Almost a doctor. What would you do in my shoes?
Context: South Louisiana Cajun here. I’ve got about 1 year until I can start residency training after being almost done with medical school. I haven’t graduated yet because I still have to pass the USMLE Step 2 exam, but I’ve completed 99% of the MD degree: clinical rotations, coursework, credits, and even interviewed at 10+ Family Medicine residency programs.
Specialties I love: EM, FM, sports med, lifestyle, and orthopedics.
Back in college, I played football, graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Biochem, and also got my NR EMT-Basic license, which is expired right now. I’m big into sports, love working with my hands, know how to write EHR notes, strong at building rapport with patients, comfortable with certain procedures, and comfortable in both OR and clinic settings.
Problem: I currently have zero income and need a temporary paid job for 1–2 years max. I’m not an active student anymore, so I can’t receive federal student aid. I’m also trying to afford rent, living expenses, and about $2,000–3,000 in truck repairs. To pay for the fingerprints needed to substitute teach, I did some good ole fashioned manual labor and yard work.
Reflection: I don’t know much about the pharma or ortho medical device rep business, but I know those roles can pay well. I thought that path could be a good fit because they may not have to train me as much on medical terminology, patient care, or physician communication. Onboarding might be faster. And I can start immediately.
Another idea is getting recertified as an EMT and working on an ambulance. I’m also considering tutoring or substitute teaching. Basically I want to maximize this time before residency through something meaningful that’ll help shape me into a better person and future physician. Strengthening the CV sounds great, but the main goal is stable income. I could do generic scribe work, but that’d be a last resort since it’s usually low pay and minimally engaging.
Question: Given my background, what paid job would you try to lock down that would help in the long run? Curious to hear what Reddit thinks.
P.S. If any physician, researcher, or medical device representative sees this, I’d love to connect. I’m a hard worker, coachable, and eager to help.