Working whilst at University

Should medical students work part-time? Our editor Maisie, shares how a hospitality job built resilience and teamwork, plus her tips for balancing work and study.

The balance of working and being a student is a difficult but necessary one to strike for many working-class students, but studying medicine can add an additional layer of complexity. I have personally spent a lot of time at medical school wrestling with this balance.

In my first year, I didn’t get it right. I spent every evening and weekend that I could working and eventually failed my exams and had to resit. On a student loan that was mostly absorbed by my rent, the attraction of more disposable income often gave me more gratification than a day of studying for my degree. I’m not afraid to admit I got things badly wrong, but I still don’t advocate for not having a job at university.

My Story

Since I first turned 16, I’ve always worked- it has always been a great sense of pride for me and my family. By the time I was in Year 13, I was working 3 jobs: hospitality at my local racecourse, hospitality at my local rugby club, and a medical lab assistant in the NHS. As a sixth former, I often felt a bit of a strain, but I was a state schooler, and most of my friends worked too. The income I had whilst not paying rent in my family home opened so many doors for me: driving lessons, dinners with friends, and paying for my UCAT, to name just a few opportunities.

I also found that when applying to medicine, my work really helped. My knowledge of microbiology and my knowledge of the NHS as a whole massively developed from working in the microbiology lab, and I gained communication skills which were so helpful for interviews from working in hospitality.

However, when I came to medical school, I rapidly realised the difference in my surroundings compared to my state school. No one I knew had come to university holding onto a job from back home (a lifeline for me has been being a local student); few were planning on getting a job whilst at university, and many had never worked at all. And yet, it seemed that I- the one working almost every week- was struggling the most financially. Many of my colleagues had lifestyles that student loans simply couldn’t provide, and I was not prepared to take on additional debt or ask my parents for money. To join in, to be “normal”, I took on more work.

For 6 months or so, my system worked. I’d work as many evenings and weekends as possible, have as much money as my friends and colleagues, and be able to join in with almost every event. But then, my exams rolled around- coinciding with a congested calendar of racing fixtures. I didn’t want to let go of my job and the lifestyle it provided for me, and at the time it felt like a welcome distraction from my studying. With the 20/20 vision provided to me by hindsight, I was burnt out and had been for months. I was losing multiple days a week that should have been used for rest or study. I was in so badly over my head, and I realised too late; I realised when the email dropped into my inbox to let me know I had failed my assessment for progression.

That summer I had to take a step back. I rested, I cried (a lot), I reconsidered a lot of what I had done wrong, I worked less, and ultimately I passed my exam at resit.

So, Maisie, why do you still advocate for having a job at university?

I am fortunate that the only time I feel the impact of not working is on my social life, and I understand that for many, work is necessary to afford rent and bills at university. But, with that being said, I do think that having a job makes for a better medical student.

I recently came across an Instagram post from the 93% club highlighting the soft skills gained from working a hospitality job. I couldn’t agree more. In my opinion, medical schools don’t honour the value of hospitality and retail work enough in interviews. For me, the foundation of skills I have learnt in hospitality has improved my life massively on the hospital wards.

The medical school's council outlines its core values and attributes for medical students here. Amongst them are resilience, communication & teamwork, and honesty & integrity.

Nothing teaches resilience like dealing with a customer who thinks aggression will get them a refund. Or the ultimate test of letting the words of a chef at the pass wash over you.

Front of house, back of house, and bar is maybe the most common multidisciplinary team that most state school medicine applicants have experienced. If you can communicate effectively amongst these teams, then you can work with doctors, nurses and other allied health professions to elevate patient experience in the same way you might strive to elevate customer experience in a pub or restaurant. If you can tell a full bar that it’s last orders, you’re halfway to being able to explain NHS waiting times to frustrated patients.

And there is no place to learn honesty and integrity than in an understaffed hospitality setting. After making the wrong drinks, leaving tomato on a burger one too many times, or having customers leave without paying, you learn that the best thing you can do is hold your hands up to an error. In medicine, this is a lesson best learnt before an error is made- which is a real opportunity provided by first jobs.

I’d like to add my own core value too- real hard work and grit. If you enter a hospital ward without having worked 8 hours before, you may want to shy away and just get your minimum requirements. But if you’re not shy about 8 hours on your feet, those may just be the days where you have your best experiences.

My Advice for balancing study and work

Now in my third year of university, I think I have become better at achieving balance. Here are a few tips of mine to reap the rewards of both being academically comfortable and developing soft skills from part-time work.

1. Sometimes you have to say no. This was the most important lesson for me. I know that working a couple of shifts a month will provide me with about an extra £50 a week (or a bit less, and I can actually save some money for once). I’m comfortable with this now. Some days I’ll just join my friends for drinks at home rather than a full night out. Similarly, I will say no to the extra money from work for a lie-in and a few hours of study.

2. Budget and plan as much as you can. If you’re working for money to live the uni lifestyle as I have, then it's a good idea to schedule plans around pay days or keep a small pot of money aside to dip into at weekends. I also love to plan my meals and write down everything I’m doing in a week so I can see where I need to keep costs down and what I want to put extra money towards.

3. Keep a record of any commendations you receive at work. Remember that the soft skills you’re developing really do matter! If you get any awards such as employee of the month, it's nice to add them to your portfolio as an additional opportunity; you can reflect on what you’ve done and how it will benefit your future career.

4. If you are struggling financially, you’re not alone, and it’s not worth sacrificing your degree for. Universities often have hardship funds and can help you if you are struggling to cover rent and bills; the pastoral team at your medical school should be able to signpost you to help available.

Overall, I can confidently say I have managed to strike the balance correctly after two and a half years of working and studying- I hope my cautionary tale can help others like me get into the better position I’m in now, and I hope you feel empowered by the skills you develop from your part-time job.