Scribe or Research?

[DPTinthemaking15]

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I'm in a bit of a pickle... I have read a few other threads, but they didn't pertain to my situation. I volunteered to assist my Pre-med advisor with a research topic. She is a super sweet lady and has helped me so much this far, but I have been given an opportunity to work as a scribe. Is it a good idea to keep the research position in order to make my Pre-med advisor happy? Or should I take the scribe position in order to make some extra cash and get a good LOR from the Physician I scribe for. I wish I could do both, but class+studying for MCAT+ anything else will be hectic. I don't want to make her mad because I promised to help (I am supposed to start this coming Monday). But I don't want a weak LOR from the Physician I am shadowing. I have around 2,000 hours working in a PT clinic if that helps to fill in some information.

 

[Supermanwife]

I'm in a bit of a pickle... I have read a few other threads, but they didn't pertain to my situation. I volunteered to assist my Pre-med advisor with a research topic. She is a super sweet lady and has helped me so much this far, but I have been given an opportunity to work as a scribe. Is it a good idea to keep the research position in order to make my Pre-med advisor happy? Or should I take the scribe position in order to make some extra cash and get a good LOR from the Physician I scribe for. I wish I could do both, but class+studying for MCAT+ anything else will be hectic. I don't want to make her mad because I promised to help (I am supposed to start this coming Monday). But I don't want a weak LOR from the Physician I am shadowing. I have around 2,000 hours working in a PT clinic if that helps to fill in some information.

Are you saying youll get a weak letter if you ask a Dr. From the clinic? If you already have hours working in a clinic I would take the research position not only is that a great opportunity but she can write a letter of recommendation for you. (Double win- research and letter).

Another thing to think about is what schools are you looking to apply to. If they are researched based I'd say go with the research. If they strongly recommend the voluntering/shadowing go with the Dr/letter. Hope this helps

 

[shisong]

scribe. you want to be a doctor then work as a scribe. PT clinic helps but you dont want to be PT right? you want to be a doctor

 

[NecrotizingFasciitis]

Disclaimer: I am still technically a pre-med, so other, more savvy members, may know better; this is personal opinion.

I was totally sold on the research option (because of your 2,000 PT clinic hours; no more clinical exposure needed) until I read @shisong 's comment.

I'm torn now because if ADCOMs just see it as clinical experience, and don't think anything past that, you should definitely do research (no doubt in my mind.) This will allow you to at least say you've tried research, and you'll be able to explain whether or not the you liked it if they ask at interviews using personal experience. It may be a good idea to contact your top school choice and see what they think?

If however, ADCOMs ask what you were doing working at a PT clinic instead of somewhere that would get you more exposure to MDs/DOs... I ask you, OP, if you were there because you maybe thought about doing PT in the past? If so, you'd have to justify why you'd rather be a physician. In that scenario, I think as long as you're able to explain you changing your mind (using experiences you've had in the past with physicians), you'll be fine.

If you were there just because you were able to land a job (any job) in healthcare, I would be prepared to justify wanting to be a physician instead of a PT by using your OTHER experiences (shadowing, volunteering, etc.) that you've had direct contact with physicians to explain why you KNOW you don't want to be a PT, and you do want to be a physician.

If you worked in the PT clinic and don't have other experiences with physicians (volunteering, shadowing, etc.) to be able to justify why you KNOW the lifestyle of a physician is for you, I would advise taking the scribe job and explaining to your pre-med adviser that you won't be able to handle all three (scribing, research, MCAT), and that the tremendous amount of direct exposure to physicians you'll have as a scribe will likely help your medical school application tremendously.

TL;DR: Take the research experience UNLESS you can't explain WHY you would rather be a physician (over a PT) USING other experiences you've had with physicians (shadowing, volunteering, etc.)


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[Supermanwife]

I agree with them both. It does depend on how the admissions team view it. That's where researching the school becomes beneficial.

 

[DPTinthemaking15]

Disclaimer: I am still technically a pre-med, so other, more savvy members, may know better; this is personal opinion.

I was totally sold on the research option (because of your 2,000 PT clinic hours; no more clinical exposure needed) until I read @shisong 's comment.

I'm torn now because if ADCOMs just see it as clinical experience, and don't think anything past that, you should definitely do research (no doubt in my mind.) This will allow you to at least say you've tried research, and you'll be able to explain whether or not the you liked it if they ask at interviews using personal experience. It may be a good idea to contact your top school choice and see what they think?

If however, ADCOMs ask what you were doing working at a PT clinic instead of somewhere that would get you more exposure to MDs/DOs... I ask you, OP, if you were there because you maybe thought about doing PT in the past? If so, you'd have to justify why you'd rather be a physician. In that scenario, I think as long as you're able to explain you changing your mind (using experiences you've had in the past with physicians), you'll be fine.

If you were there just because you were able to land a job (any job) in healthcare, I would be prepared to justify wanting to be a physician instead of a PT by using your OTHER experiences (shadowing, volunteering, etc.) that you've had direct contact with physicians to explain why you KNOW you don't want to be a PT, and you do want to be a physician.

If you worked in the PT clinic and don't have other experiences with physicians (volunteering, shadowing, etc.) to be able to justify why you KNOW the lifestyle of a physician is for you, I would advise taking the scribe job and explaining to your pre-med adviser that you won't be able to handle all three (scribing, research, MCAT), and that the tremendous amount of direct exposure to physicians you'll have as a scribe will likely help your medical school application tremendously.

TL;DR: Take the research experience UNLESS you can't explain WHY you would rather be a physician (over a PT) USING other experiences you've had with physicians (shadowing, volunteering, etc.)


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Thank you so much for this response!!! Actually, I was in PT school for an entire semester and decided Med school was the place to be lol. There was small contact with Physicians as a PT aide (we assisted patients in the hospital). But I had the chance to shadow a few surgeons and I had a blast. I've shadowed around 40-50 hours so far. Anyways, I'm leaning more towards the research position. I believe I should be able to explain my situation well to my top choice school. I'll give them a call though! Plus, I want a good LOR from my Pre-med advisor.

I agree with them both. It does depend on how the admissions team view it. That's where researching the school becomes beneficial.

I guess I need to research their website more for what they search for in an applicant. The lady who answers the phone is always helpful, so I will give them a call tomorrow!

 

[no0dles]

If you don't have any research experience, you can see if it is something you're interested in -- don't do it to just impress admissions committee (it'll become obvious & you won't be happy). Personally, I was in a similar situation as you, but I chose to become a scribe. As a scribe in an ED, I had a great opportunity to work with many different physicians (MD &DO) and get a real good idea of what becoming a physician is. So far, scribing has been the most rewarding experience and I got to see a lot of crazy things that people only read or hear about. During all my interviews, I spent the majority of my time sharing those unique stories. The ADCOMs were more interested in my scribing experience vs my research. It was easy for me to convince them I really wanted to become a physician even with working long hours/overnights/and dealing with crazy people.

It is good to be a well rounded applicant, but do something you will actually enjoy doing. Don't do things just to impress others because it won't be worth your time and energy.

 

[luckyely91]

I would recommend being a scribe. I have a lot of friends who ended up pursuing research more than actual work experience in health care, and they had a harder time getting into medical school. Plus, with scribing, you learn more about how to take an HPI, ROS and PE... this will help out a lot when you are starting medical school.

I do agree with the above post about doing what you want though - if you prefer research more than scribing, pursue that. 🙂