Summer

AndrewJD

What sort of things (paid/unpaid, research/work etc) can one do during the summer holidays? I'm a second year medical student just now. Apologies for the vagueness of the question but I don't really know anybody who has done anything and am so far failing with Google. I'm also aware it's a bit late for this summer, but I'm thinking ahead for next year most likely.

sam34

to be perfectly honest, unless you have to work for financial reasons, I'd advise you just to relax and enjoy your summers... there will be plenty summers for the rest of your life that you have to work, so make the most of these few free ones

A Neurotic

AndrewJD wrote: »

What sort of things (paid/unpaid, research/work etc) can one do during the summer holidays? I'm a second year medical student just now. Apologies for the vagueness of the question but I don't really know anybody who has done anything and am so far failing with Google. I'm also aware it's a bit late for this summer, but I'm thinking ahead for next year most likely.

A guy in my class got a job in one of the Biochem labs in college for the summer after 2nd year. Got well paid for it too.

Loads of people went on J1s and trips to SE Asia and all that sexy fun stuff.

One group volunteered at a hospital or a clinic in Nepal, although I'm not really sure they could have done all that much after 2nd year.

If you have any interest in neuro stuff, check out the RCSI SPUR-ON summer research internship programs. I've heard it's really good, and you get €300 a week for something like 6 or 8 weeks of research work - although having just had a quick google, I can't find anything about a 2012 program.

I stayed in Dublin and worked in a milkshake shop.

Tree

if it was a ureka programme, SFI have disbanded that scheme

theowen

Does anyone have any experience of getting health science related jobs? Anything of that sort would be immense for the summer really, though research related things would be ideal (heard research funding has been cut lately so that's probably a long shot now?). The only thing I can thing of would be a pharmacy type thing, so anything new ideas would be good :rolleyes:. 2nd year medicine too btw...

Poppo4

The last two years I've gone to America to work, last summer I got a placement in the endocrinology clinic in Boston Medical Center. Mostly just doing lab work but I did get some patient contact. Unfortunately you're probably too late to get any of the placements in the States as they're generally filled up by January.

theowen

Poppo4 wrote: »

The last two years I've gone to America to work, last summer I got a placement in the endocrinology clinic in Boston Medical Center. Mostly just doing lab work but I did get some patient contact. Unfortunately you're probably too late to get any of the placements in the States as they're generally filled up by January.

If I had the money to go to America to work I'd imagine I'd be going to America on a J1 instead :P. Sounds interesting though!

AndrewJD

Poppo4 wrote: »

The last two years I've gone to America to work, last summer I got a placement in the endocrinology clinic in Boston Medical Center. Mostly just doing lab work but I did get some patient contact. Unfortunately you're probably too late to get any of the placements in the States as they're generally filled up by January.

Is there some company/service that organises these things or is it dealt with by contacting individual hospitals?

Poppo4

I actually traveled on a J1 visa, I applied to a number of different labs and research institutions. The majority of labs and Unis take on students during the summer and give a generous stipend.

I just got lucky that mine included some patient interaction. I'm actually a qualified microbiologist but I plan to get into grad-med in the not too distant future, so the patient contact was great experience.

There was a whole bunch of us working in labs, I lived with 7 friends from college and we were all working in labs getting experience. We were based in all the major Boston Unis - Harvard, BU & MIT.