Is scribing considered "direct patient contact"?

[IceDuchess]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hi everyone,

Hope all of your secondaries are going well! I am working on my secondary for George Washington University SOM. One of their questions is:

What is your most meaningful clinical experience to date, involving direct patient contact? (350 characters)

Would I be able to write about a unique patient case I witnessed as an ED medical scribe for this prompt? I'm not sure if scribing is considered "direct patient contact".

Let me know if you'd like any more information. Thank you!

 

[BOAO523]

I wrote this secondary last week. I'm inclined to say yes. Unless you're a nurse, EMT, caretaker, something of the sort (which plenty of applicants are not) then you won't be in direct physical contact with patients. I'm pretty sure that being in the same room with the patients (as I'm assuming you are when you scribe) qualifies as direct patient contact. An observational experience can certainly be meaningful.

 

[IceDuchess]

I wrote this secondary last week. I'm inclined to say yes. Unless you're a nurse, EMT, caretaker, something of the sort (which plenty of applicants are not) then you won't be in direct physical contact with patients. I'm pretty sure that being in the same room with the patients (as I'm assuming you are when you scribe) qualifies as direct patient contact. An observational experience can certainly be meaningful.

Thank you so much for your answer! I actually also have a lot of hands-on clinical experience, but this one particular patient case that I saw as a scribe really left an impact on me. I am hoping that even though I have other examples of "direct patient contact", this one will work too.

 

[sjwheels]

Unfortunately I don't think scribing is considered "direct patient contact". I thought about writing about a scribing experience for that, but since scribes are generally told to not touch patients and are not generally involved in actual patient care, I chose to write about another experience. But if you really want to write about a scribing experience you could always just email the admissions department and ask them.

 

[mistafab]

LOL

If scribing isnt direct patient contact, then what is?

Don’t be silly.

 

[LizzyM]

Many applicants are not in positions where they can touch patients which led to my definition of clinical experience. IMHO, scribing is direct patient contact.

 

[sjwheels]

LOL

If scribing isnt direct patient contact, then what is?

Don’t be silly.

Just because I have a different interpretation of what "direct patient contact" is doesn't make me wrong. Everybody can interpret it different, that was just my interpretation. Hence why I mentioned contacting the school if need be.

 

[crazymedguy123]

I would say scribing does count as direct contact. I don't think it is like PA school, where they generally want contact to entail working with patients.