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RedandBlack7 · Jun 10, 2010

Hey guys,

I work as an ER scribe where I get paid. Obviously this counts as clinical experience, but can it also count as shadowing and volunteering? I do have some other shadowing experience and some community service but not all that much. I know that since I'm getting paid, it probably isn't volunteering but I just don't see the point in volunteering at a hospital also if I can get much more out of being a scribe and also get paid for it. I volunteered during high school and all I did was paperwork basically.

Basically I'm just asking if being a scribe is enough for my EC, assuming that I also have research, leadership experience, and some other shadowing and interesting things to put.

chman · Jun 10, 2010

igrinz89 said:
Hey guys,

I work as an ER scribe where I get paid. Obviously this counts as clinical experience, but can it also count as shadowing and volunteering? I do have some other shadowing experience and some community service but not all that much. I know that since I'm getting paid, it probably isn't volunteering but I just don't see the point in volunteering at a hospital also if I can get much more out of being a scribe and also get paid for it. I volunteered during high school and all I did was paperwork basically.

Basically I'm just asking if being a scribe is enough for my EC, assuming that I also have research, leadership experience, and some other shadowing and interesting things to put.

I would do some volunteering and shadowing still. It does not need to be volunteering at a hospital, it could be for any cause you deem worthy.

RedandBlack7 · Jun 10, 2010

chman said:
I would do some volunteering and shadowing still. It does not need to be volunteering at a hospital, it could be for any cause you deem worthy.

Yeah I'm planning on trying to get more diverse shadowing experiences and I do some community service around campus (Dance Marathon, campus clean-ups, etc.) but it hasn't been anything really substantial.

bfarn30 · Jul 2, 2010

chman said:
I would do some volunteering and shadowing still. It does not need to be volunteering at a hospital, it could be for any cause you deem worthy.

Scribing may very well be the most in-depth shadowing I have done. More diverse ECs can never hurt...but as for the clinical side of your app, I think scribing is extremely valuable and fairly unique.

Forthegood · Jul 2, 2010

chman said:
I would do some volunteering and shadowing still. It does not need to be volunteering at a hospital, it could be for any cause you deem worthy.

This is SDN gold. It would make a good post-it. ADCOMs are not stupid, they can smell a bs-inflated resume from a mile away. If you don't want to do something, then don't do it. If you want to do something, do it like you mean it. Volunteering at a hospital, just because it is a hospital is 100% missing the point. You would do better to write down that you run a volunteer clinic (for yourself).

deleted202457 · Jul 2, 2010

Forthegood said:
This is SDN gold. It would make a good post-it. ADCOMs are not stupid, they can smell a bs-inflated resume from a mile away. If you don't want to do something, then don't do it. If you want to do something, do it like you mean it. Volunteering at a hospital, just because it is a hospital is 100% missing the point. You would do better to write down that you run a volunteer clinic (for yourself).

I like the idea of possibly making a volunteering sticky. Going over the does and don'ts and explaining that you should do what you enjoy so that when you talk about the experience you convey a sense of passion about it (which is what I feel like they want to see, but I could be wrong).

LizzyM · Jul 2, 2010

Some adcoms do like to see some service to others as a measure of your altruism (forget that many seem to do it out of a self-serving need to impress the adcom). Working in a food bank, adult literacy program, homeless shelter, after-school program for poor kids, would be some examples.

RedandBlack7 · Jul 2, 2010

I do some random community service things around campus (usually with my fraternity) but it's not like a constant thing that I do every week or whatever. It's usually like a few events a year such as blood drives, fundraisers, events once a semester, etc. Are those good for community service or do adcoms want to see something that you do every week and make a commitment to?

mvenus929 · Jul 2, 2010

igrinz89 said:
I do some random community service things around campus (usually with my fraternity) but it's not like a constant thing that I do every week or whatever. It's usually like a few events a year such as blood drives, fundraisers, events once a semester, etc. Are those good for community service or do adcoms want to see something that you do every week and make a commitment to?

They want something to see as a commitment, but it doesn't have to be your volunteering. You could easily show you're committed to your research, one of your ECs, etc.

betheltim · Jul 6, 2010

Personally, I'd only do something as an EC if I was willing to talk about it in depth at an interview (or, in other circumstances, if I was proud of what I had done). I volunteered at a hospital for four months two years ago, and it was relatively worthless. I am also an ED scribe, and in my three weeks of working there I've already been exposed to so much more than I had (and probably would have) experienced as a volunteer. The whole volunteering thing may also be important if you have no other ways to show your commitment to people, but, from what I understand from medical school admissions committees, they want to see dedication, compassion, diversity, and ability more than anything.

INTPThinker · Jul 17, 2010

How do you get a scribe position?

betheltim · Jul 17, 2010

INTPThinker said:
How do you get a scribe position?

I got mine by applying for it. Usually you can just Google "(Your City) emergency department scribes" and find company and association websites. Otherwise, your pre-health/professional advisor may have some leads as to where there are scribe positions in your city. And, of course, you can always email or call local hospitals and see if any of their departments have scribe programs.

Good luck!

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RedandBlack7

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