How can I stop being so sensitive?

[CurryBear]

I started working as a scribe for the past month and it's a bit overwhelming at times. Whenever the doctor asks me a question about a patient we are going in to see, I don't really know what to say. Like if he asks if an EKG/Echo was done or if there are labs done ect. I look in the profile and tell him but I don't know if I'm saying the right things because he is always mumbling to himself. One time I was doing the assessment & plan and I put too many diagnoses in there and he said "I don't need all this here!" and looked at me and said "Come on let's just go" and we went into the patient room. How am I supposed to know what diseases are relevant or not for today's visit? He always just asks the nurse these things because I feel like he thinks I don't know anything and I don't. I started crying in the bathroom one day and even in my car. My trainers told me not to take anything personally because doctor's are stressed from their jobs, but I always do. How do I stop? Or at least how do I stop being so sensitive?

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[7331poas]

Maybe the question here should be how do I become a better scribe?

I hope that you don't see that as rude because the learning curve for scribing was hard for me too

 

[Lost in Translation]

And the answer is: keep working. You'll learn the doctor's preferences and start doing things that will fit with his style. All part of the learning curve and gaining experience.

 

[eteshoe]

You're going to have to gain some perspective and learn to separate yourself from your emotions a bit. You're still new and learning. Also you will need to grow some tougher skin because during your clinical yrs in med school and definitely during residency, you will piss off an attending or resident and they won't be the nicest with their retort.

 

[takeurmeds02]

A month in, you're not going to know anything...at all. The docs aren't necessarily trying to be jerks but they can forget that they've been in medicine for decades whereas you started last month. If you don't know something, you don't know it. You kind of need to have a "screw it" mentality BUT with the aims of wanting to figure it out for later. It'll all come to you in time. Stop being hard on yourself. It's definitely nothing to cry about.

PS. ekg and echo are two different things lol. I doubt you're doing echos in the same frequency as ekg's..well, I suppose you could be in a cards office, but still. Looking things up in your spare time to clarify things also helps too.

 

[Nick_Nov]

I started working as a scribe for the past month and it's a bit overwhelming at times. Whenever the doctor asks me a question about a patient we are going in to see, I don't really know what to say. Like if he asks if an EKG/Echo was done or if there are labs done ect. I look in the profile and tell him but I don't know if I'm saying the right things because he is always mumbling to himself. One time I was doing the assessment & plan and I put too many diagnoses in there and he said "I don't need all this here!" and looked at me and said "Come on let's just go" and we went into the patient room. How am I supposed to know what diseases are relevant or not for today's visit? He always just asks the nurse these things because I feel like he thinks I don't know anything and I don't. I started crying in the bathroom one day and even in my car. My trainers told me not to take anything personally because doctor's are stressed from their jobs, but I always do. How do I stop? Or at least how do I stop being so sensitive?

You know what? I don't think there's any valid excuse for doctors mistreating their scribes. It's called respect--I don't care how many years you've been a doctor. Scribing is difficult and you'll get better. That's not to say the job will get better--running around after a doctor and doing his/her dirty work. I say if you're a sensitive person, the job of being a scribe might not be for you. It doesn't mean you won't be a great doctor one day (if that's what you want to do). It doesn't mean you won't get in to medical schools (there are plenty of other jobs and opportunities out there to get experiences that might better match your personality). Feel free to message me if you'd like to chat more. Some people on here are too insensitive. Hope this helped!

 

[takeurmeds02]

You know what? I don't think there's any valid excuse for doctors mistreating their scribes. It's called respect--I don't care how many years you've been a doctor. Scribing is difficult and you'll get better. That's not to say the job will get better--running around after a doctor and doing his/her dirty work. I say if you're a sensitive person, the job of being a scribe might not be for you. It doesn't mean you won't be a great doctor one day (if that's what you want to do). It doesn't mean you won't get in to medical schools (there are plenty of other jobs and opportunities out there to get experiences that might better match your personality). Feel free to message me if you'd like to chat more. Some people on here are too insensitive. Hope this helped!

Not saying it's right but might as well get broken in now and keep up with the scribing because the asshol'ing has only just begun haha

 

[Turkishking]

Toughen up, young grasshopper.

 

[7331poas]

You know what? I don't think there's any valid excuse for doctors mistreating their scribes. It's called respect--I don't care how many years you've been a doctor. Scribing is difficult and you'll get better. That's not to say the job will get better--running around after a doctor and doing his/her dirty work. I say if you're a sensitive person, the job of being a scribe might not be for you. It doesn't mean you won't be a great doctor one day (if that's what you want to do). It doesn't mean you won't get in to medical schools (there are plenty of other jobs and opportunities out there to get experiences that might better match your personality). Feel free to message me if you'd like to chat more. Some people on here are too insensitive. Hope this helped!

Hey voice it here mate, there are the rest of us who would like scribe advice.

 

[Tenk]

You know what? I don't think there's any valid excuse for doctors mistreating their scribes. It's called respect--I don't care how many years you've been a doctor. Scribing is difficult and you'll get better. That's not to say the job will get better--running around after a doctor and doing his/her dirty work. I say if you're a sensitive person, the job of being a scribe might not be for you. It doesn't mean you won't be a great doctor one day (if that's what you want to do). It doesn't mean you won't get in to medical schools (there are plenty of other jobs and opportunities out there to get experiences that might better match your personality). Feel free to message me if you'd like to chat more. Some people on here are too insensitive. Hope this helped!

How is saying "I don't need all this in here, come on let's go" mistreatment? Unless they are actually calling you names or verbally abusing you then you are probably looking way too much into this. A chart for an attending is a medical LEGAL document. You have to make them to your attending's preference. Like others have posted, you will learn in time. If you ever are faced with a situation like that again be it scribing, medical school, residency, etc: look the person square in the eye (not at their toes) and say: sorry, I will do better next time. Then just drop it and move on.

 

[eteshoe]

You know what? I don't think there's any valid excuse for doctors mistreating their scribes. It's called respect--I don't care how many years you've been a doctor. Scribing is difficult and you'll get better. That's not to say the job will get better--running around after a doctor and doing his/her dirty work. I say if you're a sensitive person, the job of being a scribe might not be for you. It doesn't mean you won't be a great doctor one day (if that's what you want to do). It doesn't mean you won't get in to medical schools (there are plenty of other jobs and opportunities out there to get experiences that might better match your personality). Feel free to message me if you'd like to chat more. Some people on here are too insensitive. Hope this helped!

No one has said anything about not getting into med school and succeeding. But one would be naive to think that they won't run into situations where they're made to feel sh*** (intentional or not) during one's training. What most people are saying is to toughen up and don't let those feelings deter the OP from achieving their goals. That's all - it's a natural part of becoming an adult.

 

[Nick_Nov]

No one has said anything about not getting into med school and succeeding. But one would be naive to think that they won't run into situations where they're made to feel sh*** (intentional or not) during one's training. What most people are saying is to toughen up and don't let those feelings deter the OP from achieving their goals. That's all - it's a natural part of becoming an adult.

I agree. Just offering up another perspective for the person behind this post.

 

[Nick_Nov]

How is saying "I don't need all this in here, come on let's go" mistreatment? Unless they are actually calling you names or verbally abusing you then you are probably looking way too much into this. A chart for an attending is a medical LEGAL document. You have to make them to your attending's preference. Like others have posted, you will learn in time. If you ever are faced with a situation like that again be it scribing, medical school, residency, etc: look the person square in the eye (not at their toes) and say: sorry, I will do better next time. Then just drop it and move on.

If someone is crying to themselves in the bathroom and in their car, there might be mistreatment on the doctor's part, instead of just this person being too sensitive. That's all I'm suggesting

 

[Turambar]

The doctor sounds like a real dick, some of them are that way. My auntie was an HR manager at a local hospital; nurses often complained that certain doctors were disrespectful or just plain mean and on occasion it did warrant her intervention.

I haven't scribed before, so take what I say with a grain of salt - if this sort of thing happened in my workplace, I'd find a senior employee who looks like they've got the time (this may be one of those nurses he asks to narrow down the intel) and request some feedback. Getting to the bottom of things and finding out where to improve is a valuable skill that you'll need for the rest of your life and this is where you're meant to learn it. Really, these are just growing pains like you would experience in any job that requires you to communicate to a superior.

Nobody starts a new job doing something they've never tried before and picks it up instantly. You've got to have realistic expectations on time and so should your supervisors. You're going to suck for a while; it's not a reflection on you, and I can guarantee that you'll be glad you put up with it in a few months because you'll have a thicker skin and a stronger sense of accountability in the face of criticism because your skill set will have increased dramatically.

 

[supremetaco]

You know what? I don't think there's any valid excuse for doctors mistreating their scribes. It's called respect--I don't care how many years you've been a doctor. Scribing is difficult and you'll get better. That's not to say the job will get better--running around after a doctor and doing his/her dirty work. I say if you're a sensitive person, the job of being a scribe might not be for you. It doesn't mean you won't be a great doctor one day (if that's what you want to do). It doesn't mean you won't get in to medical schools (there are plenty of other jobs and opportunities out there to get experiences that might better match your personality). Feel free to message me if you'd like to chat more. Some people on here are too insensitive. Hope this helped!

I dont know if you realize that becoming self centered is part of the rite of passage as a physician lol

On a more serious note, as others have said, the learning curve is steep. I'm a scribe in the ED and I was overwhelmed at first. I thought, "How am I supposed to know what was done, what had to be done, and what the differentials were supposed to be when I haven't even started med school yet? Isn't that your job?"
You have to realize that physicians usually juggle at least 2-3 thoughts in their heads about multiple patients all the time and sometimes they ask stuff just to get a quick answer so they don't lose their train of thought. You are their shadow so you just happen to be there and receive the question and it's not them trying to pimp you or anything. This happens more often in places that more recently began using scribes or if the doc him/herself is newer, either to practice or to the hospital. You really have to adopt a "whatever, doesn't really matter if I can't answer it" mentality because there's literally nothing you can do about not knowing something. However, that doesn't mean you can't be helpful or remain confused and can say something like "I don't know, but let me find out for you" and go ask a nurse or a tech about it. As you get more comfortable navigating the EMR and finding out what studies correlate to which presentations and symptoms, you will be able to more readily answer logistical questions like whats the white count for this patient, or was the echo done on that one.
Initially I had headaches trying to keep all the studies in line with all the patients we were seeing, but a year out now I'm bored half the time because you get faster but the overall pace of the ED stays the same. Hang in there, and writing HPIs and looking up results/orders will become second nature. It's prob a good very basic mock run of how you'll feel during rotations and residency too, haha.

 

[takeurmeds02]

I dont know if you realize that becoming self centered is part of the rite of passage as a physician lol

On a more serious note, as others have said, the learning curve is steep. I'm a scribe in the ED and I was overwhelmed at first. I thought, "How am I supposed to know what was done, what had to be done, and what the differentials were supposed to be when I haven't even started med school yet? Isn't that your job?"
You have to realize that physicians usually juggle at least 2-3 thoughts in their heads about multiple patients all the time and sometimes they ask stuff just to get a quick answer so they don't lose their train of thought. You are their shadow so you just happen to be there and receive the question and it's not them trying to pimp you or anything. This happens more often in places that more recently began using scribes or if the doc him/herself is newer, either to practice or to the hospital. You really have to adopt a "whatever, doesn't really matter if I can't answer it" mentality because there's literally nothing you can do about not knowing something. However, that doesn't mean you can't be helpful or remain confused and can say something like "I don't know, but let me find out for you" and go ask a nurse or a tech about it. As you get more comfortable navigating the EMR and finding out what studies correlate to which presentations and symptoms, you will be able to more readily answer logistical questions like whats the white count for this patient, or was the echo done on that one.
Initially I had headaches trying to keep all the studies in line with all the patients we were seeing, but a year out now I'm bored half the time because you get faster but the overall pace of the ED stays the same. Hang in there, and writing HPIs and looking up results/orders will become second nature. It's prob a good very basic mock run of how you'll feel during rotations and residency too, haha.

Re-read the parts in bold.

And it's still no reason to cry lol

 

[Dr Tony T. Chopper]

I started working as a scribe for the past month and it's a bit overwhelming at times. Whenever the doctor asks me a question about a patient we are going in to see, I don't really know what to say. Like if he asks if an EKG/Echo was done or if there are labs done ect. I look in the profile and tell him but I don't know if I'm saying the right things because he is always mumbling to himself. One time I was doing the assessment & plan and I put too many diagnoses in there and he said "I don't need all this here!" and looked at me and said "Come on let's just go" and we went into the patient room. How am I supposed to know what diseases are relevant or not for today's visit? He always just asks the nurse these things because I feel like he thinks I don't know anything and I don't. I started crying in the bathroom one day and even in my car. My trainers told me not to take anything personally because doctor's are stressed from their jobs, but I always do. How do I stop? Or at least how do I stop being so sensitive?

I wonder what will happen to OP when he/she gets pimped on the wards for the first time?

 

[getdown]

The answer is to toughen up. Medical training is hard and you will be at the receiving end of an attendings wrath for no fault of your own. There will be attendings who like things done one way and the another who likes the same thing done another way and since you are training UNDER their medical license it is your duty to KNOW what they want and DO IT. Is it frustrating? Yes. Is it stupid? Yes. Are you going to bitch about it? Yes. Are you going to do it? You better. Why? Because you are training and it is good to know how to do things many different ways cause you never know the day you'll have to do it differently or until you become an attending yourself and can do whatever the hell you want.

There will also be days during your training that you will **** up and get ripped apart by an upper level. Don't go curling up in a ball and crying. Use it as a learning opportunity, get better and not repeat that mistake. Because mistakes kill. People die when you as a doctor make a mistake, however small. The coddling stops at the door of medical school. Remove your ego and understand and accept that the patients ALWAYS comes first, not you.

This is not to say you won't be at the end of a malicious attending or resident. Or that you should accept verbal/physical harassment in any form and just let it go. But if it's a situation where you clearly messed up and got called on it you should own up to it and try to get better. I know it's hard, I've been down that road but no one gets better by not being told what they're doing wrong.

 

[Cara Delevingne]

There is a learning curve, but some doctors are just rude. It's usually the insecure ones who feel the need to put others down by being unreasonably demanding as if you're a resident.
Sounds like this is one of those. Sounds like you are new to the job, and they should have either trained you better, have someone supervise you, or let the doctors be aware that you are not yet up to speed.

Overreacting, but it's not your fault entirely. You do need to toughen up, though.

 

[CurryBear]

I wonder what will happen to OP when he/she gets pimped on the wards for the first time?

Sorry I'm not sure what you mean?

 

[Tenk]

If someone is crying to themselves in the bathroom and in their car, there might be mistreatment on the doctor's part, instead of just this person being too sensitive. That's all I'm suggesting

Or they could just be overwhelmed with the work and overly sensitive to criticism. I dunno that just doesn't seem that bad. I used to do some construction and landscaping back in high school and if I didn't put a post up right or make something look perfect you can bet your life I was told worse things than that. Life isn't always about being told how super awesome you are. Sometimes you aren't good and need to improve. Winners improve. Losers complain. I think the approach I posted above makes someone stronger and ready to improve. What are you going to do when you are an attending and a patient's family starts yelling in your face and calling you incompetent, terrible, etc? Cry and post about it on SDN? I hope not.

 

[7331poas]

Or they could just be overwhelmed with the work and overly sensitive to criticism. I dunno that just doesn't seem that bad. I used to do some construction and landscaping back in high school and if I didn't put a post up right or make something look perfect you can bet your life I was told worse things than that. Life isn't always about being told how super awesome you are. Sometimes you aren't good and need to improve. Winners improve. Losers complain. I think the approach I posted above makes someone stronger and ready to improve. What are you going to do when you are an attending and a patient's family starts yelling in your face and calling you incompetent, terrible, etc? Cry and post about it on SDN? I hope not.

I believe that is a false equivalency, OP is NOT and attending and certainly does not carry that level of scrutiny.

 

[MerYangBey]

I'm sure telling someone to toughen up is super helpful, but how exactly does one toughen up?

Do you just stop having feelings?
Do you have feelings and then tell yourself that they're invalid because someone online told you to toughen up?

Maybe the norm shouldn't be doctors that think it's their right to be rude ******* to anyone they're training or working with.

 

[getdown]

Toughen up = try not to take every thing personally or as an attack on your own worth. I agree it's not something you can "learn" from reading an internet message board but it's a skill one develops by consciously thinking about and evaluating a situation after it happens. When someone criticizes you, the first response shouldn't be "why is he so mean and making me feel bad about myself" it should be "why did he criticize me in the first place? what did I do wrong? What should I do to get better?"

The norm shouldn't be rude doctors but it also shouldn't be coddling future physicians to artificially boost their self-esteem by NOT pointing out their mistakes and expecting them to improve

 

[takeurmeds02]

Do you have feelings and then tell yourself that they're invalid because someone online told you to toughen up?

Well if you felt it well enough to seek advice online for a problem that you have in real life then sure. OP's first problem was soliciting character critique from strangers who do not know OP personally nor the details of the situation at hand.

 

[Tea Leaf]

Hi! I'm an ER scribe, and I know the struggle. Honestly, I had a rough time when I first started. I have had doctors yell at me for mistakes in charting- that I couldn't possibly have known without an MD degree. I remember when I was a new scribe, and I worked with a notoriously mean doctor who, in front of me, made fun of a mistake I made in my charts to another doctor. I ran this mistake by others later who agreed that I couldn't have possible known that without a medical degree or him verbalizing it to me. The EKG readings are tricky sometimes, especially when they just list off a bunch of findings "Normal sinus rhythm, normal P waves, right bundle branch block, ST elevation on leads blah blah blah, no Brugada signs". They say them very fast, and as someone who had never heard this before, it can be overwhelming. I have made mistakes before, and gone home crying because I took the doctor's critique or complaint too personally. To me, I had to step back and look at it objectively. I want to be a better scribe, so I'm going to work really hard to perfect this skill. When a doctor is critical of something I do, I listen, smile and nod, apologize, and do my best to fix it. Don't let it get to you.
I studied common EKG findings, lab results and their abbreviations, medication names, their common doses, and anything I could to make my shift go by smoother. Sooner or later, it is less about survival, and more about mastery. You reach a new level of scribing where you can recognize pertinent information, and type out medical decision making.
My advice to you is to stay calm. I always have a fear that I suck so badly at my job, everyone was going to complain about me and I would get fired. I still do, but I want to give everything my 100%. Scribing can be scary, you're exploited and it's high stress, and you must accommodate to the provider. Keep being professional and apologizing. Just be polite and try your best. It's all going to be okay .

 

[Tenk]

I believe that is a false equivalency, OP is NOT and attending and certainly does not carry that level of scrutiny.

Shrug, I knew what to say when I was 16: "Sorry, I'll do better next time." or "Sorry, let me fix it." Doesn't take an attending to figure out what to do in the situation the OP said or the situation I posted: "Sorry, we are trying very hard to take care of your family member, is there anything else we can do for you?"

These skills seem trivial, but they are an incredibly powerful way to build strong character and also make you seem like you are reliable and self confident.

 

[7331poas]

Shrug, I knew what to say when I was 16: "Sorry, I'll do better next time." or "Sorry, let me fix it." Doesn't take an attending to figure out what to do in the situation the OP said or the situation I posted: "Sorry, we are trying very hard to take care of your family member, is there anything else we can do for you?"

These skills seem trivial, but they are an incredibly powerful way to build strong character and also make you seem like you are reliable and self confident.

lol. And you seriously can't understand a scenario where a physician is such a dingus that they don't take that as an answer and go out of their way to belittle you for underperformance? (Which I have 100% seen in just a week of scribing to other staff members, especially nurses) These doctors really stretch the fabric of social norms.

I don't see how you guys can be so presumptuous. Also who hires a 16 year old scribe?

 

[mistafab]

It is a humbling, and an important skill to have/develop.

Shrug, I knew what to say when I was 16: "Sorry, I'll do better next time." or "Sorry, let me fix it." Doesn't take an attending to figure out what to do in the situation the OP said or the situation I posted: "Sorry, we are trying very hard to take care of your family member, is there anything else we can do for you?"

These skills seem trivial, but they are an incredibly powerful way to build strong character and also make you seem like you are reliable and self confident.

 

[memory tcells]

Hang in there, I would apologize and ask for ways you could improve. When I was scribing, I was expected to type out the HPI without any dictation from the attending. I listened to conversation between the patient and the physician and was expected to type out the HPI on my own. At the end of the day, we reviewed all the charts together. Well, since I didn't have medical training, I sometimes left out things that I didn't think was necessary to document. Whereas some other times I would document something I thought was relevant to the visit but actually wasn't. Needless to say, I would get scolded for these things. I can understand your frustration, it is hard to get inside the head of the attending to figure out exactly what he/she wants in the chart especially without medical school training. However, the best attitude to have is ask for ways to improve. If you feel overwhelmed, its okay to express that when you are alone. Maybe asking other scribes with more experience can help alleviate some of that stress and get some tips for dealing with doctors.

Also, do any of you know if it is common practice for scribes to type out the HPI on their own without physician dictating it to you? Or is it more common for scribes to just type out what the doctor dictates? I'm asking because there were no other scribes at my clinic to ask this to and I was never trained by a scribing agency. I started my scribe job with no experience or training so its hard for me to gauge what is normal and what isn't.

 

[ramifications]

I actually don't think it is you being too sensitive. When I was in healthcare I saw a lot of nasty and inconsiderate people (plenty of good people too though). The harshness that which is produced from a busy environment can not be perceived by the healthcare worker in the context of the real world well. I have seen people yell at others without any regard of the world and have let out their frustration on people meaning well. I can tell you that if within 6 months you are continually coming back crying, quit the job while obtaining an offer from another place for transfer. I am a proponent of "toughing things up" but sometimes you just wound up at a job that is not worth the mental anguish that people say you must overcome.

P.S., it doesn't seem like the doctor is that mean...I have seen a lot worse of people. If you want to wait it out and see where your stamina goes, try to prepare more and ask the physician for feedback when he is not busy meeting patients. That will help in showing him that you do want to improve on your deficiencies. Do not take the feedback personally but write it down. Have a notebook where you write down everything.

 

[ZedsDed]

I'm sure telling someone to toughen up is super helpful, but how exactly does one toughen up?

Do you just stop having feelings?
Do you have feelings and then tell yourself that they're invalid because someone online told you to toughen up?

Maybe the norm shouldn't be doctors that think it's their right to be rude ******* to anyone they're training or working with.

It's not that your feelings are "invalid" (lol) so much as no one else is obligated to care that you are so sensitive.

 

[dreee]

Honestly OP, file away these experiences as a learning moments, and don't take it personally. I'm not a scribe (scribing is a part of my job though), but I was exposed to a large amount of medical labs/terminology and had to screen patients via labs and past medical history. Being a recent grad, the learning curve was so steep, it seemed like a brick wall. I remember scribing a pt's medical history and notating "Cabbage" instead of CABG. (I look back at it now and laugh, but at the time, I had NO CLUE that was an acronym. I just typed what I heard ). Reading CxR impressions and figuring out if there was suspicion for pneumonia, evaluating WBCs/cultures/vitals/progress notes to determine infectious disease processes, all the while trying to type out what I'm hearing from RNs. (I will say in my position, the physicians tend to be kinder then the RNs.) The list goes on and on. I had numerous medical staff speak to me with such animosity and disgust, it was almost insulting.

Key word: Almost.

The only thing that stopped me from taking it personally was understanding that there was nothing wrong with me, this was just new. I was working full-time in a position that I had no prior experience with. I tell my co-workers to this day, I don't know how I survived the early stages. But here I am almost 2 years later, laughing at my early mistakes.

OP stick it out. Make an honest attempt to improve and you'll be okay.

 

[MerYangBey]

It's not that your feelings are "invalid" (lol) so much as no one else is obligated to care that you are so sensitive.

Haha what a wonderful world we live in.

OP we don't care. You're too sensitive. Toughen up.
Is that better?

 

[682933]

I've been scribing for 2 years now, have worked with several docs at different hospitals and clinics, have been training scribes for about a year and a half now.

Scribing is a lot harder than doctors generally give us credit for. When you're a doctor with years and years of formal training, and your scribe has had maybe a month, it's easy to be overly critical. Understand that a doctor's excessive criticism is usually a reflection of him or her, not of you. And as long as you know you're doing your best - and it sounds like you are, seeing as how you care enough to become so upset about it - you shouldn't take it personally.

That being said, focus on improving. Mistakes are expected, especially initially, but they should happen less and less frequently over time. Do your best, and you will be fine.

 

[ZedsDed]

Haha what a wonderful world we live in.

OP we don't care. You're too sensitive. Toughen up.
Is that better?

Man I wish we lived in that world. In reality we're too busy falling all over ourselves to coddle the feels of pearl-clutching sheltered children afraid to venture out of their safe spaces. Op is none of that, but yeah

 

[mouster]

I work in a super busy, super underfunded clinic that has its fair share of abrasive providers, and I'd classify myself as relatively sensitive. The process of getting things wrong constantly at the beginning of my time there and then getting yelled at has actually been super beneficial, because it's kind of taught me to mellow out a bit and be a bit more Zen about when things aren't going well for me.

OP, what I've found really helps me is to excuse myself after some interaction gets too bad (obviously if possible, you can't be running to the bathroom every ten seconds), and just take a deep breath and think about something else. If you dwell and think to yourself, "Oh Dr. X yelled at me today and I just do everything wrong" all you're going to do is build yourself into a sneaky hate spiral and keep ruminating on how bad you are at everything. Look at the incident as an isolated incident, and then learn from it. If you do something wrong, ask how you can improve in the future, and then take that advice to heart. I keep a notebook of all the different things I learn/mess up at my job, and then if I'm unsure in the future, I can refer to it.

Also, maybe consider getting some therapy? I know that can be a kind of an insulting solution, but certain kinds of therapy are really geared towards helping you build up your coping skills, and that will certainly come in handy as you progress down the path to medical school. Good luck!

 

[Tea Leaf]

Hang in there, I would apologize and ask for ways you could improve. When I was scribing, I was expected to type out the HPI without any dictation from the attending. I listened to conversation between the patient and the physician and was expected to type out the HPI on my own. At the end of the day, we reviewed all the charts together. Well, since I didn't have medical training, I sometimes left out things that I didn't think was necessary to document. Whereas some other times I would document something I thought was relevant to the visit but actually wasn't. Needless to say, I would get scolded for these things. I can understand your frustration, it is hard to get inside the head of the attending to figure out exactly what he/she wants in the chart especially without medical school training. However, the best attitude to have is ask for ways to improve. If you feel overwhelmed, its okay to express that when you are alone. Maybe asking other scribes with more experience can help alleviate some of that stress and get some tips for dealing with doctors.

Also, do any of you know if it is common practice for scribes to type out the HPI on their own without physician dictating it to you? Or is it more common for scribes to just type out what the doctor dictates? I'm asking because there were no other scribes at my clinic to ask this to and I was never trained by a scribing agency. I started my scribe job with no experience or training so its hard for me to gauge what is normal and what isn't.

We type out the HPIs on our own where we work, without dictation. We also type out most medical decision makings on our own.

 

[supremetaco]

I think it's pretty common to type out your own HPIs. Most scribe programs require training for this reason, to have a basic understanding of what is relevant and what is not, which gets modified as you gain experience. Otherwise we would just be a lesser version of Epic lol. Usually the docs I work with will dictate progress notes and the physical exam to make sure what they want is in there, but otherwise HPI, ROS, PMH, and results are on me

 

[mpdoc2]

I started working as a scribe for the past month and it's a bit overwhelming at times. Whenever the doctor asks me a question about a patient we are going in to see, I don't really know what to say. Like if he asks if an EKG/Echo was done or if there are labs done ect. I look in the profile and tell him but I don't know if I'm saying the right things because he is always mumbling to himself. One time I was doing the assessment & plan and I put too many diagnoses in there and he said "I don't need all this here!" and looked at me and said "Come on let's just go" and we went into the patient room. How am I supposed to know what diseases are relevant or not for today's visit? He always just asks the nurse these things because I feel like he thinks I don't know anything and I don't. I started crying in the bathroom one day and even in my car. My trainers told me not to take anything personally because doctor's are stressed from their jobs, but I always do. How do I stop? Or at least how do I stop being so sensitive?

Why the hell does this doc expect you to know this. S/He really needs to get off his high-horse and realize you haven't had training to be a physician yet. If he wants a PA he needs to pay for a PA not a scribe. Some physicians are truly stupid.

 

[mpdoc2]

We type out the HPIs on our own where we work, without dictation. We also type out most medical decision makings on our own.

That's just waiting for a law-suit.

 

[supremetaco]

That's just waiting for a law-suit.

That's usually why you always cover enough elements for the highest bill code and why you overshoot and cover every part of the document.

 

[Dr.Kitty]

I don't think you are overreacting at all, I wouldn't listen to anyone that tells you that you are. Your reaction is perfectly normal, what you aren't looking at is that many of these experiences are going to happen once you are a medical student/resident. Growing a thicker skin will take time, but it's something that will develop over your years on your medical journey. Keep going at it, being a scribe is not easy. Know any sort of yelling/harassment is going too far and should be reported, but anything else just shrug off.

 

[supremetaco]

Also, fun story. There was a doc notorious for being an asshat in the ED when I first started. I didn't make any mistakes or anything, but he was having a bad day, missed a dx earlier that week, and pretty fuming mad for some reason. He threw some charts at me, which I was able to catch as it bounced off me, no real harm done. I figured this guy was just normally a mad guy. Haven't seen the doc since.

Basically, asshats usually get dealt with pretty quickly.

 

[mpdoc2]

Also, fun story. There was a doc notorious for being an asshat in the ED when I first started. I didn't make any mistakes or anything, but he was having a bad day, missed a dx earlier that week, and pretty fuming mad for some reason. He threw some charts at me, which I was able to catch as it bounced off me, no real harm done. I figured this guy was just normally a mad guy. Haven't seen the doc since.

Basically, asshats usually get dealt with pretty quickly.

That's what happens when they rely on a scribe for the differential diagnosis. No offense to scribes but you'll be much better at the differential once your done with residency

 

[supremetaco]

Oh, I don't do differentials though at my hospital. Docs do that on the dispo part. That doc was just very subpar, poor PEx skills and bedside demeanor.