Leave scribing job?

[ahorner1990]

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[Wolfpack93]

Go for it. Scribe pay is a bit ridiculous for how much they expect. Put the experience in your app, take the better job and never look back

 

[ahorner1990]

bump

 

[7331poas]

Who are you going to put down as a reference if you leave on the application?

 

[ahorner1990]

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[DocJuan]

I still plan on putting scribing on my application - I'm going to give them enough notice to find a replacement if I do end up going. I'm certainly not going to use anyone from scribe hq as LOR reference on my application. As far as physician LOR's I already have that covered, scribing was just for additional clinical experience.

I wouldn't worry too much about "shirking" your responsibilities I mean you don't owe the company anything. Plus if they really cared about you they'd pay more than minimum wage (my scribe job pays 15/hr which is the highest I've ever heard of but still kind of not worth it). Sounds exploitative to me. And you said the hours suck too? They aren't flexible with their hours?

Typically I'd say scribe for a minimum of 6 months for it to actually impact your application at some schools. You say scribing is extremely stressful, but we have it extremely easy compared to the doctors that are running around keeping track of patient orders AND completing documentation while fighting with other doctors to get patients admitted and keeping patients treated and often unruly family members up to date . What if they ask in an interview why you quit after only a month? I wouldn't think "too stressful" is the best response.

If you're truly unhappy and don't see it getting better, quit! But I can say from experience after you scribe for a while it WILL get better. You learn how to multitask. At this point I can listen to a physician dictation while writing a patient chart while listening to an interesting conversation going on elsewhere in the ED. When I first started I was so stressed about charts piling up, but if you take really good detailed notes , you can always come back to a chart and finish it later. I think it would become much easier for you if you give it time.

 

[caffeinemia]

1) Use the awfulness of scribing to inform yourself about how ****ty medical documentation and work environment really is. Then consider whether you want to do this for many years and discuss during personal statement or interviews maybe.

2) Do not use their LOR (obvi, and I think you know that).

3) Doesn't matter who your contact is for that activity. The schools don't actually call anyone unless you put something that is completely off the wall ridiculous. 3000-5000+ apps a year, 15 contacts... so they gonna make 75000 calls just to check on your activities? Lol.

 

[PreMedTex]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with scribing. Scribing may not be glamorous but its such a great opportunity to see what the medical field is really like. The whole "obligation of 1-2 years" is bull crap though. Don't feel bad leaving especially if you give a month notice.. The turnover rate in scribe jobs is high, at least where I am at. They will fine and find a replacement easily.

The thing you want to take away from this experience though is did you learn anything? Do you feel like you have a grasp on what it means to work those hours and see those patients who are not grateful for anything and just wants dilaudid because they are in 15/10 pain and are "allergic" to everything else. Use this negative time as a learning experience and try to turn it into a positive outlook.

 

[deleted776505]

I guess if I were in your shoes, I would weigh all my options and see what choice will give you the best experience while factoring in hours/pay. However, here's my two cents about scribing; I was a scribe in an ED for a year and a half and the experience and knowledge I gained was invaluable. Aside from learning a ton of medical terminology and seeing cool procedures (like chest tubes, codes, pneumothorax, etc), I was able to develop personal relationships with the physicians. All of them were great, telling me about their journey through medicine, giving advice about med school, and always willing to answer questions. As a scribe, you also get insight into how a physician thinks, why they ask the patient certain questions, why they order certain tests. I've heard from numerous people that when you get into medical school after being a scribe, you will be far ahead of your class when getting into charting/medical coding because you already have experience doing this.

Also, when I first started out as a scribe, it was super stressful. Having many charts at a time while still seeing patients is stressful, but it gets better. After about 3 months, I started to feel more comfortable scribing and was able to keep up with the fast paced environment. It does take work and is a difficult job, but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

 

[DocJuan]

Also, when I first started out as a scribe, it was super stressful. Having many charts at a time while still seeing patients is stressful, but it gets better. After about 3 months, I started to feel more comfortable scribing and was able to keep up with the fast paced environment. It does take work and is a difficult job, but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

Best advice. It's a big learning curve but once you're beyond that, it becomes easy!

 

[baratheonfire]

Hi all,

I started scribing in April, and I am continuing to do so for 20 hours a week. Scribing is insanely stressful, pays minimum wage and has terrible hours. I am also working 2 other jobs that total 40 hours a week. I also volunteer at various organizations around the city I live in. I am exhausted and barely scraping by on minimum wage at these three jobs.

A week ago, a friend told me that they were leaving their medically related job in 1 month, and that I would be a good fit for it (not scribing). The pay is SIGNIFICANTLY more than any of my other jobs, and it would be full time. It would make life easier for me and my loans. This sort of fell into my lap, and I am tempted to drop my other jobs and take this one full time.

When I signed up to be a scribe, I told them that I would do it for a year, and I legitimately meant it at the time. The money and experience of this other job is very tempting though. I would give the scribe job 1 month notice if I did leave. Am I shirking my responsibilities? Am I reading too much into a job that I am getting paid minimum wage to do? Thoughts?

Just quit and write about it anyway