency. If you are in a specialty that is competitive, and what to continue working in that specialty you will likely need a Step 1 score that is strong enough to get you a residency here (since you will likely need to repeat whatever post-graduate training you did in Russia since the US tends to assume that we have the best system in the world and training anywhere else is obsolete and inferior).

Yeah its prety difficult. My sister spent 3entire entirejust studying for the USMLE she passed all the steps recently but it was a huge challenge. Took a very long time. She studied in a different country and wanted to be a Dr in uSA