Medical Scribe or CNA

[DRDiva8]

Hello all,

I am a currently a college sophomore and have been presented with the opportunity to work as a medical scribe at a hospital or private care facility (depending on where I am assigned) or become trained and certified as a CNA free of charge at a nursing home. Which one do you think would be the better choice and why?

I’m not particularly concerned about the pay but more about which one would help me in the long run and look better on my medical school application (side note: not doing it just as a resume builder). I would be starting the fall semester of 2019.

Thank you so much for your feedback!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[brownsfan999]

Depends on the scribe company IMO. I work for a small company that employs scribes and it's great, some people have issues w larger companies though. Scribing can get you quality time talking w docs but you'd obviously get more patient exposure being a CNA.

 

[BOAO523]

I would take the scribing job. It's great exposure to physicians, patients, and charting.

 

[Fennel608]

Hello all,

I am a currently a college sophomore and have been presented with the opportunity to work as a medical scribe at a hospital or private care facility (depending on where I am assigned) or become trained and certified as a CNA free of charge at a nursing home. Which one do you think would be the better choice and why?

I’m not particularly concerned about the pay but more about which one would help me in the long run and look better on my medical school application (side note: not doing it just as a resume builder). I would be starting the fall semester of 2019.

Thank you so much for your feedback!

I have only ever worked as a CNA, so take this with a grain of salt. I think it depends on what you are looking for. Being a scribe would likely be the best way to boost your application to medical school through forming relationships with doctors and being knowledgeable regarding care. The doctors will write you letters of recommendation and the like.

However, CNA would likely build your patient interaction skills more than being a scribe would, and that is a huge advantage. Learning to interact with patients and build trusting relationships is essential, and being a CNA in that environment will help you do that. I loved being a CNA, and credit it with my interest in doctor-patient communication.

Another point is that CNA work is exhausting. I can’t comment on scribe work, so I am not saying that being a scribe is easy. I was almost always terrified that I could make a med error (never did, I think most people have the fear though when they are new) or was not efficient enough/not able to give the proper care in the allotted time. That’s my personal experience though, and you may not have the same experience.

Idk, I hope some of that was helpful. Most people push scribe, but I really think CNA is a great way to build skills and makes you appreciate and understand the people who will be carrying out some of the care that you prescribe/order for your patients in the future.

 

[Dr. Anonymouss]

How are your connections with doctors. Do you have any letters of recommendations already lined up? Scribing can be a great way to build relationships that lead to quality letters of recommendation. On top of that it will expose you to medical terminology and Dr. - Patient exposure. You can't go wrong with either choice, honestly. They both have their own benefits so ask yourself what is more important to you at the moment, building relationships with doctors/watching patient interaction or having hands on experience at the expense of building professional relationships.

 

[Chibucks15]

^ second CNA life. I got a lot of positive feedback because people know how strenuous it can be. Plus, if you work at a smaller hospital (like I did), if you bust your butt people notice, and when the residents and docs found out I was going to medical school they kinda let me pseudo shadow and follow along with the plan as much as I could. They wrote me letters too. Never been a scribe so can't comment on that. One thing I have heard that it gets you better at writing notes, but that a lot of the shorthand you learned you can't use on boards and in classes so it isn't THAT much of a boost. But I'm sure you'd be fine either way

 

[brownsfan999]

I have only ever worked as a CNA, so take this with a grain of salt. I think it depends on what you are looking for. Being a scribe would likely be the best way to boost your application to medical school through forming relationships with doctors and being knowledgeable regarding care. The doctors will write you letters of recommendation and the like.

However, CNA would likely build your patient interaction skills more than being a scribe would, and that is a huge advantage. Learning to interact with patients and biuld trusting relationships is essential, and being a CNA in that environment will help you do that. I loved being a CNA, and credit it with my interest in doctor-patient communication.

Another point is that CNA work is exhausting. I can’t comment on scribe work, so I am not saying that being a scribe is easy. I was almost always terrified that I could make a med error (never did, I think most people have the fear though when they are new) or was not efficient enough/not able to give the proper care in the allotted time. That’s my personal experience though, and you may not have the same experience.

Idk, I hope some of that was helpful. Most people push scribe, but I really think CNA is a great way to build skills and makes you appreciate and understand the people who will be carrying out some of the care that you prescribe/order for your patients in the future.

To this point, some schools (especially DO) put an emphasis on getting a LOR from a MD/DO. Easy to get these scribing.

 

[LizzyM]

Do you want to get up close and personal with patients or do you want to keep your distance?

 

[John Wick]

As someone who's worked as a CNA in a nursing home and is currently employed as a medical scribe I can say that my time as a medical scribe is much more impactful. I feel like a part of that may have to do with me being a scribe in an emergency department with a significant amount of diverse patient cases. Not only do I see a ton of interesting things but working directly with the doctors has taught me a lot about the process of medical school, residency, and beyond. I will leave here with a few letters of rec from respected MD's and a lot of experiences to talk about. My job as a CNA left me with one letter of rec from an administrator and some stories about how I did the dirty work caring for patients. Neither are well paying, neither hurts your application, but I would choose medical scribe 10/10 times.