HELP PLEASE!! Virtual scribe vs. scribe at the hospital

[asummer208]

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I have a very difficult decision that I cannot come up with the best answer for my current position, and I would greatly appreciate someone's help. I have the opportunity to work for two great positions. The first one is working at Scrivas, as a scribe at the hospital. There is a no-pay training, and I am not guaranteed a position until I complete the two-weeks of 120 hours training in the hospital. The pay is $9/hr with a flexible schedule, working 12 hours shifts. However, I have also been offered a position as a Virtual Scribe, which would require me to work in an office setting, and the pay is $15. I would be working 29 hours/ week. This job, however, is not in a hospital setting, and I feel as though I would be missing out on that part. I would be hearing the physician- patient interaction through a telephone, and I would be documenting the interaction, without being in the patient room. It is not as demanding as the other scribe position, however I am scared to lose that interaction with patients and doctors. Both jobs seem appealing, but I do not know which to choose. I am taking my MCAT in August, and I am also trying to get into the 2016 cycle. I also volunteer at a hospital, which is where I have actually seen what it is like to be in that type of setting. Thank you for your help!

 

[pericardium]

Scribing is valuable experience because you get close to physicians and essentially get to shadow them. If you are scribing across the computer, you lose out on quite a bit, so unless you absolutely need the extra $6/hr I'd advise against it. Just a guess, but I think that the in-person scribe would be much more valuable on your application.

 

[NonTrad16]

The hospital scribe is clinical employment, the virtual scribe is non-clinical (as far as I'd classify it). If you can, I'd take the clinical option.

 

[MedNation907]

How many hours and what kind of EC's do you have to date ?? (clinical, nonclinical, volunteer)

 

[xBODOMx]

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[asummer208]

I have over 200 hours of volunteer hours in the ER.

 

[asummer208]

I believe that for the meanwhile, and for my circumstances, virtual scribe will be the best prior to the mcat. After I have completed the mcat, and have more time on my hands, I can always go back and do both jobs, while just waiting for an acceptance to medical school.

 

[chiefscribejake]

Scribe manager here.

You need to get in the clinic and experience everything. There's an absolute difference between viewing a code and seeing it being streamed.

My company has a virtual program prototype at the moment with Google Glass, but I couldn't do it. It's a difference in aesthetic seeing a chest tube placed or a central line being administered in front of your eyes, rather than on your laptop/computer.

That being said, I do this to support my rent/cell phone/car insurance/etc. If you need the money, take the other job. A scribe position is a scribe position. Not everyone will have that opportunity and you have two opportunities. You'll get the experience either way, but for YOUR personal benefit, it's different viewing the procedures/cases in person.

Update us on how it goes.

 

[MedNation907]

I believe that for the meanwhile, and for my circumstances, virtual scribe will be the best prior to the mcat. After I have completed the mcat, and have more time on my hands, I can always go back and do both jobs, while just waiting for an acceptance to medical school.

I think this is an acceptable plan, considering how many clinical hours you already have clocked

 

[futuredoc331]

Scribe manager here.

You need to get in the clinic and experience everything. There's an absolute difference between viewing a code and seeing it being streamed.

My company has a virtual program prototype at the moment with Google Glass, but I couldn't do it. It's a difference in aesthetic seeing a chest tube placed or a central line being administered in front of your eyes, rather than on your laptop/computer.

That being said, I do this to support my rent/cell phone/car insurance/etc. If you need the money, take the other job. A scribe position is a scribe position. Not everyone will have that opportunity and you have two opportunities. You'll get the experience either way, but for YOUR personal benefit, it's different viewing the procedures/cases in person.

Update us on how it goes.

Couldn't of said it better. Think of it this way, if I watch 100 hours of surgery on youtube should I be able to list that as an experience? Does transcribing what they say during those surgeries change that?

Edit*** If you have significant experience in the ED this matters much less. All depends on what kind of volunteering you do.

 

[GatorsKW14]

I work one-on-one with the ER physician as a scribe and I see their interactions and procedures, I can ask them questions, and I am learning how to read CTs and X-rays. You can't do that over the phone or computer. Being a scribe has been the most meaningful clinical experience that I have had. I would not pass up the hospital scribe opportunity.

 

[Toph]

I have a very difficult decision that I cannot come up with the best answer for my current position, and I would greatly appreciate someone's help. I have the opportunity to work for two great positions. The first one is working at Scrivas, as a scribe at the hospital. There is a no-pay training, and I am not guaranteed a position until I complete the two-weeks of 120 hours training in the hospital. The pay is $9/hr with a flexible schedule, working 12 hours shifts. However, I have also been offered a position as a Virtual Scribe, which would require me to work in an office setting, and the pay is $15. I would be working 29 hours/ week. This job, however, is not in a hospital setting, and I feel as though I would be missing out on that part. I would be hearing the physician- patient interaction through a telephone, and I would be documenting the interaction, without being in the patient room. It is not as demanding as the other scribe position, however I am scared to lose that interaction with patients and doctors. Both jobs seem appealing, but I do not know which to choose. I am taking my MCAT in August, and I am also trying to get into the 2016 cycle. I also volunteer at a hospital, which is where I have actually seen what it is like to be in that type of setting. Thank you for your help!

Don't go with Scrivas. They lure you in with the whole flexible schedule stuff but they really expect you to be available the entire week. When they ask you what days you want to work and you give them your preferred days, they generate a schedule completely different from the one you asked for. Then when you let them know, they tell you that you are responsible for the shift.
As for the unpaid training, it's not worth it. You train with different trainers and when you do exactly what one trainer told you to do, another trainer will tell you that it's not acceptable. Back and forth.
Don't let people trick you into thinking you need the experience. You can get clinical experience at somewhere else that is more enjoyable. Volunteering/shadowing,etc. I hope that you went with the virtual scribe job because the amount of stress and labor you put in as an ER scribe is not worth the $9 an hour. There are other companies that pay you better for your worth.

 

[ortnakas]

If you are doing it mostly to have another EC, go with the in-house one.
If you are doing it because you need gainful employment, take the virtual position ($9 vs $15/hour is huge).