Scribe or CNA?

[beetschutefarm]

Hello knowledgeable SDNers,

I am preparing for a potential reapp (sitting on 2 unknowns post-interviews right now). I applied this past cycle with around 100 hours of hospital volunteering in psych & 250 hours of community service, and figured that service is my weak spot.

I am thinking of doing another year of clinical employment and volunteering and apply again in 2020.
Currently thinking of converting my research job to part-time and picking up either a scribe part-time, clinical tech, or psych assistant job part-time.

Scribe pro: easy for increasing shadowing by a ton (i currently only have psych & ER shadowing, so I need Primary care shadowing); con: not hands-on clinical experience

Clinical tech pro: hands-on clinical experience, con: need to get the cert by taking night class on top of my current full-time employment, also unsure about being able to find part-time gig

Psych assistant pro: love to have more experience in mental health, also hands-on clinical experience, no need to obtain a cert; con: may not be as helpful to application because I need more experience in specialties other than psych?

Since my application, i have had about 150 hours of ER volunteering and have updated medical schools. I have also been polishing my community service by picking up a helpline for domestic violence/ sexual assault victims (underserved areas) as well as volunteering at an animal shelter.

Advice would be appreciated, thank you in advance!

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[JohnDenver]

I can't speak to what an ADCOM would like more, but I'd advise you to pick the one that will be the most rewarding for you. I think all of those provide great clinical and patient exposure. I currently scribe while waiting to matriculate and I find it incredibly boring because I'm energized by interacting with people and instead I'm on a computer for 8 hours a day sitting quietly in the corner of a room. I've had clinical jobs in the past with more patient exposure and I miss it. Just my two cents.

 

[PickleRickelus]

I had a great scribing experience but this can vary greatly depending on where you do it and for what company. For example, we were allowed to follow the physicians/PAs into the exam room/ambulance bay and document the entire encounter when they obtained the history from numerous parties such as the patients, family members and medics. We had a chance to be up close and see what the provider orders and under what circumstances, what is important to document in terms of HPI and physical exam findings, etc. Meanwhile I have friends who simply sat in a room all day in front of a computer and typed what was dictated to them. In any case, if you do find yourself interacting with physicians it is very easy to stand out in this job and possibly even request a letter of recommendation.

If you want something with more consistency then CNA would be the way to go but it's hard work that requires you getting your hands dirty, especially if you work in an inpatient setting.

TLDR: Your mileage may vary when it comes to scribing. Request more information from a work flow stand point before committing to it because it could easily be the best experience ever to a complete waste of time.

 

[cantankerous]

Scribing is borderline clinical experience whereas CNA is definite clinical experience. However, you'll be working and learning under a nurse instead of a physician, so think about your interests and also what your application needs more. From my own experiences, scribing environments aren't very good. Usually the physicians are pleasant, but the management companies and your coworkers/bosses are very miserable and out to get you because scribes are easily replaceable. But, I don't want to give you the wrong impression. That was just my experience but I don't speak for everyone.