Leaving 2-year scribe commitment for an SMP

[C5b6789]

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I will have worked 1 year as a scribe by next June, but I am hoping to matriculate into an SMP next year. When I was interviewed for the scribe program, they described it as a 2-year commitment. In my interview I was honest and said I did not know where I would be after 1 year, but they still hired me.

Are DO schools going to consider it a red flag if I "break" my commitment as a scribe and enroll in an SMP? I won't be able to obtain an official letter of recommendation from the scribe program since I won't be completing the required 2 years, and the doctors aren't allowed to write individual letters for scribes that don't finish the 2 years.

I've read another thread on SDN where it's generally considered bad form to break a commitment...so I'm worried that leaving for an SMP is going to create a red flag on my application. Is this a valid concern? While I know an SMP is never a guarantee of admission, I feel that an SMP would help me more than if I continued as a scribe just to keep my commitment.

 

[F=ma]

Don't break your commitment. Your experience as a scribe and the letters of recommendation you may gain will most likely be more valuable than an SMP. Take some classes while you finish your scribe commitment.

I plan do attend LECOM's Post-Bac program next month (depending on acceptance) and will be leaving two current jobs in hospitals. However, I did not sign anything that requires me do commit any specified amount of time. I simply plan to give them two-weeks notice before I leave my employers. The experiences I've gained in these jobs has certainly been worth it, however, I am ready to return to school.

 

[baxt1412]

I agree, not only is it clinical exposure but you'll also get letters. What is your cGPA and sGPA? General trend?

 

[C5b6789]

I agree, not only is it clinical exposure but you'll also get letters. What is your cGPA and sGPA? General trend?

I had a poor undergrad GPA (3.23). I did a year of Open University/Extension/Community College courses at a 4.0. Then I completed a formal post-bacc program with a 3.95 GPA. I'm not sure what my cGPA and sGPA are after all the grade replacements, but my last calculation was maybe around a 3.45.

My post-bacc program was mostly upper division sciences, and we only took ~3 classes at a time, so I don't feel that it prepared me well for medical school (more just helped me with GPA repair). I want to do an SMP to better prepare (as much as one can) for the medical school curriculum. I don't feel that being a scribe for 1 vs. 2 years will make a difference in preparing for the academic side of medical school. I had a lot of other clinical experience (paid and volunteer) prior to being a scribe, and while it would be nice to have another LOR, I do have other LORs lined up including a committee letter from my post-bacc.

 

[baxt1412]

well, did you sign anything stating you would stay for 2 years?

 

[C5b6789]

well, did you sign anything stating you would stay for 2 years?

There is nothing in my official contract that mentions 2 years. It's just we were verbally told at a meeting about needing to stay for 2 years before getting a LOR, and also in the interview the program was described as a 2-year commitment even though I told them I wasn't sure where I would be after 1 year.

 

[baxt1412]

Well, legally you have nothing binding you there. If you think that you have the ECs, letters, etc to more than make up for the scribe job, then I would quit. If you doubt that you do, even in the slightest bit, I'd stick with the job.

If you never verbally nor legally agreed to 2 years, what can they expect?

 

[HinduHammer]

I will have worked 1 year as a scribe by next June, but I am hoping to matriculate into an SMP next year. When I was interviewed for the scribe program, they described it as a 2-year commitment. In my interview I was honest and said I did not know where I would be after 1 year, but they still hired me.

Are DO schools going to consider it a red flag if I "break" my commitment as a scribe and enroll in an SMP? I won't be able to obtain an official letter of recommendation from the scribe program since I won't be completing the required 2 years, and the doctors aren't allowed to write individual letters for scribes that don't finish the 2 years.

I've read another thread on SDN where it's generally considered bad form to break a commitment...so I'm worried that leaving for an SMP is going to create a red flag on my application. Is this a valid concern? While I know an SMP is never a guarantee of admission, I feel that an SMP would help me more than if I continued as a scribe just to keep my commitment.

I disagree with the other posters. Your life/education/prerogative comes first. The scribe company will certainly terminate you at the drop of a hat if they had any desire to do so. Their revenue model is that they start seeing profitability after training you after like 1-2 months (or some X time) after working for them, so they want you to work for them for 2 years -- this way they can get the maximum amount of profit from you, while not having to deal with giving you a raise or living wage. See how this works? Work for more than 2 years -- all of a sudden you want more than 10 bucks an hour, you want health insurance, vacation days, etc. Work for less than a few months -- they have to train another scribe and see less profit for every hour a scribe works.

Individuals are people and can be your friends, corporations certainly are not.

If you have worked at least 3 months, you have gotten quite a bit of clinical exposure. Obviously more is better, but again your stuff comes first.

Now, regarding the LOR. Do you have rapport with any specific docs? If so, try and schedule your shifts to work with the same doc and be an awesome scribe for him/her. After awhile, plant the seed that you may be leaving the position due to an academic obligation/opportunity. in my experience, physicians are extremely ambitious people also and recognize that you come first, as they also put themselves first. I doubt a doctor who likes you will have a problem writing you an LOR, even if it is against company policy. Just don't ask a doc whom you don't know well or who always seems frazzles or seems like they hate being at work. A doc who has kids is even better.

If you do go this route, make sure to get the letter saved to Interfolio. That way you won't have to bother the doc again.

In summary, do what's best for you, don't leave the other scribes on your team or the docs hanging, but don't worry about the scribe company - they will be fine without you.

 

[CharmanderMD]

I had a poor undergrad GPA (3.23). I did a year of Open University/Extension/Community College courses at a 4.0. Then I completed a formal post-bacc program with a 3.95 GPA. I'm not sure what my cGPA and sGPA are after all the grade replacements, but my last calculation was maybe around a 3.45.

My post-bacc program was mostly upper division sciences, and we only took ~3 classes at a time, so I don't feel that it prepared me well for medical school (more just helped me with GPA repair). I want to do an SMP to better prepare (as much as one can) for the medical school curriculum. I don't feel that being a scribe for 1 vs. 2 years will make a difference in preparing for the academic side of medical school. I had a lot of other clinical experience (paid and volunteer) prior to being a scribe, and while it would be nice to have another LOR, I do have other LORs lined up including a committee letter from my post-bacc.

I think it sounds like the SMP is a waste of time honestly. You've already done so much to improve your situation, why waste more money?

 

[C5b6789]

I think it sounds like the SMP is a waste of time honestly. You've already done so much to improve your situation, why waste more money?

Enrolling in an SMP is more for my own sake, not just to improve my application (since I plan on applying to DO schools next year before I even matriculate into an SMP). I made the mistake of going directly to a 4-year university after high school, completely unprepared as to what was needed to do well. As you can see by my GPA, I didn't really figure it out until the end. I don't want to be in that same position for med school, and my post-bacc didn't prepare me for a rigorous med school curriculum since we took undergrad-level classes. I'm hoping that if I can make it through an SMP, I'll at least have a small idea of what is expected of med students.

 

[C5b6789]

I disagree with the other posters. Your life/education/prerogative comes first. The scribe company will certainly terminate you at the drop of a hat if they had any desire to do so. Their revenue model is that they start seeing profitability after training you after like 1-2 months (or some X time) after working for them, so they want you to work for them for 2 years -- this way they can get the maximum amount of profit from you, while not having to deal with giving you a raise or living wage. See how this works? Work for more than 2 years -- all of a sudden you want more than 10 bucks an hour, you want health insurance, vacation days, etc. Work for less than a few months -- they have to train another scribe and see less profit for every hour a scribe works.

Individuals are people and can be your friends, corporations certainly are not.

If you have worked at least 3 months, you have gotten quite a bit of clinical exposure. Obviously more is better, but again your stuff comes first.

Now, regarding the LOR. Do you have rapport with any specific docs? If so, try and schedule your shifts to work with the same doc and be an awesome scribe for him/her. After awhile, plant the seed that you may be leaving the position due to an academic obligation/opportunity. in my experience, physicians are extremely ambitious people also and recognize that you come first, as they also put themselves first. I doubt a doctor who likes you will have a problem writing you an LOR, even if it is against company policy. Just don't ask a doc whom you don't know well or who always seems frazzles or seems like they hate being at work. A doc who has kids is even better.

If you do go this route, make sure to get the letter saved to Interfolio. That way you won't have to bother the doc again.

In summary, do what's best for you, don't leave the other scribes on your team or the docs hanging, but don't worry about the scribe company - they will be fine without you.

Yes I have a good rapport with one particular doctor (who has kids). Perhaps I'll ask him for a letter early next year. Since the scribe program I'm in is fairly large, I'm not too concerned about the impact I'll have by leaving after 1 year. Thanks for the advice 🙂

 

[keels99]

It's not legally binding. I had the same agreement with my company, and it's really more of an "honor" type thing. You will lose the LOR's however, which could be exceptionally useful.

 

[CharmanderMD]

It's not legally binding. I had the same agreement with my company, and it's really more of an "honor" type thing. You will lose the LOR's however, which could be exceptionally useful.

I disagree in that if you're actually close to whomever may write your letter they will write a good letter regardless. Otherwise you're shooting for a letter from someone who doesn't really know you anyway.

 

[keels99]

I disagree in that if you're actually close to whomever may write your letter they will write a good letter regardless. Otherwise you're shooting for a letter from someone who doesn't really know you anyway.

It depends. With my company, you lose the letters if you break the time commitment.