Decisions: virtual scribe, scribe trainer, transporter, surgical patient care assistant?

[Aaah]

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Hello everyone! First time post---sorry that it is long.

Here is a little background on me. I worked as a fast food associate for 8 years while in school, did research for 1 year, scribed in an ER for 3 years. I moved to another state in May of last year and after applying to med school started looking for a new job. This last week I had a video interview for a scribing position where I would be going to different practices across America setting physicians up with new scribes that I would be training. Today I got an email about a phone interview with them. The position is 100% travel probably for at least 6 months after which I might be able to scribe for this company closer to home. I also interviewed and got an offer to work with a virtual scribing company where I would be working from home. Both positions are full time. In addition, I interviewed at a hospital and was offered a position as a transporter which is PRN (as needed) so I get to pick up shifts when I want. The transport manager thought that I was too qualified for that position and offered to help me get another position in the hospital potentially as a PRN patient care technician. I would have to interview again however.

Extra info: I just bought a house with my 9 year partner and am enjoying the extra time I've been having with him. When I told him about the travel position he was onboard but I know we will both miss each other a lot. I really want to get a puppy and the virtual job might make it easier to train a puppy since I'll be home.

Things to think about

• My leadership experience is limited to being treasurer of a pre-med club for one semester, being the unofficial trainer at the fast food restaurant, and being safety captain at the fast food restaurant
• I have no "direct patient care" experience
• My volunteering is limited to 130 hours at the hospital nursery/couplet care from a few years ago
• I graduated college in 2015 and have a GPA of 3.21 (looking into post-bac which is 1 hour away from home)

Options laid out:

1. Get training scribe job with better pay. No volunteering for at least 6 months and questionable ability to shadow a DO. Work in different specialties and with physicians in different parts of the country. Push myself outside of my comfort zone. Do something that will combine my experience in scribing, training, and implementing protocols into one job. I think this will make it easier to write med school essays showing a more unified and upward direction.
2. Take virtual scribe job and transporter/patient care technician position. Volunteer, shadow a DO, and potentially get better letter of recommendation since I will be working with one provider over longer period of time.

Last question, How does one get leadership experience volunteering?

 

[beeboops]

Hello everyone! First time post---sorry that it is long.

Here is a little background on me. I worked as a fast food associate for 8 years while in school, did research for 1 year, scribed in an ER for 3 years. I moved to another state in May of last year and after applying to med school started looking for a new job. This last week I had a video interview for a scribing position where I would be going to different practices across America setting physicians up with new scribes that I would be training. Today I got an email about a phone interview with them. The position is 100% travel probably for at least 6 months after which I might be able to scribe for this company closer to home. I also interviewed and got an offer to work with a virtual scribing company where I would be working from home. Both positions are full time. In addition, I interviewed at a hospital and was offered a position as a transporter which is PRN (as needed) so I get to pick up shifts when I want. The transport manager thought that I was too qualified for that position and offered to help me get another position in the hospital potentially as a PRN patient care technician. I would have to interview again however.

Extra info: I just bought a house with my 9 year partner and am enjoying the extra time I've been having with him. When I told him about the travel position he was onboard but I know we will both miss each other a lot. I really want to get a puppy and the virtual job might make it easier to train a puppy since I'll be home.

Things to think about

• My leadership experience is limited to being treasurer of a pre-med club for one semester, being the unofficial trainer at the fast food restaurant, and being safety captain at the fast food restaurant
• I have no "direct patient care" experience
• My volunteering is limited to 130 hours at the hospital nursery/couplet care from a few years ago
• I graduated college in 2015 and have a GPA of 3.21 (looking into post-bac which is 1 hour away from home)

Options laid out:

1. Get training scribe job with better pay. No volunteering for at least 6 months and questionable ability to shadow a DO. Work in different specialties and with physicians in different parts of the country. Push myself outside of my comfort zone. Do something that will combine my experience in scribing, training, and implementing protocols into one job. I think this will make it easier to write med school essays showing a more unified and upward direction.
2. Take virtual scribe job and transporter/patient care technician position. Volunteer, shadow a DO, and potentially get better letter of recommendation since I will be working with one provider over longer period of time.

Last question, How does one get leadership experience volunteering?

I would go for option 2 if I were you. The virtual scribe job and patient care tech position sound like they’re a little more flexible so you would have a chance to put more hours into volunteering and shadowing. Traveling around for 6 months would be interesting, and the leadership potential sounds great, but that’s 6 months where you couldn’t build on other parts of your app.

In terms of volunteering, it looks like you may also need non-clinical service. A lot of people do soup kitchens or Habitat for Humanity or things of that ilk, but I always advise people to think of what they’re passionate about (outside of medicine, of course) and find some volunteer work in that field. Think about what your interests are and try to find a volunteer opportunity in that.

Leadership in volunteering can take a lot of forms. You could be a formal leader and have a title like “Head Volunteer” and directly manage other volunteers. Or, leadership can be demonstrated in other ways. For example, if you tutor students after school, your guidance is a form of leadership. Think of leadership broadly as times when you are directly responsible for someone else. It doesn’t require a formal title to be considered leadership.


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[Aaah]

I would go for option 2 if I were you. The virtual scribe job and patient care tech position sound like they’re a little more flexible so you would have a chance to put more hours into volunteering and shadowing. Traveling around for 6 months would be interesting, and the leadership potential sounds great, but that’s 6 months where you couldn’t build on other parts of your app.

In terms of volunteering, it looks like you may also need non-clinical service. A lot of people do soup kitchens or Habitat for Humanity or things of that ilk, but I always advise people to think of what they’re passionate about (outside of medicine, of course) and find some volunteer work in that field. Think about what your interests are and try to find a volunteer opportunity in that.

Leadership in volunteering can take a lot of forms. You could be a formal leader and have a title like “Head Volunteer” and directly manage other volunteers. Or, leadership can be demonstrated in other ways. For example, if you tutor students after school, your guidance is a form of leadership. Think of leadership broadly as times when you are directly responsible for someone else. It doesn’t require a formal title to be considered leadership.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

Thank you for your reply! I really appreciate it and I think you are right. I need to do more than just one thing right now to give myself the best chance for this next cycle. I'll also start looking into more non-clinical volunteering soon. The soup kitchen might be my thing or I was thinking about volunteering at the animal shelter. Thanks again!