Scribe in ER vs oncology

[Plsrecordlectures]

Hello if I’m offered to scribe in the Er or in the oncology department, which area would be better to gain more insight if being a physician is right for me? Essentially which area can show me a more representative picture of what most physicians do and it’s lifestyle?

I do believe I am more interested in the field of oncology then I am in EM, but again my priority to get a big picture insight on medicine/average physician experience as a whole. Thanks!

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[dj-Roomba]

IMO the ED scribe position may be better suited for experience prior to medical school. It will give you insight into formulating a differential and refining it. Learning to identify sick vs. not sick

 

[Sn00pygrrl]

I think it depends on whether you see yourself doing more hospital medicine or outpatient care. I work in ambulatory oncology and there's a lot of overlap with primary care, especially for patients who have earlier stage cancers or who are younger and don't see primary care as often. Patients with later stage cancers tend to be more ill and the focus of care is more on quality of life.

I agree that ED would be more exciting, particularly for seeing undifferentiated patients. That's one thing that we don't get a lot of in oncology--most problems are known, and if they're not known, imaging and labs are done so frequently that problems are often found prior to symptom onset.

If you want more longitudinal experience with the same patients over and over to see how things change over time, go with oncology.
If you want to see a (mostly) different group of patients every day, go ED.

 

[Hello9753]

I'd ask about the provider, since the job is only worth it if you get a good provider. Also I'd ask about how the scribing experience is for each provider, since oncology can have some notoriously long notes. Those 1+ hour visits really hurt my feet.