Scribe or EMT-B? (Poll)

[ZDMaestro]

Hi Everyone!

I'm wondering what the opinion is on employment options during a gap year. The two I am considering most right now are scribe and EMT-B.

I could do a two-week accelerated EMT course (for a chunk of cash, of course) and see about doing that for a year. Or I could seek scribe employment (minus the chunk of cash, of course). Of course, EMT would pay more than a scribe position, but I've heard of EMT-B's not finding too many hours to really take advantage of this pay anyway (whereas scribes can generally find full time work [depending on location, of course]).

I think both offer meaningful perspectives—and I am already leaning toward one way—but wanted to ask the ever-gracing sage that is SDN. What do you guys think about it? If anyone cares to share other thoughtful options, by all means!

Thanks a million billion trillion. Literally.

EDIT: I am married (i.e. live only with my wife) and have over 100 hours of shadowing experience.
EDIT #2: I am not needing a LoR from a physician, so that wouldn't be a motive. This is just what is best for a pre-medical student (in a completely altruistic way).

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[Rinya]

So, I have been a scribe for the past three years. I had wanted to do EMT but scribing schedules worked better with my college courses and I wanted to get paid right away as opposed to going to school more. I have found scribing to be the most meaningful experience and most educating experience possible for anyone intending to apply to medical school. Shortly after training I established positive relationships with all the doctors here and they've taught me so much about interpreting labs, EKG's, radiology; I get to watch any and all procedures performed, I know how to chart according to level 5 criteria for billing and coding, and it is basically paid shadowing. All the consulting doctors who come to the ER are used to seeing scribes and will often pull one of us aside and discuss about the patient being admitted, as well as plan of treatment after leaving the ER. I've gotten all my shadow opportunities with consulting physicians who come to the ER that I've talked with.

The downside to scribing is that 1. You don't get direct patient contact experience, 2. Unless you work 3 years like I have, the pay is low. However, I have always considered it to be paid shadowing and that's how I'm fine with it.

I honestly love this job, and each day at work reiterates in my mind that I want to be a physician. I highly recommend it. If the position is in the ER you get to see people presenting with a wide range of problems (neuro, cardio, ortho, primary care, etc). If the scribe position is in a clinic I'm not sure how it would be run as I've only worked in the ER.

Anyhow, I highly recommend scribing but obviously I'm biased after doing it for 3 years!

 

[ZDMaestro]

Thank you kindly for your response! It was very insightful—I'll keep waiting for others to chime in (hopefully).

 

[FutureOncologist]

Scribing. Never did it because I got a good amount of shadowing hours and I was good in the clinical hours department. However, scribing only has one negative: mediocre pay. If you can live with parents/friends/roommates then it is the way to go.

 

[ZDMaestro]

Please see my edits above. ^-^

 

[Being]

Speaking as an EMT, I expect you would have more meaningful experiences in EMS. You have a lot more responsibility, autonomy, and spend a lot of 1-on-1 time with patients. You have to make differential diagnoses and important treatment decisions on your own - sometimes lives are potentially at stake. Being an EMT is also probably more fun, and you'll have more down time during which you can study, read, whatever. You'll probably end up with more stories to tell at an interview.

At the same time, I think scribing is a better gig for a pre-med. You get exposure to the hospital environment, get to see a lot more, and rub shoulders with physicians who could potentially write you LoR's or let you shadow.

IMO one of the big problems with EMS as a pre-med activity is that you don't really get to know anyone above you in the hierarchy. Because of this, it's not as good for getting letters and references. If you work on a dedicated 911 truck and bring patients to the same hospital all the time you do get to know people, but it takes time, and those gigs can be tough to get as a new EMT.

I think AdComs have chimed in here saying that they don't really care how people gain their clinical exposure. There are definitely pros and cons to every entry level clinical job. I think overall scribing wins because it probably gives you a much better idea of what it's actually like to be a doctor, which is basically the whole point of gaining clinical experience in the first place.

 

[ZDMaestro]

Thanks for your insight! ^-^ See Edit #2, by the way. 😀

 

[wayves]

I'm both a scribe and an EMT.

You would get more experience actually interacting with patients in EMS. Also, you can make good money depending on where you are in the country. If I went full-time I could make $89,000 per year including overtime (AEMT). Some paramedics make over $100,000. It's not super common, but it does happen.

That being said, you generally see MORE patients as a scribe. You just don't interact with them much. Also scribing doesn't require as much education. The hospital that I scribe at doesn't have an educational requirement (you don't need to be certified). You just get hired and then receive a few hours of training and a terminology handbook.

 

[cidem2065]

If you want to be in charge of patient care EMS is the way to go, especially if you're passionate about being a provider or have a desire to get out there and help your community. It's definitely not something to do for the money though. You don't get paid for what you do, you get paid for what you're willing to do. In contrast being a scribe is more like secretary work for the doctor and not for the patient.

Based on your edits EMS seems to be the better option depending on what kind of services are in your area. Some have long processes of paperwork, certifications, physicals, state compliance, and classes you have to go through before you can ride, and once you do ride you may be carrying bags for a while before you can be evaluated for a crew chief/driver position. Some services might be just the opposite. The ones with more red-tape or a more involved process are usually more training-oriented while a service that expedites your training is probably more interested in getting you to help maintain staff.

I also recommend looking for a BLS only service because when you run MICUs with a paramedic partner you'll be stuck driving for nearly all of the "fun" calls. But of course that leads to another benefit of EMS over scribe where there's a bit of upward mobility potential where you can become an Intermediate or Advanced EMT (depending on your state) or, if you're very devoted, a paramedic.

Disclaimer: I'm a paramedic and thus entirely biased.

 

[ZDMaestro]

@wayves and @cidem2065

The pay is really not a concern; rather, a side thought. I'm not interesting in really making more money than I need to survive. I am married, as mentioned, but am only 22 (my wife is 28 and a professional violinist).

As for being a provider/having a desire to help the community... I do quite extensive volunteer work (albeit non-medical) so I'm not exactly looking to put anything in my work/activities as an "I help my community" item. In fact, I'm maxed out on the 15 entries that we are allowed, and I really don't see a way to make room for anything else. So I'm genuinely looking for what's the best experience in terms of learning, getting to know more about physicianhood, etc.

Also, I want to emphasize that I would only do this for one year... and a lot of the EMT business seems a bit long-winded and "down the road" to me. I don't know if it would be worth the time (when compared to a scribe and what it can offer). And though I mentioned pay not really being too significant for me, the investment to become an EMT definitely changes things. I'm sure this is easy to understand.

The comments seem to be favoring EMT, but the poll seems to be favoring scribe. That's certainly interesting!

 

[pepocho]

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[cidem2065]

@wayves and @cidem2065

The comments seem to be favoring EMT, but the poll seems to be favoring scribe. That's certainly interesting!

That's because EMTs talk to patients while scribes just stand awkwardly in the background.

But on a serious note you should really do a bit of research into what local services you would want to join. How they're structured will determine the worthiness of gaining that certification considering the time restrictions.

If you want to get your hands dirty and learn how to take care of patients, do EMS. If you want to learn about physicians and a variety of patient conditions, become a scribe.

 

[mehc012]

That's because EMTs talk to patients while scribes just stand awkwardly in the background.

But on a serious note you should really do a bit of research into what local services you would want to join. How they're structured will determine the worthiness of gaining that certification considering the time restrictions.

If you want to get your hands dirty and learn how to take care of patients, do EMS. If you want to learn about physicians and a variety of patient conditions, become a scribe.

Lolnope, I'm a loudmouth scribe. I talk to the patients a LOT. I also get to see everything, from start to finish, on a patient, which is something EMS often misses out on. We have a lot of medics come in on later runs asking how the patient from earlier fared, but I honestly think that hearing about it later is a lot less educational than seeing the whole course of someone's stay in the ED (and sometimes their surgeries!)

I will also say that, due to hospital policy, the one thing I do not do is assist on procedures. No siree, I absolutely, definitely, 100% do not ever...well, you know 😉