Clinical Volunteering vs Scribing...Big Difference?

[Lo&Behold]

Alright, so I currently have 200 hrs volunteering at a local hospital (closing in on a year now). I'm also about to start at my local university medical center in a week or so for a more diverse experience. Most of my hours are at the ED. I sit by the triage nurses and techs and I room patients and wheel them around. So, I believe it's safe to assume that it counts as clinical hours (correct me if I'm wrong). I was planning on getting a scribing job for even more clinical experience because I thought that schools would probably value that kind of experience over something as simple as what I do volunteering. So, my issue is, I had to push my test back to march and as a result, I think I would really be pushing it close and would therefore not get the chance to add that experience to my application. Am I exaggerating thinking this way or do schools really want to see that kind of clinical experience over something like clinical volunteering positions?

Thanks in advance!

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[Sea Of The Leaf]

This is just my experience, but I hope it gives you some perspective. I was an ER volunteer myself. Had about 1,000 hours over the course of several years. Only other clinical experience was shadowing. My role was somewhat similar to yours. Zero scribing done at all. Was always told by the ER scribes that I’d be at a disadvantage for not scribing, but university advisor said it wasn’t going to make much of a difference, and for me it didn’t. The most consistent compliment I received from medical schools during interviews and post-A sessions was that they loved my clinical experience, so for a number of schools, it won’t be an issue.

 

[Lo&Behold]

This is just my experience, but I hope it gives you some perspective. I was an ER volunteer myself. Had about 1,000 hours over the course of several years. Only other clinical experience was shadowing. My role was somewhat similar to yours. Zero scribing done at all. Was always told by the ER scribes that I’d be at a disadvantage for not scribing, but university advisor said it wasn’t going to make much of a difference, and for me it didn’t. The most consistent compliment I received from medical schools during interviews and post-A sessions was that they loved my clinical experience, so for a number of schools, it won’t be an issue.

I'm glad to hear that! I definitely heard some similar stuff, too, which is why I'm a little concerned. But that is certainly reassuring. I'm a little lacking on the academic side, which is why I want to make up for it as much as I can. I may try to work a scribe position after taking the test, even if it's after submitting my app. I'm sure it would give me some more to talk about if I'm lucky enough to get IIs. Thanks for the insight 🤝🏽

 

[GoSpursGo]

No I don't think there is a meaningful difference from screeners.